I was chatting with a good friend the other night who is one of the busiest people I know. In fact, you might know him: he runs several successful businesses (including a brewery), is constantly active with his family, and donates a ton of time and energy to activities that make his community a better place to live and work. If you guessed the good friend as Kirby Hasseman, you are correct. As it turns out, Kirby isn’t busy at all – but he is constantly hustling. What’s the difference?
- Being busy is an aimless activity that may or may not result in the achievement of goals.
- Hustling is a continual action that always moves you in a positive direction towards your goals.
Kirby is one who continually hustles and serves as an inspiration to me and others in the industry. Just by knowing him and how he conducts his life, I have learned to hustle as well – so much so that I don’t even use the word “busy” in conversation. I don’t believe in “busy”, but I do believe in “hustle.”
So, at the end of a long day of hustling for both of us, we were talking about our work, opportunities, and how we both revel in the journey. But this conversation was a bit different than similar ones we've had in the past: for the first time, we acknowledged that neither of us had stopped hustling for a long time. Furthermore, we raised the question, is it ever okay to stop hustling?
In short, we decided the answer is yes. Just like Kirby, I love what I do and wouldn’t change my addiction to hustle for anything. Even so, there are times when your battery needs to be recharged by engaging in a passion that allows you to free your mind. For some, it might be exercise while for others it might be cooking. It might be watching sports or listening to music while enjoying the weather.
To sustain hustle, it’s critical to switch the hustle-mode to the off position from time to time. When the hustle-mode is switched back on, you will have a clearer focus of your goals and why you hustle in the first place.
If you don’t allow yourself to turn off the hustle occasionally, you’ll only end up being on the busy road to nowhere.
Bill is president of PromoCorner, the leading digital marketing service provider to the promotional products industry, and has over 17 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), vice president of the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, and developing branding that resonates with a target audience. He can be reached at bill@PromoCorner.com.