Be inspired by hustle, not hype

I see it in the comments section of many lifestyle YouTube channels. A good number of commenters – mostly young folks – are “inspired” by the lavish lifestyles on public display.

From the drooling and dripping deep-green envy, you can tell that they are dying to live this flashy lifestyle. Only a countable commenters sound alarm bells on the deafening silence about the source of the displayed wealth.

This phenomenon is not new. It’s only that, with social media, these public splashes of affluence are all up in our faces. Growing up in my old hood in Nairobi’s Eastlands, we had fellas who rocked gold, were dressed to the nines and painted reggae dancehalls red. Most of them were involved in illegal activities.

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Without positive role models, some of us were inspired by these bad boys even though – in dancehalls – we heard dancehall reggae king, Buju Banton warning us that: “It’s not an easy road/Many see the glamour and the glitter so they think-a bed of rose.” Aha. You guessed it right. Many cats were swept into graves or pens by the very whirlwind they were chasing. 

This is the situation some young cats find themselves in today. When they click on YouTube channels, they see these men who, supposedly, have made it big at a young age, and are hip and happening. They see these cats, some younger, making million dollar moves and living it up in the leafy suburbs. This is the microcosm.

The macrocosm is the looted largesse – and living large – that some of our so-called leaders splash with impunity. If a young man is not well-grounded, after gorging such lies, he will start believing that he will never make it. Or that there is something he is doing wrong. If he is not careful, lethargy will set in. And, like concrete on rebar, if this happens, it will take tons of force to break this life-sapping feeling, and have a breakthrough.

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Listen, young king-in-the-making, stop swallowing the hype and hubris that some of these seemingly super-successful folks are spewing. If they are not showing you the real hustle, show them a clean pair of heels. Remove your eyeballs from such content and concentrate on your dream. Take your eyes off fool’s gold and focus on your grind.

Here’s the raw deal. You are being sold glamour and glitter, whose source cannot be explained or verified. It’s a mirage, and it will leave you utterly distraught and stranded in the desert. It’s a well-choreographed smokes-and-mirrors, and you’re the sucker for buying into the charade. You’re stressing yourself, and sinking into despondency and depression for nothing.

These types are not mentors, but mental torture personified. If any man does or says anything that makes you feel small or inadequate – run, Forrest Gump; run for dear life. A mentor makes you feel like you can do it. A mentor builds your self-esteem, which is one of the core ingredients for building any empire.

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Even if he is soaring higher than the International Space Station, a mentor’s journey is visible and verifiable. It’s not vague. From their indelible footprints in the sands of time, you will learn – among others – paths to take, pitfalls to avoid and partnerships to build.

You will make it, young boss-in-the-making. Hone your craft. Harness that gift. Build your empire in silence and in the shadows. Seeds neither show nor shout their potential, until seasons and processes have run their full course.

In the fullness of time, spotlights will shine on you. You don’t need to tell it on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere that you’re making boss moves. Legit bosses, who are making legit boss moves, let their leaps of faith – and not their lips – do all the talking.

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