How to get more from life: hussle, have swagger & text Branson

There are three important ingredients for success. The first one? Hard work. The other two? Swagger and hustling.

On the day of Obama’s inauguration, two Dutch students crashed the Big Improvement Day – a meet-up of Holland’s finest in the public and private sector. After breaching security with fake press applications, they chose their places and waited for the highlight of the day: Sir Richard Branson.

An interactive SMS screen allowed them to connect with the entrepreneurs of entrepreneurs. “‘Mister Branson, we are 2 broke students, can we join you on the plane to DC?” is what they asked. A lift with Branson’s jet is what they got. They texted their way to the place that formed the center of the world that day.

Two weeks later, I’m reading my favorite free daily in the train. “Branson student starts his own platform”, De Pers reports. The short article noted that Omar Kbiri (24) wants to inspire students and encourage them to make something of their lives. Turns out that the platform is nothing more than Google Blogger installation filled with personal reports from Kbiri. Yes, there are some interesting interviews (for example with network king Charles D.A. Ruffalo and my former blog partner Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten), but in the end – it’s nothing more than yet another personal blog.

The Branson Connection

That doesn’t really matter though, because just like his idols, Kbiri knows exactly how to attract attention. I mean, I read about the guy more than five times in a week. Only because he was smart enough to send a text message to the right person at the right time. “I like that kind of questions”, Mr. Virgin replied. Sure he does, that’s exactly what Kbiri and his friend were hoping for. Serendipity. That’s all they needed.

Swagger

“YOU GOTTA HAVE SWAGGER”, lifestyle blogger Nalden assured the audience of BLOG08, the international blog conference Edial Dekker and I organized.

Swagger is to to move with confidence, sophistication and to be cool.
Swagger is to conduct your self in a way that would automaticaly earn respect

Thank you Urban Dictionary, for the clarification. There’s no better example to stress the importance of swagger than Nalden himself. With his open, relaxed, and motivating attitude, he networks his ass off and helps people getting further in life. That’s the whole idea, be generous, help people out, or inspire them. They will love you for it.

So you got the swagger thing going on. But you’ll have to be pro-active to actually make a difference and become an extraordinary successful person.

It all comes together with hustling

“YOU GOTTA HUSTLE”, wine reseller and Internet celebrity Gary Vaynerchuck shouted at the audience of Web 2.0 Expo in New York. “You gotta work your face off and hustle for attention”. Nothing is gonna come to you. Walk up to that hero when you see him or her, tell that person exactly why your admire him or her and get a date. In an honest and open way. It worked for me several times, and it certainly worked for Kbiri.

Oh and more thing. You can shine from all the swagger and hustle your way into the White House. But without substance, you’re lost. This post is written for the hard working people out there who want more from life. Use your talent, forget about the rules, focus, and conquer the world – dammit.

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