Motivation Monday: “H” is for Hustle (But It’s Not What You Think)

You know you’ve heard all these phrases before:

“Everyday I’m hustlin’!”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead!”

“Grind harder!”

“Life is 90% hustle, 10% sleep!”

Sorry, but I’m not buying into a single bit of any of that.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely subscribe to the ethics and value of working really hard; making sacrifices; blood, sweat, and tears; and, yes, hustling to strive for and attain your vision, dream, and goal. But when did it become a badge of honor to “grind it out” 24/7/365? Why is it that if someone does anything less than constantly hustle some people will look down their nose at them? How come if a person takes a break then said person is accused of “not wanting it” badly enough? And, most of all,why do we actually, willingly buy into that line of thinking?

If you ask me it’s all a bit ridiculous.

You’ll “sleep when you’re dead,” eh? Well, biologically speaking, if you’re not getting the amount of rest your body needs at least some of the time dead is EXACTLY what you’ll be, and a lot sooner than you may have intended. And if  “life is 90% hustle” then doesn’t that leave precious little time for anything else in your life that actually makes the “hustle” worth it?

Time. To. Stop. The. Madness!

There’s is nothing wrong–and everything right–with striving for and having balance in your life. With taking time for yourself. With giving yourself a break. With taking care of yourself. You can have all of the money and success in the world, but if you can’t enjoy it then what exactly is the point? I, for one, am taking a stand: I will define success on my own terms.

And it seems I’m not alone with my line of thinking. One of my favorite girl boss inspirations, Hilary Rushford–a seriously smart, crazy creative, brunch-lovin’, business ownin’, dance-break havin’, self-professed “style ninja” who believes in living life with “grace & gumption”–has what I think is a perfect ideology when it comes to hustling. Here’s what she posted on Instagram a few months ago:

 “This sentence is not always true, except when it is; there is a season for everything. {Hashtag DrSeussMeetsEcclesiastes}

For the last 4 years I hustled to survive. Actually for the last 10 since I landed in New York City. I learned to survive the concrete jungle I fell in love with.

And now, I am learning a new season, one in which my survival is not tied to how hard I work but how well I create, which comes when I’m rested; where my worthiness is not tied to how much I produce but how quality it is, which comes when I’m deeply rejuvenated. My job is me, my career is my creativity, and therefore drinking from the well of renewal in this season IS the savviest thing this girl boss can do.

If you’re hustling, my deep dream for you is that it is a season, not a lifestyle or a lifetime. And if this is your season to rest, I hope you can do it without fear or guilt.”

Let that sink in for a moment…hustling should be a “season,” not a constant, perpetual, unrelenting “lifestyle.” How incredibly releasing and empowering is it to embrace that; to accept the fact that you can {and should!} define your success in a manner that includes honoring yourself? That’s called living with grace: when you conduct your life in a manner where you cultivate and practice a disposition, the act, or instances of kindness, courtesy, or clemency to others and yourself {this is also one way to live a #BubbleistaApproved effervescent lifestyle!}.

Still not quite convinced yet? Well consider these little bonus tidbits:

• Check out this article on why people who take naps {i.e. rest} are happier and richer
• “There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you.” –Richard Branson

And lastly my dears, let me hit you with this final, game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer: even Jesus rested.

B O O M.

Live your life with grace. Take time for yourself. Define your own success. And, most importantly, remember that you are not required to hustle.

Except when you are.