Unleashing the Hustle Within: Advice for a Positive and Productive Life

By Tullie Bailey

Hustle your way to happiness and redefine success on your own terms.

 

Pursuing your ultimate dream isn't just for those in the right place at the right time. Take the reins of your inner hustler and make things happen with Unleashing the Hustle Within.

 

Not everyone is made for the standard nine-to-five grind or fulfilled by working for someone else. If you have that voice inside reminding you that you can do so much more, it's time to ignite your personal quest with a guide who has been there.

 

Entrepreneur Tullie Bailey hustled his way out of poverty and incarceration to jump-start successful nightclub and bar ventures. Now he brings his street-smart guide to turn your life around with the right mindset. Built on the limitless wisdom of philosophers like Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, this is the simple instruction manual on how you can take your life from poverty, crime, or drug addiction to overcome hardships, achieve dreams, and refuse to limit yourself due to the current status of your life. Bailey's quick-witted insights, infectious positivity, and problem-solving strategies provide the tools you need to embark on a hero's journey of deep personal growth and entrepreneurial motivation.

 

Level up and discover:

• 3 proven time management strategies for eliminating distractions, setting boundaries, and boosting productivity.
• How to bounce back from rock bottom and turn failures into fuel.
• Ways to rewire your brain for unshakable confidence and relentless determination to embrace your business mindset and achieve your goals.
• How to use previously labeled negative behaviors like ADHD and compulsion to your advantage.
• Proven methods and habits for finding fulfillment, reducing stress, and optimizing your time and energy to create work-life harmony.

Whether you're a wannabe entrepreneur at the start of building your empire or you're struggling to live out your hopes and dreams, Unleashing the Hustle Within is the unconventional and holistic pathway to success on your terms. Dream big, take back your power, and create the life you've wanted—when you're ready to hustle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: People at Partys Publishing
• Release date: Aug 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9798990183742

Book preview

PART ONE

THE GHETTO

TONY ROBBINS

Chapter 1

THE QUIET LESSONS

I guess it’s pretty unusual when I really think about it, but my career as a life and business coach began when I started driving for Lyft. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all of the bars that I managed were temporarily shut down due to government restrictions, leaving me with nothing to do but nervously conduct work around the house. But after rebuilding our deck and building a variety of bicycles for people in the neighborhood, I realized I was driving my wife and daughter crazy—they still had to work and go to school remotely. I had always been interested in ride-sharing apps, and I thought to myself that now was as good a time as any to give it a try.

I was newly sober and—because of the pandemic—the air was ripe with uncertainty, but I had to get moving in some direction because I was also going a bit stir-crazy. I ended up selling my prized Lexus IS 350 that I had paid off (and that was in pristine condition), so I could purchase an all-wheel-drive SUV with 3rdrow seating to maximize ridesharing potential.

I felt a little unsure with my initial riders, not knowing whether to be friendly or not, but eventually I found a rhythm. When the rider got into the car, I usually spent the first few minutes sizing up whether they were a talkative person or someone who just wanted to be alone with their thoughts—I was good either way. Most often, we’d talk about their lives, their triumphs, their struggles, and their dreams.

And something fascinating happened over the course of my first 10 to 20 trips with the ridesharing app. I started to notice the effect that I was having on my riders. People were leaving my car happier and more inspired than they’d been when they got in and sat down. People were vowing to take a chance on themselves. Younger, older, male, female—it was happening all across the board.

Not surprisingly, I started to realize that turning a light on in my riders had also turned a light on in me. I’d drive home, slip into bed, and lie awake in the faint glow of Denver at 5 a.m., elated.

I was onto something. But what exactly was it?

As we go about our lives, we don’t always realize that somewhere inside us we retain solutions to problems that we solved earlier in our lives. In talking to my rideshare passengers, I began to recognize that some of the missteps and difficult moments I’ve experienced in my life could and would be helpful insights for anyone who was struggling through similar problems. Following the scent of inspiration, I dug into my turbulent backstory, unearthed some long-buried memories, and began the painfully honest process of writing my autobiography. When I finally came out of the pit a couple of months later, I had The Quiet Lessons of an Incredibly Loud Adventure: Volume One to share with the world.

That book, like all books, was born out of a sense that I had a story to tell. For many years, I’d had the feeling that I had come into the world upside down. As the youngest of five, I was raised by a single mother who was forced to work 15 to 18 hours a day at minimum wage just to keep us on the margins of poverty. I never knew my father. I only knew the vague, unsettling stories that surrounded him: he was addicted to pills; he’d been charged for driving from state to state and writing his own prescriptions; he was out of control. After his arrest, the court suspended his sentence in favor of getting him into rehab, but he wasn’t having it. He took off.

