This is a sample chapter from my recent eBook, The Evolution of a Hustler.

“Quitting is the path of least persistence” – Arthur Pledger

Peace of mind does not come from immobility, but from the process of pushing forward. You must become relentless in your devotion and dedication to success – anything less will not be enough. In my post entitled Get Rich-Or Die, I outlined some of the reasons for my fanatical devotion to the hustle:

• I remember moving from hotel room to hotel room because your mothers credit isn’t good enough to get an apartment

• I watched my mother struggle without end to pay bills, only to suffer one disaster after another.

• I know what it’s like to eat ketchup and hotdog buns for dinner after school

• I know what it’s like limping to school with blisters and calluses on my feet because my shoes were too small and mom couldn’t afford to buy new ones

• I have taken out neighbor’s trash to be able to buy food for my family as a 9 year old.

• I have had creditors threatening to sue me unless I paid up.

• I have had to make the choice between eating and putting gas in my car.

Relentlessness is fueled by motivation – I can work for hours on end because I have the above reasons pushing me out of my comfort zone. Your background may not be the same as mine, but by setting goals that you are truly passionate about, you will tap into the same kind of energy.

While on this path, keep your head on straight, and understand that the journey is not over until you have reached your destination. Until each goal and objective is achieved in accordance with your vision, you cannot relent and you cannot afford to be lazy. Nothing else matters but the complete attainment of your goal. Such is the essence of what it means to be relentless.

Some people are naturally driven and relentless individuals – they were born that way. But there are ways to build your own determination and will power. Here are a few

Give yourself visual reminders. A picture is worth a thousand words, and seeing the object of your desire in front of you will motivate you to power through the obstacles between you and your prize. If your goal is to build a billion dollar company, contact a graphic designer, have a logo created, and put that logo everywhere-on your bathroom mirrors, on your desk at work, on your desktop. Seeing that logo should inspire in you the words “I will build this billion dollar company, no matter what!” If your goal is to finish college within a few semesters, seeing a degree every morning and evening on your mirrors will inspire you to work harder and drive yourself to finish faster

See every task through to the end. Focus your efforts on a single task, and only move on once that task is fully completed. Doing this will help you develop the type of mindset that will drive you to see everything you do through to the end.

Practice. Every day we are faced with choices: to eat breakfast, to exercise, to read, to work, to sleep in, to eat junk, or to aimlessly click around on the internet. As we get older, the voice in the background that says “You should be producing, not watching Youtube” starts to lose its strength and you give into life’s guilty pleasures one after another. After so many years of ignoring your higher self, your willpower weakens. You make excuses as to why you deserve a day off. “I will do it tomorrow” you say, but tomorrow never comes. Rather than letting apathy and excuses stop you, look at every decision as an opportunity to train your willpower.

Embodiment: Shaka Zulu

In 1787, a woman named Nandi gave birth to her first child; a boy named Shaka. Shaka was the bastard son of Senzangakhona, the chief of a small and insignificant tribe called the Zulu. For one reason or another, Senzangakhona refused to marry Nandi, disowned Shaka, and expelled them both from the tribe.

Understand that back then, a man or woman that was expelled from their tribe was almost always condemned to death; exposed to the elements, forced to wander the plains, and fend for themselves. Nandi suffered the death of her mother, (Shaka’s grandmother, who followed Nandi and Shaka, but was too old to survive on the South African plains), fought off slave traders, and nearly died of starvation and fatigue while keeping Shaka alive.

As a child, Shaka was smaller than other children his age, but had an explosive temper. This combination led to regular fights with other boys in the villages that gave them refuge, and on more than one occasion, Shaka and his mother forced out of the tribe in order to keep the peace. These early memories of rejection, inhospitality and abuse left Shaka thirsting for revenge.

Years passed before Senzangakhona reached out to his son. Every year, as part of Zulu culture, the boys that have reached manhood are summoned before the king to pledge their loyalty and take up arms as part of the military. Messengers were sent out to Dingiswayo, chief of the village in which Shaka and his mother had taken refuge, requesting that a teenage Shaka return to take part in the ceremony. Shaka agreed, returned, and stood before his father with the rest of his emDlatsheni iNtanga (age-group). But instead of pledging his allegiance, Shaka swore before his father that he would have his revenge and, as the firstborn son of the Zulu king, take the throne by force.

Shaka returned to Dingiswayo and joined his military with the purpose of perfecting his knowledge of warfare and his skills on the battlefield. At first, with little influence and a weak reputation, Shaka was able to recruit very few to his cause of unifying the land under his leadership and control. But in battle after battle, Shaka proved to be a relentlessly violent and proficient warrior. His valor and intelligence led to his promotion to the rank of General.

During this period of time, while Shaka led campaigns to unify smaller tribes into Dingiswayo’s growing nation, Senzangakhona died of an unknown illness, placing one of Shaka’s half brothers on the throne. Upon hearing this news, Shaka and an elite unit of his warriors raced back to the Zulu lands, where he massacred all the members of Senzangakhona’s leadership (including his half-brother), and finally claimed the Zulu throne. It took 20 years for Shaka to realize his objective.

As leader of the Zulus, with iron-willed relentlessness, Shaka transformed the small and insignificant tribe of his father into a mighty nation of over 80,000 highly trained warriors and, with that war machine, he extended his borders and influence over most of southeastern Africa. Only his relentless pursuit of power could guaranteed Shaka’s place in history; at the time of his death, Shaka ruled over 250,000 people in a land area greater than that of Napoleon’s, and could muster more than 50,000 warriors at any given time. In 2008, a statue of Shaka was erected in his honor in Glencoe, South Africa as a testament to his greatness.

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