See how to stop hustling & why it’s overhyped.

Hustling is overhyped in our 24-7 nonstop go-culture, with poor outcomes and a much too high price. In fact, hustling daily wasn’t even something to brag about for ages, but now it epitomizes the American dream and the rags to riches stories we love. In reality, this isn’t the path to success but rather the path to burnout. Most flame out before the endgame.

Here, we’ll examine: (1) why hustling is overhyped; (2) the real costs of the grind mentality; and (3) better ways to pursue our goals. Once we step back and get this perspective, we realize not only is this unsustainable in the long game, there are more viable paths with a greater chance of a win in the end. In the meantime, perhaps we stop feeding the beast with the hustle-brag? (It’s as cringe as the humblebrag and yet we all do it thanks to this very hype, me included). 

How not to Hustle – see why hustling is just hype

“Every day I’m hustlin” turned out to be more than a killer workout track, it manifested into a full-on mantra for the scrappy road to success. A myriad of influences converged together to turn the hustle into a way of life. And we can’t blame Rick Ross, these roots go deep. From the start of our country to the early days of childhood, hustle phenomenon is pervasively embedded in our brains. Let’s examine:

#1 – Hustling is Overhyped via the Parental Influence

So much of our perspective is shaped in childhood. That’s because the subconscious is easily primed at these easy-to-influence ages. And while your parents probably didn’t paint an homage to Ross, they likely instilled some version of the following in you:

“If you want to succeed at something, work hard at it daily and don’t quit.”

Sure, on the surface this sounds reasonable. We need to be driven and take consistent action to make our dreams a reality. We can all agree that’s a given. But taking smart action is different from old school hard work. Moreover, sometimes we can only get perspective if we stop going.

When we do pause to ask: What’s working? What’s not working? How do I feel? Is it worth it? — we get some high-value answers. Then we can decide if the ends really do justify the means. Or if the means itself is really the whole point of life. 

#2 – Hustling is Overhyped by Every Tradition & Culture

All traditions have parables about hard workers, who found glory in the end. These were farmers, shepherds, and tradesmen who spent precious years of their life toiling away for some later reward. 

We take on the mantle of that deferred reward today and almost wear it as a point of pride. “Yes, today I will struggle and exhaust myself, but tomorrow I’ll have the dream job, house, and car. Tomorrow, it’ll all be worth it.”

But what if that tomorrow doesn’t materialize? Will it still be worth it? If not, it needs to change. This (not just tomorrow) is your life too.

#3 – Hustling is Overhyped constantly by Modern Pop Culture

#4 – Hustling is Overhyped in and by the Business World

The whole business world, especially the startup world and its “unicorns,” is obsessed with the grind.

Work all the time. Sleep never or where you work. Keep at it. Then you might be the next Musk or Bezos.

Legions of people follow this and do this daily. Yet they never reach that apex. To add insult to injury, when they get rejected — they’re made to believe they are lacking the special sauce. Sure sure, they sacrificed their lives but everyone does. It was never enough.

So what if instead of hustle worship, the attention switched to sustainability? Imagine headlines like “How to find attainable success while focusing on balance and mental health” instead of “Company X raises 70 billion in venture funds.”

Indeed, when you give attention to this kind of balance, the result is that creativity and enthusiasm explode, and with it the chances of financial success.

#5 – Hustling is Overhyped on Social Media

It’s the capital I “Influencers,” who could be spokespeople for the third part of the trifecta — good fortune — getting the win early. Yet they mask this and peddle their luxuries as the fruit of the hustle to appear relatable. This feeds the hype. 

But it’s also the subtle influencers — the people you know who are posting — that affect the flow and physiology of your mind (down to your biochemicals).

Everyone, at any point, doing anything, taking any picture, curating exactly what they want to show has the potential to influence you. We live in a time where most people celebrate every milestone publicly while privatizing their grief and pain.

This disparity is toxic for our mental health, but it’s also demoralizing for our goals and growth. When we’re in the grind daily, but all we see when we scroll is other peoples’ “wins” — we can’t help but feel like we’re not doing enough. We think we have to hustle harder.

See how deep that goes? It’s not your fault you bought into the hype. So did I once. So have many before us. We can see, clear as day, the hustle is old and it’s embedded in our brains from the beginning. 

