It’s Time to Forget About Hustling

Don’t get me wrong. No, I don’t mean it’s time to put your goals and dreams aside, but it’s the unbalanced approach that has been promoted all along in our ‘hustle’ modern culture. We all want quicker, better, shinier things. It’s about god damn time to take a look around your environment and evaluate yourself. Be brutally honest with yourself, are you living the best life possible?

We should value our bodies, minds and spirits. Rest, recovery and reflection should be equally important when compared to the progress with our work and studies, if not even more important. They are the foundation, they are the building blocks of wellness and sustainability.

More often than not, we fall into this misconception thinking everything is mattered equally, cramming all that we can do, too much in too little time. We think that we need to work even harder, grit our teeth and clench our way to success. But then, tension builds, relationships sour and we assume that struggling is the right and only way to go. We accept that notion and only stop till we crash and burn, and the cycle repeats.

We live in a society where we have more than our past generations ever did, yet we are one of the most depressive generations, where depression affects more than 264 million people worldwide! Why? We never have the time to stop and think consciously about our life, about ourselves. It’s time to start showing up for yourself and prioritise your wellness. Do less, but be more intentional.

Success isn’t in all the things we do but in the handful of things we do well. — Gary Keller

I have been gifted this lesson the hard and beautiful way, as a young graduate eager to make a mark in my career while hustling on passion projects at the side. I neglected my mental and physical health, seizing every opportunity at hand and made coffee my best friend.

Then I was forced to stop. Covid-19 hit and put a brake on all the madness.

These few months have been the biggest blessings for me, and now I can proudly say that I have never felt better before. I stopped running on a mindless mode and consciously map out my day to find balance in all the aspects of my life. Change might sound monumental and big, but in fact, all real change comes from little nudges towards the right direction. It starts with consciously thinking about what you want in your sphere of life and working towards it 1% at a day.

What is more important is having the mindset shift, having the awareness that something needs to change. It’s about seeing the bigger picture in life and taking care of yourself as a whole person; your body, mind and spirit.

So what needs your attention today? Start from there and simply be better than yesterday.