“The World is Yours,” the famous message from the movie Scarface. When Cuban immigrant Tony Montana stares up at the Miami night sky, he sees an advertising balloon with, “The World is Yours.” Those 4 words trigger an inner power, an insatiable thirst, and fierce drive for Tony to relentlessly pursue his dreams. He’s made moves to remove all his opposition and early on in his career he’s proven that he’s willing to kill for money. In classic 1980s fashion the next scene is a montage of Tony hustling to the song Push it to the Limit. He’s making phone calls, counting money, dropping duffle bags of cash at the bank, purchasing businesses, buying property, and at his wedding he’s showing off his pet tiger 🐅.
The lesson to be learned from this Icarus ☀️ like gangster is the belief that’s at the core of all hustlers. And that is “the world is yours.” Once this is accepted in the heart of a man or woman, they’re freed from the tether of circumstance.
Hustlers have what I call the “conquerors spirit.” This an appetite for expansion that outweighs risks with confidence. That inner power + action = drive to overcome adversity. Whether you like them or not, this fiery passion includes figures such as Christopher Columbus, Ghengis Khan, Jeff Besos, and Elon Musk. I choose these examples because they too share that hardcore drive that Tony Montanta has in Scarface. They’re conquerors, plain and simple. They believe the world is theirs, and they’ll plow right through whatever gets in their way.
This will sound cliche, but that same passion and untapped potential exists in everyone 🔥 . To trigger it requires self discovery, experimenting with hobbies, getting out of one’s comfort zone, and grit. There are limitless opportunities out there, if Ghengis Khan had more options maybe he would’ve applied his energy into something less brutal. It’s hard work igniting that passion, and for most hustlers it was circumstances and adversity they used to propel them to succeed. To change their circumstances they had to become self made, use their strengths, leverage the resources around them, create opportunities, and pardon my French, turn shit into sugar 🇫🇷.
50 Cent 🪙 said it best in his book the 50th Law which he co-authored with Robert Green.
“What separates those who go under and those who rise above adversity is the strength of their will and their hunger for power.”
Power has a different meaning for everyone. Power could be escaping poverty. Power could be freedom that comes from achieving financial stability. Power could be building a business and becoming the boss. Power could be autonomy from a toxic relationship. Power could be living life on one’s own terms. Whatever that power is, that idea in and of itself gives power to action. It triggers a necessity to be more. Hustling is a baptism by fire and acid. In the book Jay-Z: Made in America, written by Michael Eric Dyson says,
“Hustling, the action, the performance, is embraced because it often provides the only relief from economic misery. The hustler is determined not to suffer silently and turns distress to opportunity.”
According to a Wealth-X study, 68% of millionaires, specifically a net worth of $30 million or more, are self made and didn’t come from money. Another study by Fidelity Investments showed that 88% of all millionaires are self-made. To unpack this, there’s power in the hustlers journey. One would think generational wealth would lead to more millionaires but thats not the case. Maybe the steep climb to the top requires more than handouts. It requires a fearless mindset, creativity, intelligence, being able to identify opportunities, and understanding when to pivot.
Becoming a hustler and harnessing the conquerors spirit are easier to discuss than to put into practice. When shit hits the fan, it takes many forms. You could be impacted by layoffs. Surprised with a left hook expense. A death of loved one. Regardless of the circumstances, remember what Viktor Frankyl said. For context, Frankyl is a famous psychiatrist and author of Man’s Search for Meaning. He wrote about his experiences surviving the holocaust.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Hurdles will always be ahead, and attitude will be the jump to get past them time and again. To end this on an inspirational high, I’d like to quote Sylvester Stallone from the movie Rocky Balboa.
“You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
Life hits hard, take the punch, roll with it, and hit back. I’ve complied a list of books to help inspire the hustler within you. Enjoy! 🥊 🥊
Jay-Z: Made in America by Michael Eric Dyson
The 50th Law by Robert Greene and 50 Cent
Hustle Harder Hustle Smarter by 50 Cent
Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet David
Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
Mastery by Robert Greene
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
The Art of the Hustle: Sell or Surrender by John Henry
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone
Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
Delivering Happiness by Tony Xie
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
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