Instead of Living For the Hustle and Grind, Try Doing This

Hustle culture is not doing you any favors.

I have a couple of social media feeds devoted to entrepreneurship. I can sometimes find some good business advice there, occasional network opportunities, and pointers toward useful tools.

But I also run across a lot of what I (and some others) call “hustle bros.”

They’re almost exclusively male. Young. Usually white. They flash a lot of bling and talk about how broke they were a year ago but how they’re rolling in cash now.

And they’re mostly liars promoting an unhealthy lifestyle.

Sure, every now and then, there seems to be some good advice about saving or investing early. Or on careers. I’ll be the first to admit I probably could have made some better financial and career decisions when I was younger.

But I’m doing all right. I have a modest house and drive a modest car. But I had some pretty epic experiences being a no-good punk when I was younger.

I’ve seen some wanna-be hustle bros in real life. They’re miserable. And rarely do they build anything that lasts. It’s always one hustle to the next — never quite gaining traction with any.

Meanwhile, the more relaxed folk seem happier to me. And, dare I say, more successful in quality of life — where it counts.

So with that in mind, here are some alternative approaches to hustle culture:

• Instead of boasting about working late or through the night, boast about getting a good eight hours of quality sleep.
• Instead of shaming someone for taking a week off for vacation, take a vacation yourself and recharge yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually.
• Instead of complaining about someone taking a break during the workday, take 20 minutes yourself to just sit and be quiet.
• Instead of criticizing someone for engaging in a project for fun instead of profit, ask yourself when was the last time you had fun for fun’s sake. Not all hobbies have to turn into side hustles.
• Instead of living at work, or bringing all your work home, establish a boundary. Your family misses you, and you really need to get away from your desk for a while each day.
• Instead of treating everyone like competition, discover how sharing resources makes everyone more successful — and less lonely.

The Dirty Little Secret

A lot of hustle culture is a sham.

Not all, but a sad, disappointing amount of what you see from the hustle bros on Instagram is fiction. The fancy cars and mansions with hot tubs are rented. So are the models.

These drop-shippers and affiliate marketers with six or seven-figure incomes never show us a bank statement. We just see wads of cash. Who the hell deals in cash these days?

And I suspect a lot of them aren’t really grinding away at their hustle as much as they pretend.

Why do they do it?

Some do that “fake it ’til you make it” thing but forget that they’re presenting a dishonest face to their public. Some see it as a form of manifesting.

Some make their money selling you a course that doesn’t work as well as they initially claim.

Who knows? Maybe those strategies worked for a couple of people. But it’s far from a guarantee to success.

Even Gary Vee takes a day off now and then.

Instead…

Play the long game. Make your health and sanity a priority, and everything else should fall into place.

Hustle culture looks like a lot of fun and flash, but the rewards the hustle bros show off are illusory. The reality of the nonstop hustle is exhausting and unsustainable.

Have a plan. Do your hustle, but include so downtime, so you don’t burn out.

And then, perhaps, that mansion and fancy car will actually be real things in your future.

But neither is worth working yourself to death.

A nice bungalow and maybe a Tesla would be just fine.

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