My mother took me and my four siblings to my dad’s sister, my Aunt Reese, and that’s where, allegedly, my father showed up, grabbed Mom, and kidnapped her. At my Aunt Bee’s house, he held my mother hostage. Aunt Reese called the police, informing them that her brother had gone insane. The cops arrived at Bee’s, a gunfight ensued, and my father was shot. He died later in jail. To this day, there is some gray area that no one has really penetrated—call it a family conspiracy theory. Mom insists that Dad shot himself during the altercation with the police, though the injury he sustained was not life-threatening. She said he was taking 30 to 40 Percocets a day at the time, indicating a serious drug problem. Mom believes that because he had no access to the drugs in jail, he died from withdrawal.

Aside from being literally mute for a two-year period following my father’s death, I had a normal early childhood, surrounded by siblings, cousins, and neighborhood playmates. My mother worked hard to keep us fed and clothed, and despite her exhausting schedule, I cannot recall a single moment of neglect or unkindness. In her own way, she kept it tight. We were safe—at least at this point—and loved.

Naturally, I couldn’t fail to notice that most of my friends had dads. Dads who took them to baseball games, dads who showed them how to pump up a football, dads who watched over them at the parks where they played. Man, I remember thinking, I wish I had one of those. I often wondered what it would be like to have a father figure in my life—someone who could teach me the things my friends’ dads taught them. It wasn’t that I felt lacking in any way, but there was a curiosity and longing for that paternal presence. Nonetheless, I was grateful for the love and care my mother provided, and she did her best to fill both roles.

But over time, I started to notice something unusual in my outlook. There was a strange kind of freedom in my life that those other kids with fathers didn’t have. Not having a male role model hanging over me caused me to grow up faster, filling the void of my father’s absence with my own custom-made rules and expectations. I created my worldview out of a patchwork of random male influences: my older brother, Otis; other neighborhood dads that I liked; movie stars; and, later, hip-hop artists. I began building my own image out of spare parts, like a beat-up 1969 Camaro. For better or worse, I had no restrictions and no confinement. I simply filled the space where my father’s memory existed with my imagination and the instinctual positivity that children so often have. I was all right.

On the release of The Quiet Lessons, I found myself on a wave of momentum that continues to carry me, even now, far into the future. The response from readers has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s like I hear you talking in my head, people have said. As I write this book, my debut book is now available in hundreds of stores nationwide, and I’m busy thinking up micromarketing campaigns for each state.

But something even more magical happened when I got on that wave. I realized that the story—my story—had provided me with a purpose that I never realized I had in life. Although it’s tempting to refer to this discovery in evangelical terms, I will resist that temptation. I have not uncovered a new religion, nor am I interested in being anyone’s guru or messiah, but I have found a method, a means, and a manifesto for action. The book you are holding, my second, is its vessel. Initially, I used The Quiet Lessons from An Incredibly Loud Adventure to introduce the world to what it took to become Tullie Bailey. Now that you’re holding, streaming, or listening to Unleashing the Hustle, my intention is to share the tips, tricks, and wisdom I have gathered over the years.

I hope you’ll be able to use this book in so many ways: for idea generation, for creating your own business, for general guidance through life, and as a gift you can give your friends and loved ones. I’m going to tell you something they won’t tell you in college: you are already perfect, and the success and happiness you so desire have been living within you the whole damn time. Basically, your perfect nature has been waiting to manifest itself through your hopes and dreams—by taking a leap of faith, you can have it all.

Chapter 2

THAT’S WHAT HE SAID

(THE WISDOM OF

JOSEPH CAMPBELL)

My wife had a mentor for many years through college and then into her time at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This mentor, Jack, worked at the university as an accountant. Once my wife and I got married, he kind of stepped back from her life, realizing that she was going to be busy with family life. Despite the distance that grew between them, my wife always held a deep respect and gratitude for Jack’s guidance. She often reminisced about the invaluable lessons he’d taught her and the impact he’d had on her academic and personal growth.

Flash forward to about a year ago: Jack’s health had declined, and he was in hospice. This good man was on his way out of this energy field. Over the course of his last days, he reached out to us, and we reconnected. Jack, it turned out, had taken many students—not just my wife—under his wing. He had touched the lives of countless individuals, leaving a lasting impression on each one of them.

As we listened to their stories, it became evident that Jack’s mentorship went beyond academics; he had instilled in his students a sense of confidence and resilience that carried them through various challenges in life. It was remarkable to witness the profound impact he’d made on so many lives, solidifying his legacy as a beloved mentor and friend. Throughout all of his career he’d mentored young students like my wife, taking them out to lunch and dinner, taking them to movies, introducing them to books—opening their minds to new ideas and possibilities.

As one of his final wishes, Jack opened up his storage unit to all the students who’d benefited from his companionship and advice. What had been his, he told them, was now theirs. Since I happened to have an SUV, I ended up helping Jack distribute his storage unit’s contents.

It soon became apparent that Jack had been hugely into books. One that I stumbled on while going through Jack’s stacks was called A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living.¹ Campbell was already one of my favorite authors (and one of my favorite minds) in the world. With my wife’s permission, I threw the book onto the passenger seat of the SUV, took it home, and dove in. Eventually, I downloaded A Companion on Audible, since