The Harm of Hustle

Hustle Master. Sounds great, right? Until we dig below the surface of hustle culture, it does seem pretty great. It can feel like all success is hustle driven. If you want more, you've got to hustle more. Embrace the grind, take big chances and work like you've never worked before. Pause here. What if there was another way? What if the key to some of your biggest successes wasn't hustle, but habit? What if consistent moves over time gave you exactly what you had in mind? What if your plan included plenty of rest, collaborative effort and ample time to celebrate?

To help demonstrate some of the large differences between hustle culture and habit culture, let's look at some of the varying language:

You may think I extrapolated some of the hustle culture language samples to make a point, but I did not. I simply googled hustle quotes and this is where I landed. It's a little jarring, right? Hustle culture tells us it's never enough. We're never enough. Habit culture says with time, we can get there. We're a work in progress and we celebrate along the way - at every milestone. Hustle culture focuses on needing more and needing it now. Habit culture sets up the game to be won over time and on a firm foundation.

I much prefer a habit driven life than a hustle driven life. Hustle culture is dangerous. We've got to protect ourselves from the hustle language that's everywhere. Constant, consistent messages and language do have an impact on us and I hope you're with me that we've got to quiet the noise. Hustle language can flip on things in us we never intended. When we start thinking like a hustler, we start acting like a hustler. When that mode goes ON, it's hard to turn it off. It's hard to tame the hustling beast. I'm not saying don't work hard. I'm not saying never hit the BEAST MODE button. Be cautious with it.

Instead of focusing on big picture and grabbing the bull by the horns right now, focus on the small stuff. The things you're doing every day. Focus on habits and your consistency. If you want to lose 20 lbs, sure you could hustle hard and do a 7 day juicing cleanse to drop it fast. OR you could make the small daily changes over 60 days and arrive at the same place. By the end of your 60 days, you'll have habits to support the loss long term. You've got the gusto and commitment to work towards your next goal because you mastered your habits. Want to grow your social media following? You could hustle and mass purchase followers or 'follow for a follow' and get there same day. OR you could create meaningful conversations with real people and grow by 3-5 followers each day. Habit v Hustle.

The hustle driven life isn't for you. Paint your ideal portrait, one stroke at a time.

Always in your corner,

Coach Alicia

p.s. always start with awareness. if you're not sure where you stand, try this simple assessment.