“Hustling” is a Lie

Stop listening to gurus and start listening to your gut.

If you scroll through Facebook or Instagram for five minutes, you’ll be inundated with buzz words.

Tribe.

Manifestation.

Hustle.

I’m confident they’re called “buzz words” because they’re the handful of flies in your house you are never quick enough to kill, so they continue to buzz around your ears and drive you slowly to the edge of sanity.

As a marketing student, I see these words that used to inspire me and I laugh. I had no idea what I was being sold when I thought I was being motivated.

Yet, words like tribe and manifest aren’t radically unhealthy concepts (though “tribe” certainly could be worded differently). “Hustle” is.

Hustle is particularly dangerous to Millennials and Gen Z, and as an advocate for both mental health and entrepreneurship, here’s what you need to know.

Hustle is socially-acceptable slang for burnout.

People who know me will tell you I’m brutally honest. Partly, it’s because etiquette makes no sense to me, but partly, it’s because I want everyone around me to succeed. When I say, “well, I think maybe you should…” nobody listens. When I say, “that’s wrong and you know it,” suddenly, people’s ears perk up.

That’s why I will always value tough love over tender bullshit. As far as achievement is concerned, one gets results and the other doesn’t. Which is to say… buckle up.

Here’s the truth, friend: when someone tells me they’re hustling, they’re telling me they’re a burnout-in-progress. And when you’re pursuing a big, scary goal — the life-changing kind — burnout is an easy way to make sure you scare yourself away from your dreams and never come back.

Here’s an example.

I wrote at a breakneck speed when I was writing fiction because I wanted to be a quick-release indie author. I wrote several manuscripts in mere weeks apiece — and I’ve been burnt out for years. Hustling made me hate my craft and abandon it altogether.

If I would’ve taken my time, I would’ve enjoyed what I was doing, and I might still be doing it. Instead, I have several hundreds of dollars worth of eBook covers I will likely never use, and a dream I’ve had to step back from so I can learn how to love what I do again (writing on Medium has been helping immensely).

That’s why this is important to me. Your dreams matter, and I want you to see them to fruition and still love your passions when all is said and done.

If I’d merely listened to my gut, which screamed “no” every time I sat down to write 5,000 words per session, instead of the gurus who told me I wasn’t working hard enough?

I’ll never know.

Gurus are fantastic marketers and awful teachers.

Think of the people in your life you’ve learned the most from. Was it the guy in the YouTube ad perched with one arm laid back on his red Ferrari? No? Yeah, me neither.

That’s because that guy isn’t a real person. That guy is a character used for marketing, because nobody wants to buy logic, or nobody would make any money. Buying is rarely rational in a culture where two identical purses with two different logos have wildly different prices.

Further, that’s why people are still buying diets and weight loss supplements, even though statistically, they don’t work. Why? The speed at which you can accomplish a goal is increasing in perceived value, while the value of that goal’s sustainability is decreasing.

Quick fixes don’t work.

Now perhaps you’re saying, “But…the point of hustling is consistency.”

On a surface level, yes. You’ll never find me arguing with the importance of routine and consistency. However, hustling has increasingly become the quick fix to avoiding failure.

When a guru sells you the hustle, they’re selling you a get-rich-quick scheme, and it’s not an accident that the two go so well together. Ever met a #bossbabe who doesn’t worship the #hustle? They’re making the scheme seem more rational by pairing your results with constant hard work. This works short term, much like a diet does. However, while you may get the end result you had in mind, the probability of it lasting to any degree isn’t in your favor.

Gurus are fantastic marketers and awful teachers. Don’t get it twisted.

Mental health and achievement should be partners, not adversaries.

Finally, here’s something you need to know.

If you’re an achiever like me, you see that gold medal and you tell yourself that you will do anything to get it. But to actually get that medal, you need to be the strongest in the room physically AND mentally.

The true champions out there are the people who are as aware of their mental state as they are of their profit and loss statement.

People say hustle is all about mindset, but a good mindset isn’t about ignoring your struggles. A good mindset isn’t noticing burnout and pushing forward anyway with no plans for healing.

They call it “mindset” for a reason. Be kind to your brain, be kind to yourself, and be kind to others. Work hard and push your limits, but know the difference between leaving your comfort zone and entering your torture zone.

You’ll make your dreams more sustainable, your passions will continue to thrive inside you, and your future self will thank you.

Final thoughts

There’s something to be said for joyful hustling, which is a wonderful thing. If you love what you’re doing, hustle away. I’ve been writing a ton on Medium lately, which may be “hustling” to some. To me, it’s just playing. However, whether you’re hustling joyfully or otherwise, the most important thing as a new business owner or side hustler is to listen to your gut early and often.

Your gut doesn’t lie to you. Gurus get paid to lie to you. Who are you going to trust?

Further, there are big goals you may have when you need to “hustle” to succeed. In this case, hustle mindfully. Never forget to take time for yourself, and keep your mind and body fueled and prepared.

Whatever it is you want, you can get it. Just don’t lose yourself in the process.