For those that don’t know Dylan Madden runs the site Calm & Collected where he talks about success, sales, and personal growth. I’ve been a big fan of Dylan’s blog and work and was excited to get my hands on his latest book Think & Go Hustle. Think & Go Hustle is about embodying the hustler’s mentality and getting after it in life. The book is broken down into five different levels of the hustle. I’ll get into each further into the review. One thing that stands out about this book is Dylan’s level of authenticity.
He uses examples from his own life as well as pictures baring all. You can tell Dylan put his heart into this book and the lessons it contains. In the first chapter Blood, Euphoria, & Rage Dylan details quitting his dead end job dropping his low level friends and setting out to make it. And the many setbacks on his journey both monetary and otherwise. One important thing that really stood out about this chapter was Dylan talking about big changes will hit you suddenly even though they took time to process. For a example a business shift or idea can suddenly hit you making you thousands of dollars. It seems like it came out of the blue but in reality it had been building up for some time.
Level 1 – Awakening
Comfort and debt. Two things that following the script society has lain out for you will give you. You’ll be a prisoner but you’ll be a prisoner who gets three square meals everyday and even some time in the yard if you’re extra good. The game is rigged and Dylan talks about instead of playing the game that society has laid out for instead creating your own. This all starts with realizing that something isn’t right. Wasting away your days slaving away to barely get by.
Though it’s considered normal in our society anyone looking from the outside in would wonder why everyone even though their miserable just keeps plugging along. Consuming more, getting into more debt, and numbing themselves more and more. Dylan talks about to break free from this all you have to make a decision and cement it in your mind that this isn’t right for you. Dylan also makes a great point at everyone at the top (of any field) all know each other, there’s a reason for that.
Level 2 – Script Creation
Follow the script society has lain out for you and you’ll be a comfortable prisoner. However create your own script and you’ll have a chance at freedom and living a life you love (with lots of hard work). Goal setting and visualization are two very powerful tools. Dylan talks about creating your own script by writing out exactly what you want from life and want to achieve. He cautions against writing out vague goals such as “make more money” because vague isn’t powerful and instead recommends specific detailed goals covering how you want your life to look.
Dylan recommends a question and answer format where you ask a question and then answer it yourself. For example Dylan used “What is holding me back from getting the body I want?” and then answered it and from his answer wrote out what he then needed to do every day to remedy that. He then recommends during this into a script of daily actions. Something I’ve noticed is nearly all successful people do this. Having a list of what you want accomplished as well as clarifying how to get to your goals is very imporant. Daily action is the foundation of success.
Level 3 – Figuring Out The Controls
Dylan talks about the importance of cutting out the crap from your life in this level. Things like drugs, toxic people, victimhood, drinking, porn, bad diet, and a sloppy appearance. Getting your shit together is an essential part to getting what you want out of life and achieving your goals. Dylan list four areas in particular that you need to clean house they are mind, body, spirit, and money. Dylan uses his own experience of focusing on money and letting his health slip and how it negatively effected the work he was able to do and therefore the money he made.
Focusing too much on one thing and will bring you out of balance which will hurt your results with the one thing you’re focusing on anyways. Even something as simple as keeping a budget can help with getting your life together. The little things add up and eventually become big things. Especially if they’re not addressed. The overworked guy who has a heart attack is a perfect example of this. Be sure to stay in relative balance and not neglect any critical factors.
Level 4 – Character Creations
Dylan starts this level off with a very important truth “In life, most spend decades trying to find themselves. What I have come to know is that you create yourself”. Finding yourself is largely bullshit you forge yourself through advancement, challenge, and overcoming obstacles. You build yourself in what you are to become, for better or for worse. As Dylan says “you must become your own savior” no one else is going to save you and the cavalry isn’t coming. It’s up to you to fight your way out of wherever you are and get to where you want to go.
Another important topic that Dylan addresses in this part if copying someone who you see is successful. As Dan Kennedy says you don’t want to be a pioneer, do what works, pioneers after all are the ones face down with all the arrows in their back. Emulating success instead of “figuring it out on your own” is so much smarter. When you see something that works copy it and make it your own. Artists do this all the time, well the rich ones do at least. Another great nugget of wisdom from this book is “Offering more value means you will make more money”. Dylan also takes about controlling your environment and the importance of it and how to brainwash yourself into getting where you want to go.
Level 5 – Playing The Game
You can get nearly anything that you want if you’re willing to pay the price which Dylan talks about in this section. Another great point Dylan makes is warning about “glory days” and the only true glory days are “The day that you run off into the glory days is the day that you die” until then keep working. There are no such thing as shortcuts, a very important point that Dylan makes. Too many people get caught up in looking for quick fixes whether it’s getting money, fit, women, power, or whatever. Success comes from daily consistent action as I’ve said success is actually quite “borin” (well the process to attain it is).
Dylan talks about striking a balance between not depending on others yet the same time not being a lone wolf. I know something I struggle with, is not asking for help or collaboration. Part of it is because I feel competence is so hard to find (true) but also because I know I’m stubborn. So working on balancing this has been something that’s been very important to me. Another great quote (this book is chocked full of them) is “Being disciplined is a way of life. It’s doing what you don’t want to because you know it will get you closer to what want in life”.
Think & Go Hustle
Think & Go Hustle is a great book for both entrepreneurs and those looking to get their shit together. As a matter of fact there is a bit of a crossover between those two. So if you’re looking to get your hustle right and start creating the life that you’ve always wanted then get your copy of Think & Go Hustle today.
