For most of you, I don’t need to explain that. But sometimes when I say it to people, they nod and agree and dismiss the statement. These are folks who have never been broke.
To them, being broke means not being able to buy name brand products or not buying new clothes. What I am talking about is broke like you might eat dirt just to fill the hole in your stomach. I mean jumping people’s fences to eat not ripe vegetables out of their gardens. I mean broke to where you lift a garbage lid in hopes of finding something that doesn’t stink so you don’t gag while forcing yourself to choke it down. I have been this broke.
I have also been $1.00 a day on food broke. I have stolen for food. I have cheated for food. I have dated 6 girls at the same time to get free food from them. They didn’t have to be cute, just generous.
I am not proud of the things I have done to fill the hole in my belly and to keep a warm place to sleep. I wasn’t proud while I was doing it and I am not proud while I type this out. Yeah, at the time I was talking shit to my guy friends about being a pimp or being a player. One girl was paying for my pager, another put gas in my car. Each girl knew I was playing around but each thought that they were my “Bottom Bitch”.
And that’s why it was cold. I still talk to some of those girls. They went on to have jobs and families. None of them really knew what I was doing to them – at least there is that. But I lost part of my soul back then. I work daily to get it back. It is a burden that I have to carry.
But for all the things I have done, I have never begged.
I don’t know why I could steal, but I couldn’t beg. Maybe I couldn’t look people in the face and take from them. I had to do it at night, with no one around.
I used to give money to beggars from time to time. I have noticed that I give less and less to beggars when they ask. Last week I saw a young, well, strong black man sitting next to the door of my local grocery store. He hit me up for money. I bit my tongue, squared up and kept walking. Then I sat in my car and watched him. He was able to work, but he wasn’t. He was begging. Maybe this was his hustle.
My time running the street, I have met a lot of homeless people and a lot of professional beggars. These are folks who just don’t want to work. Begging is their job. Sometimes I think that they are doing a service. The people who give them money feel good about themselves and it only cost a buck or so in spare change. There is an exchange of cash for services.
But this kid made me mad. He had potential. He could be doing anything. Why was he begging? Did he think that was the strongest hustle he had? Then I started to think about his strategy. He picked the store in town where a majority of the patrons are wealthy. The ones who aren’t white are immigrants. Now the wealthy Indians and Asians in my neighborhood do not give to beggars. Most of them work very hard. Hell, most of the people in my neighborhood work hard, and they aren’t the types to give up their money to someone because he asks for it or looks sad.
So, this was the best he could do. He put on his sad puppy face and tries to pull in some spare change on a side hustle. It was weak and sad. He had a better chance of pulling off a security con at the local mall. You know the one. “Hey, for $5 I’ll make sure no one messes with your car.”
People are more likely to give you something if you are willing to do something. You show people some motivation or good will; they will meet you half way. Begging is the lowest hustle I can think of. If that is the best you have got, then you might as well punch a time clock. It is the same thing, but at least you have your self-respect.
People may find this a bit harsh from me. This kid affected me emotionally. I see young people in my town begging all the time. Most of them are stoners, burnouts, lazy or generally pieces of human waste. There was something about this kid that made me notice him. There was something that ate away at my gut. Something that made me question who he was and what he was doing.
The point is this. You aren’t as cute as you think you are. No one is going to give you enough money to live on because you look sad. If you are going to try and pull off a con, you better set up shop where you can actually get over on your mark. Otherwise you are wasting time, wasting effort and wasting potential.
I just found your site and read some of your articles. Great site. You have been added to the reading list.
Great post. Huslte is an important part of almost any success.
I just found your site and believe me there is more potential for success here than any other blog I have seen. I have hustled my whole life and know that without that hunger to succeed or survive you will do nothing or be nothing.
Good Post
Alex
I have done quite a few hustles in my life too. The tricks of the trade and make money sections of my site outline some of the hustles. However, I didn’t do them out of necessity, just to get ahead.
