Getting Off The Hamster Wheel Of Hustle
Feb 28, 2020
If you spend much time on social media around the accounts of many entrepreneurs/small businesses/ work from home folks, you'll see all manner of posts talking about 'hustle' and how you need to do that to earn your dream life.
Hustle is glorified and held up as if it's good and a benchmark of what we all 'should' be doing...
Meanwhile, I am becoming increasingly allergic to the idea of 'hustle', and here's why.
Hustle, NO. Diligence, YES.
Let me first say that I DO absolutely believe in working well and being diligent and wise in doing our work well. Yup, check, signed up to that one FOR SURE.
However, I DO NOT sign up for being seen to be busy, to the point that I burn out, get sick, start making silly mistakes because my brain is so frazzled, or whatever the dickens else I'm doing to be seen to be successful and to try to outrun my personal demons.
So-busy-it's-going-by-in-a-blur: Life on the hamster wheel of hustle
A little bonus rant for those who, like me, who run businesses online...
And as for social media schedulers that perpetuate the myth that I'm online all the dang time and hustling like a good 'un? Well I am full on recoiling now from my use of them. Where is the authenticity and real person connection if I'm apparently posting in the middle of the night? How does that help ANYONE and dear goodness, are people really that desperate that they simply MUST receive content from me at intervals throughout the week?
We've gotten so conditioned, so trained, to be ON the whole time, and even when we're not, to give the impression that we are!
WHAT ARE WE PLAYING AT? What culture are we building??
In the past- for YEARS- I hustled and hustled, and in case you still feel compelled to do likewise, I can tell you that it ultimately doesn't work. You can run as hard as you like, you can let that 'hustle' taskmaster whip-crack you into an early grave and I certainly gave that my best shot.
Maybe you can identify...
I found it impossible to rest because time off equated to 'laziness'. Worse than that, because I got things done, I was constantly asked to do more, which meant I would add to my over-loaded plate, because I didn't want to let anyone down, and because I didn't want to miss any opportunity.
Does any of that sound familiar to you? It took me a good couple of serious bouts of illness that knocked me on my butt, before I started to wise up, catch my breath, and start making some changes.
Having worked hard to actually take care of myself so I can serve MORE, I'm a complete convert away from the hamster wheel of hustle.
Let me be clear: if we don't take care of our health and guard our time, we will NOT have either.
* Lack of self-care WILL ultimately lead to burnout.
* Lack of boundaries WILL lead to overwhelm. We can end up frustrated (if not downright bitter!) at how much we have to do. It may also make us resentful of how many other people seem to be coasting along with fewer responsibilities...
* It is NOT selfish to look after yourself. Self-care is STRATEGIC. If you're flat on your back sick and burnt out, you're not able to serve as many people as you can if you 'fit your own mask first'.
* It is NOT inevitable. 'That's just the way I am' is a LIE. It is NOT inevitable that you need to stay in on the hamster wheel, hustling yourself into a blur. You're a human which means YOU CAN CHANGE- your brain is set up to do just that, it's amazing. So if you want it, YOU can change!
Over to You
If you've been pushing yourself 'hustling' yourself to burnout, please please look at making changes before your health or your relationships suffer.
We were not designed to work 24/7.
We WERE created to take regular rest, to take time out, to have quiet space away to breathe deeply, pray (if you choose!), sleep, take a step back and have meaningful relationships. You have breath in your body and so change is possible for you. It's not too late to change!
I'm so passionate about this because I am a recovering queen of burnout and if I can help even one person avoid it and live a healthier paced, more satisfying life, then I want to do that!!
In the meantime, do please share this with someone you know who needs to get freed from the hamster wheel of hustle!
Dr. Kathrine is a high performance mindset coach with entrepreneurial and sporting clients worldwide. Founder of Mind to Win and Creator of Mental Mastery, she has built successful businesses in the entertainment, pet and coaching industries and is a dynamic keynote speaker whose seminars are in-demand internationally. She has been featured in media such as Thrive Global, Richtopia, Clean Run, Agility Voice, Social Bee and Leadership Voices. Her first book will be published in 2020. For more on Dr. Kathrine, please go to: www.DrKathrine.com
