BS Hustle Mantra That Peddles The Be All End All To Success

You can’t have the life you want if you aren’t willing to work for it change your perspective.

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Let’s stop this BS Hustle Mantra promotion NOW. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard some reiteration of “you can’t have the life you want if you aren’t willing to work for it.”  Or “hustle is how you get the good things in life.” Or “good things come to those who hustle.” Or my least favorite “The dream is free.  The hustle is sold separately.”

This narrative doesn’t do anything for me. And I would argue it is detrimental to those we force to believe it.  I know to some people these sayings inspire or motivate but for me I always wanted to know how and who are qualifying what it means to “hustle”? 

I’ve seen a lot of people hustle and get nowhere.  Or all their hustling is in the wrong direction. Or they have done everything right, busted their buns and something about the timing or environment prevented them from achieving what they desired.  It also assumes that we are all put on an equal playing field.  It assumes all races are given the same opportunities, that men and women are treated equal and that there is no bias.  Which I think if you think about we know this is not true.  It seems to me these “only good things come to those kill themselves to get what they want” sayings, allow us to represent failure as:

                Since you failed you must have not worked hard enough. 

                                                                Or

                You won but you can’t enjoy the win because you are too burnt out to do so.

I know we are all going to die in the end but I don’t want to die before I have had time to enjoy the fruits of my labor.  I want to get where I want to go and then be able to enjoy the destination.  So here is what I would like to see more people promote.  You can’t have the life you want if you aren’t willing to change your perspective. 

That means good things come to those who are willing to work hard when needed, rest when it is required, be receptive to new ideas, and change the way they are doing things when all else fails.  Busting your butt 24/7 is for someone who is stuck in the past my friend.  And I know you are looking for a different and better path. 

Think about this example: the missing keys you found yourself looking for last Thursday.  If you look and look and look, and don’t give up looking until you want to pull all your hair out or throw something at the wall, odds are you are going to drive yourself nuts and possibility never find your keys.  But if you take a little break, grab a drink, watch a cat Youtube, or sit and think about something else it might come to you that you left them in the jacket you were wearing Wednesday and not the coat you normally wear. 

Good things come to; good people, and bad people, people who work hard and people that don’t.  They come to old people and young people, and they come to us when we are desperately looking for them or could care less.  Good things happen all the time.  But one thing I do know is, good things do come faster when you put yourself in the best position possible, with a positive outlook, and are ready to receive them.  So next time you hear someone with their hustle quotes remember just because that motivates them doesn’t mean it is true or right for you.  Remember that sometimes it takes rest to get the good things in life.  Like energy, a better mood, and scientifically “sleep may play a key role in preventing the accumulation in a person’s brain.”  Just in case you want to learn more about that check out the Wired Article from Sara Harrison HERE.