I was on the train the other day, listening to a podcast as I often do to pass the time. A woman was talking about the “dog eat dog” mentality of Wall Street, and I admittedly was beginning to zone out. Then she said a statement that made me sit up straight in my seat. It was a simple phrase that all of a sudden provoked me in a way very few phrases do.
“You eat what you kill.”
Now, this phrase wasn’t new; it wasn’t something that came to her at the top of her head. She admitted it was a known phrase, especially in Wall Street atmospheres where you literally work for your keep. But for some reason, this phrase in particular made me realize something I’ve long known but I must continue to push to all my misfits out there: you eat. what. you kill.
In simple terms, you will get only that which you work for. So often, I get emails from Misfits out there (hey, ya’ll!), asking me HOW do I do this, or HOW did I get that. The easiest answer to any and all of the questions is I literally work as hard as I want to enjoy. I want to enjoy the finer things in life, so I work my tail off to ensure I can have those (one day). I want to be in this industry and fight to break down these problems, but I only am going to get out of it what I put in.
See, I think we as humans forget we’re animals. And in the wild, a lion isn’t sitting around, thinking, “Gee, I wonder if I’ll find some gazelle just laying on the side of the road today.” Nah, fam. That lion is getting up, nice and early, stretching, doing its squats, and getting ready to go out there and KILL. Why? Because it knows if it does not kill, it will not eat. We have unfortunately become so used to things being handed to us–serendipity, favor, luck, a great mentor, awesome resources, money– that we forget that hustle that brings it out of us in the first place.
Now, I’m not saying go out there and literally kill for anything. But, I am suggesting that those who understand they will never get the full ramifications of that blessing if they don’t put in the work to get it may be onto something. Your dreams should be hustled just like you would to take care of your child, to pay your rent, or if you…I don’t know, had a repo man after you. You’re going to find a way. Same thing with your dreams.
Stop expecting the world to just hand you that blessing. Yes, it happens on occasion, and I truly am a believer in the holy hands of the divine. But I do know that if I don’t get out here and fight for this, that it’s never going to come knocking on my door. I am still nowhere near where I want to be, but just like the lion, I’m going to get up everyday and fight for this while others wait around, hoping for life’s scrappy seconds. You can’t get full off the remnants of someone’s meal. No matter what you want in life, go hard for it like your life is literally depending on it. I promise you, you’ll eat good.