Interesting. I’ve never been “broke-broke” like what you’re talking about. Maybe I’m being naive, but why not just go pick up some part time work down at McDonald’s?
Interesting perspective for sure. I like your mindset and your attitude. Definitely a new way to look at motivation. Great job
Trevor,
I worked part time gigs. I worked temp jobs. I did a lot of things to get some cash. But I had a “I don’t give a damn” attitude then too. Why work when I could steal? Why work when I could say pretty things to girls and get it for free (with sex on top)?
Like I said, I’m not proud of what I did back then. I did just enough to get by but sometimes things got thin. Sometimes a lick didn’t come through or sometimes I couldn’t flip something I picked up. Sometimes a girl would fall off and sometimes the temp jobs didnt come in.
And some of those things I talked about, happened when I was 7 years old and living with distant relatives that didn’t really give a damn about me. The folks who looked after me would lock me and my little brother out of the house at 8am and let us in at 8pm. We ate a cup of oatmeal in the morning and a cup of “helper” at night (sometimes with cut up pieces of bologna in it, most times not).
So there are a lot of reasons that people go hungry. All of them should be motivation to move your ass and make things happen for yourself.
Begging… hah. How do you think I bought my car?
That was good Sh*t! It always sucks to see a person with lots of potential wasting it. I’m one of those people who give because it makes me feel good. Does this mean I’m allowing that women or man to think what they’re doing is acceptable? Maybe so or maybe not. Really at the end of the day you don’t know why that person chooses that road, but one thing’s for sure, they’re still hustling. You gotta respect everyone’s hustle. It might not be a hustle that you would be comfortable doing or supporting, but to each its own.
I’m a straight black women and I love going to the women strip clubs. I go to learn some moves that might keep things entertaining in the bed room. My point is not to share that I may be a little bit of a freak, but to say that when I go I don’t just sit and watch. I sit, watch and TIP! Stripping could never be a profession that I partake in personally, but I respect their hustle. So if I go to their place of “hustle” (business), I pay them for their time. I respect the fact that they’re on their grind, even if It isn’t a hustle that I would choose to do. I couldn’t be a stripper because I have other attributes that I feel I can contribute to the world with and I realize that about myself, but some people don’t.
I guess what I’m saying is as a hustler I understand that we all take different roads, but we all have one common goal and that’s getting PAID! I respect anyone one that paper chase and wish them success on any mission they decide to make their journey. I’d hope that someone would do the same for me.
Che`
From Dallas
i am broke right now and sad but im grateful for the stuff i have in my life.
i wonder.soon i will have a job and i wont be broke anymore. and i will be more grateful.
nothing is worse ..than being broke. except death of course.
but being broke is really horrible. even if people give u money.
You’re a dumbass. I assume you’re black because most black people write about this stuff and act the same way you do. Do what wealthy people do: get some skills, add value to the market place, and make money the honest way. Stop begging, stop stealing, stop ripping people off. You deserved to eat out of a trash can because you’re a filthy animal…an ape, really.
Very interesting. There are a lot of retired people trying to get by on SS, and it is not a lot of fun at all.
When you get a certain age any kind of “hustling” is just about out of question.
I don’t know what the answer for old sick people on SS checks. I guess just suffer it out.
I dont believe there is ever an age or physical limitationt that will prevent you from hustling. You just need to expand your crew to people who can do the things you cant. With age comes experience. In my years, I haveseen ups and downs. I have seen others come up in down economies. I look at what they do and see if there is technology out there that will help me do what they did better and faster. What did you do in life before you retired? Can you mentor younger people, can you tutor? Can you type resumes, can you start an organization to raise funds and pay yourself as an administrator? Can you go out and collect clothes and sell them and hire your old friends to help? There is a huge interest in vintage clothing and people are paying top dollar for legitimate vintage clothing – have you raided your closets or attics? There is always something you can do. Kepp hustling!
You assume, but I am the dumbass? Irony kills man. Read a book.