We did not do this to ourselves, yet we must free osurselves. 

We have to free ourselves from the idea that hustling …i.e. the daily grind is the road to success. Some fortunate may claim it is because they got the payoff early, but most people will go their whole lives without that reward following this mindset.  

How Not to Hustle – understand the real cost to you:

A) Your Vital Resources get Drained (Time and Energy):

When did we all start applying Machiavellian philosophies to our own life? I know I did for many years.

The end does not justify the means if the means equates to unhappiness while you spend your two most precious resources: time and energy. These are the only two things you can’t get back. The true internal costs. More “expensive” to pay than money which can be recouped.

Also, what is the end anyway? When will you stop?

Because most people don’t hit that crazy level of wealth or notoriety despite “hard work,” they keep going, bleeding more of their life currency. So if you’ve allowed the hustle hype to reign as your dominant workflow method, how long will you go before you stop? Till you’re 60 or 70? Till you hit that midlife crisis and realize there are way more important things than the promise of that someday success?

Then when you do stop and look back, will it have been worth it?

The ends rarely justify the means when you’re hurting yourself to get there. 

B) Inevitable Consequences Suffered (Stress and Burnout):

Stress creates disease. But it’s easy to ignore for a few reasons. First, we’re all stressed out all the time. It’s become the way of living. If everyone is doing it then it’s normal and can’t be that bad right?

Second, it takes a while for it to manifest into disease biomarkers or measurable endpoints. But make no mistake, the impact of stress is immediate.

The effect on digestion, cardiovasculature, metabolism, reproduction, immunity, growth, cell repair are immediate. The inflammation caused is immediate. The consequences are immediate.

We can’t see them on the outside right away that is all.

How long do you think this toil can go on before you experience adrenal fatigue or brain fog which zaps your productivity? And how long from that point is total psychological and physiological burnout?

The hustle makes no sense for the well-informed, who can readily deduce these consequences. Yet it is the well-informed that give into it most often these days.

The hustle is no way to live, let alone feel alive. 

how not to hustle – see the more effective road to success:

Boundaries — You are not your work. You are a diverse, complex human. I know what it’s like to feel so driven by your goals that it feels like you and they are the same. But it’s an illusion. Even when your goals are purpose-driven and offer benefits to many, you as a human are still more than the sum of this.

Zen –Relax friend. You are not a robot. You need time to just be. You can’t always do. Zen can be anything from exercise or meditation to a hobby or sport. Take time to play. Forget the endgame inside your head and be in your body right now.

Milestones — What does achieving the goal look like big picture? Now break that down into achievable transitory markers. If you don’t have metrics to measure the path to success or if you think you’ll know it when you see it, you’ll end up chasing the carrot on the stick with no end. Make sure to create loads of success milestones along the way and reward yourself when you reach these. They’ll feed you.

Aha’s and Joy — It’s not just about the big wins, it’s about the tiny ones. The ones you don’t post on social media or share with anyone. These wins usually have nothing to do with work. They have to do with the wind on your face, the song that plays in the background, the hike that jolts you into the now. How many of these and how often do you have them?

Separation  — This is similar to boundaries but more intense. It means drawing a firm line in the sand between what you do and who you are. Don’t equate your goals to you because if for any reason they don’t proceed as planned, all you will see, think, and believe is that you failed in life as a person. Not that X didn’t go as desired, but maybe with some changing X+ Y will. Without separation, setbacks will break you and really stop your success.

You are deeper, better, more than your hustle.

how not to hustle – CREATe MOMENTUM WITH PRACTICE:

When we stop grinding, we get perspective. We see that the hustle is overhyped and unsustainable. We can think smart, act wisely, and feel good in the process. We know this moment is as valuable as any that comes later.

The key to making a new way of workflow and action work is to start implementing it right away. That helps us build momentum. It also allows us to decondition ourselves from the collective brainwashing and mindful move into designing workflows that suit our unique abilities and our whole humanness.

Next steps to consider

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Why Work-Life Balance Beats the Hustle Hype [Lighthouse]

America’s Dark and Empty Hustle Culture [The Atlantic]

Being a Hustler is Dumb [Inc.]