Let me ask you something: why do you hustle? why do you want to hustle? Think about it for a second because these are important questions. In fact, we dedicated an entire episode on how to identify and find out your “why”.

Because when you have your why, motivation comes standard.

And nobody knows their “why” better than those who are living the life they want.

In fact, we had a theory that all successful hustlers had this one trait in common — so we decided to put it to the test. Below you’ll find responses from some real life hustlers, and why they wake up in the morning.

Hopefully, it inspires you to find your own why.

Why do we hustle?

For me personally, it’s all about freedom. I want more options. I want more money. I want to travel the world. I want to do whatever I want. I want to go out on a Wednesday night. I want to be the life of the party. And hustling allows me to achieve this freedom. I don’t have some emotional story. I didn’t stare off into the light one lonely night. I’ve always just been a greedy dude.

Here’s why my co-host hustles…

“I hustle because I want to help people. And I help people, because it allows me to build relationships and connect with other hustlers, who in turn usually end up helping me achieve the things I want. It sounds like a cheesy circle-of-life type thing, but it’s absolutely true. Want to be a failure? Stop trying to help people and cut off from giving value to this world. You’ll quickly find your bank account dries up, your friends leave you behind and you go into depression. But the great thing about this is that your quality of life can improve overnight if you start providing value to those who need it the most.” — Sahil M, co-host DoYouEvenHustle Podcast

Let’s see what other experts had to say…

“I hustle because I wanted to stay at home with my kids. My dream was to find something that I could grow into a full time income with “half-time” work. My blog turned into exactly that, out earning both my old job and my husbands promotion with a 20 hour work week for me. It was crazy hard work, but completely worth it.” — Rosemarie Groner of Busy Budgeter.

“I hustle because I have 6 kids and I want to have the most flexible work situation possible. I work more, I earn more (and vice versa). It fits my values for raising a family and allows for us to serve others in unique ways. My day is mine, and, although I’m accountable for every minute of it (no blaming things on a rotten boss), I also get opportunities that I would never see working for someone else.” — Linsey Knerl  of 1099 Mom.

“I hustled my ass off years ago so that I can pick and choose what I do now. I don’t HAVE to do anything I don’t want to do because of the way I hustled years ago. I have freedom and flexibility to work when I want, and where I want.” — Miranda Marquit.

“I work for that feeling of accomplishment. The feeling that there was a difficult problem in front of me today and I beat it. I pride myself on being able to figure things out, to solve problems, and to work with what I have to accomplish a task. So being able to demonstrate that to myself on a daily basis is very fulfilling.” — Jim Wang of Wallet Hacks.

“Anybody who has been ‘retired’ knows there’s more to a fulfilling life than laying in a hammock on a tropical beach with an umbrella drink. The “pro-leisure circuit” is way overrated. Meaningful work brings you many essential things including connection, community, purpose, and contribution to name a few. I vacation roughly 3 months out of the year and pursue meaningful work for the remainder of the year because that is the balance that brings me the greatest fulfillment. ” — Todd R. Tresidder of Financial Mentor.

“I hustle because I believe it can help a person reach financial freedom more quickly. Hustling allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans in 7 months.” — Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents.

“I do it to beat or work through my depression and anxiety. When I’m working, my mind goes somewhere else and I don’t go to THAT PLACE. Money is nice but feeling like myself is better. I’m not saying it’s foolproof. But it makes a difference for me.” — Jana Lynch of Jana Says.

“I hustle for freedom of time and geography. Build assets that work for you and your family.” — Nick Loper

“I write/hustle so that I can sharpen my financial knowledge and earn money at the same time. I often learn about new things through research and interviews, or deepen my understanding of topics when I write about them. This has helped me personally plan for retirement and talk finances with my kids, who are now both in college. Sharing what I’ve learned with others is a great bonus.” — Julie Starnes Rains of Investing to Thrive.

“I don’t hustle, but I like my work. I have been a journalist and writer or editor throughout my career. I like the idea of providing people with information that will be valuable to them. And then there is that pesky little necessity of paying the bills.” — Teresa Mears of Living On The Cheap.

“I hustle to live an interesting life. I’ve hustled to climb the corporate ladder and it allowed me to purchase happiness but I was stuck in that cycle of working to make money and to what end? Early in this entrepreneurial journey I saw myself hustling 24/7 and I had to take a step back because I wasn’t enjoying the process. I asked myself last year ,’Why am I hustling so much?’ I answered so I can live an interesting life yet I was spending most of that time working not living that interesting life.” — Jason Vitug

“Frugality by choice rather than necessity….If frugal habits are only affording you enough to ‘get by’, they aren’t serving you beyond the present moment. It’s making more money paired with frugality that allows you the freedom to dream freely of tomorrow.” — Stefanie of The Broke and Beautiful Life.

“I started working on the side to help pay off my student loans and car loan, but I realized that it is a door to much more than debt freedom. My online “side income” has grown to over $30,000 per year. That is life changing income I use to save for early retirement, live in a nicer house, pay for my private pilot lessons, and live a better life.” — Eric Rosenberg of Personal Profitability.

“I hustle to enjoy my career. I work in the non-profit sector which is rewarding for me on so many levels but not financially. By hustling, I’m able to set myself up for the future (finishing my second degree to grow my income potential), travel ( went to Israel this summer) and to show others it’s possible!” — Athena Lent  of Money Smart Latina.

“I hustle because I want a certain quality of life – I want to buy what I want, go out to dinner and drinks if I want, and provide for my family and future. I look at my budget and instead of asking how much I need to save, I ask myself how much do I need to earn.” — Robert Farrington. The College Investor

What About You? Why do you hustle? We want to know!

Please leave your response in the comment section below. We want to know what brought you here.