CHAPTER 7:  LOCK IN THAT HUSTLE MINDSET

Excerpt from the book "Her Hustle is Holy^TM: The Glow-Up Guide to Starting a Business—God's Way. Click here to purchase your copy!

I am Olivia Pope—a fixer without all the drama! Like Olivia, I am a passionate, purpose-driven, persistent, and problem-solving planner. When I walk into a room, I have this natural ability to assess what’s right and what’s wrong. My assessment doesn’t come from a judgmental eye but from a place of how I can improve things. It’s so prevalent that I often must remind myself, “Charlene, sit your butt down and mind your business!” Yes, I’m that chick who meddles with good intentions, and it has gotten me into trouble a time or two. However, let me share a real and personal story of when this fixer mindset saved the day!

It was my cousin’s wedding. The wedding was beautiful; however, when I arrived at the reception venue before the wedding party’s arrival, it was clear that some balls had been dropped. It was a hot, humid, sunny day, and I immediately noticed that there was nothing to drink. Nada. Food had been delivered, but it wasn’t enough to feed the number of people who had begun arriving. It also sat on counters in the prep area, waiting to be served on sparsely decorated tables. Where were the decorations? Was more food and drink coming? There was no caterer or server in sight. The wheels in my head began spinning! How could I fix this?

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Are successful entrepreneurs born or made? In other words, is entrepreneurial success wired into your DNA or shaped by experience? Truthfully, it’s both—the womb and the wilderness experience. Some are shaped in the womb with that fire to create, lead, and innovate. Others are shaped in the wilderness by circumstance, faith, and the grind. It’s that blend of both the womb and wilderness—the divine traits you were born with and the grit you gained in the wild—that shapes a true entrepreneur. It’s the willingness to evolve that sets them apart.

I knew at age fourteen that entrepreneurship was undeniably the divine assignment on my life. The calling had already chosen me—and I chose to answer. I came into the game with receipts—initials behind my name, boardroom experience, hustle mindset, the anointing, and a strong belief that everything I put my hands to would prosper (Deuteronomy 8:18).

But even that wasn’t the whole story. To truly thrive as an entrepreneur, I had to grow. That journey required leveling up my skills, renewing my mindset, and staying teachable through every burden and battle. Through every delay and denial. Through every detour and disappointment. Through every unexpected obstacle and unrealized opportunities. My potential was real, but I still had to go through the process of refinement.

“If you quit once, it becomes a habit. Never quit!” ~ Michael Jordan

Listen—nobody hits the business world with CEO swagger from day one. The traits that shape a hustle-driven, entrepreneurial mindset can be learned, developed, and perfected like any other skill. After all, Michael Jordan didn’t come out of the womb dribbling a basketball, now did he?

Y’all know the story. Michael didn’t make his varsity team as a sophomore but instead ended up on the junior varsity squad. Do you know what his mother allegedly told him? Get in the gym and work harder! You best believe it took a certain shift in Michael’s mindset to do just that—the results speak for themselves.

HUSTLE-DRIVEN MINDSET

Your mindset is the foundation that fuels your drive to succeed, whether you’re building businesses, chasing academic goals, leveling up personally, or dominating on the court like Michael. Your mindset determines how you show up, glow up, and grow up—owning your space, trusting your pace, and winning your race.

The mind is a powerful force. Like a sponge, it soaks up every word, thought, action, and reaction— whether toxic or true. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that what a man thinks in his heart is who he really is. You are what you think, and throughout your life experiences, unless you were sheltered, some or much of what you have heard or absorbed about yourself is stinkin’ thinkin’. And that kind of junk doesn’t leave on its own. It takes intentional work, spiritual renewal, and daily discipline to clear the clutter and reclaim your mindset.

I might’ve been late to the party when I finally read Think and Grow Rich, but the message hit right on time. The message is simple, yet powerful: change your thoughts, change your life. Hill laid it out plain—your mindset isn’t fixed. You can shift from failure to focus, from doubt to drive, from stuck to unstoppable. The choice is yours, and when you change your mindset, your whole trajectory shifts with it! What was once thought impossible starts looking inevitable. Just like one of my childhood favorite books, The Little Engine That Could, who kept whispering, “I think I can,” until it became “I know I can!” That kind of faith can move mountains and launch successful businesses!

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Sis, trust me—I’ve had my own leveling-up seasons, so I know what it takes. If you’re ready to elevate your mindset, grow your hustle God’s way, and read how I even ended up saving my cousin’s wedding day, click here to purchase your copy of the book "Her Hustle is Holy^TM: The Glow-Up Guide to Starting a Business —God's Way."