I am saying “hell no” to hustle culture
Get a glimpse behind the scenes of my decision to do so
I recently tiptoed towards burnout considering how hard and dedicated I was working towards this coaching business pivot. In April, I did a crazy, all-out sprint cramming possibly a couple months of work into 3 weeks. Then, I did it again cramming weeks of work into 2 weeks. I am super passionate about what I'm working on now, and I miiiiiggght have poured a little too much gasoline onto my fire. Ooops! BUT… it's all good, because I'm learning from all this in so many ways.
I’m learning how to find a better balance than huge pendulum swings to extremes. I’m discovering how to have quality, guilt-free rest and the value of patience and slowing down. I know what soul-draining burnout feels like, and “hell no” to doing that again. As I am touting self care, I rewarded myself with some well-deserved time off after the insane, intense, and wild sprint I just completed.
I took a step back, reexamined where I was at, and reevaluated my plans going forward. I turned to journaling as I realized I had to define what “hustle” means to me, and how I'm choosing to lead my life as I'm building and scaling this business. And… this paper plane evolved from that.
I felt called to share what I was going through behind the scenes, because I haven't seen a lot of entrepreneurs actually talk about it in this way.
This is one of the critical realizations I had to face: I had to have acceptance of MY pace.
Everyone’s pace is different, just as their path to success varies, too. There are so many different elements in life that contribute to what our pace becomes: resources, finances, time management, life circumstances, skillsets, support system, values, mindset, etc.
Ultimately, we all go at our own pace—however it looks like. Comparing it to someone else's could be a helpful gauge, but it could cause more stress when I can't follow at the same pace. Trying to rush or force it only creates burnout. It's like running a race. If you chase after the front runner when you're not as highly trained as that person, you'll burn yourself out, drain all your energy trying to catch up, and exhaust yourself before even reaching the finish line.
See why I had to accept my own pace?
Here's the excerpt from my blog post. (For context, prior to this section, I was making the comparison that hustling is like mercury poisoning.)
THAT'S WHY SOCIETY KEEPS PROMOTING THE HUSTLE CULTURE
We see all the awesome results others achieve, and we want that for ourselves. The worst of it all is when we want it instantly without doing all the hard work. And that is precisely what we don’t see under all the bright, shiny bobbles of the hustle culture. We turn a blind eye or don’t see how much they struggled, how much they sacrificed, and what were the hard decisions they had to make to get to where they are now. They made hustling look easy and effortless. Even if they did share their struggles, you still will never know their entire story. All that under-the-iceberg dedication, hard work, pain, sweat, and tears are often unseen and unmentioned. Those who feel up to the challenge could be rapidly chugging gulps full of mercury due to comparison syndrome and chasing after moving goal posts. That is NOT sustainable long term.
THIS IS MY CHOICE, AND I HAVE TO OWN UP TO IT
And the harsh truth is that I am the one who is doing this to myself. Being a solopreneur means I am my own slave-driving boss. I’m wearing all the hats, and have to juggle and dash between various roles using different parts of my brain and build skill sets that don't come naturally to me. I swung the pendulum super hard lately as I wanted to launch my business by this deadline I set for myself. And I am now feeling the effects of the pendulum swinging back equally hard the other way.
This work burst can be a phase... or a lifestyle. It is MY choice whether to opt in or out of the hustle culture.
And I want to do it differently.
Click here to read the full post on how I chose to approach this differently and what are some insights you can consider for yourself as well.
Dream big and work smart at the pace at feels right to you.
I am saying “hell no” to hustle culture
Hi Kat. I said no to hustle culture two years ago, when I fled the city (Portland) for a little place on the Oregon coast. I made a commitment at that point to the "beach bum" lifestyle: minimal work to meet the necessaries, daily barefoot surf walks, picking up trash and agates and the occasional piece of driftwood... and I love it!
Driven by the simple goal of expanding my living space, I attempted a pivot from my current business serving very few clients in a particular niche, to a more public-facing, growth-focused venture. However, before long I found that I really don't have it in me to play that game (content creation, social media nonsense, client-getting, etc.) So I pulled the plug, and I'm back to my more relaxed approach -- which will include a Substack at some point (I follow Tim Denning, too!)
So what you say here really resonates with me. I applaud you for the insight, and look forward to seeing what else you have to share!