We live in a society that is obsessed with achievement. Scroll around social media for a few minutes, and the prevailing message is clear: You need to do more and be more.
Exposed to this message, it is impossible not to feel like you are behind your peers. As a result, you have the urge to work harder to keep up with them. You make sacrifices to hustle at a frantic pace that ultimately leads to nowhere.
Hustle culture centres around the idea that there is always more to strive for: more money to make, a bigger house to live in, a more prestigious title to secure, or fancier material possessions to purchase.
Signs you have fallen for hustle culture can include:
- Being productive and successful have become the top priority in your life.
- You have a hard time being present with loved ones because you are thinking about career goals and aspirations.
- You feel the urge to work even on the weekends or on vacation.
- You have turned into a workaholic who sacrifices even basic needs to exceed expectations, such as meals, breaks, or sleep.
- You feel too embarrassed to admit when you are tired and need a break.
- When someone shares that they are tired, you invalidate their experience by telling them how much harder you have worked.
As achievement-oriented individuals, constantly hustling to do and be more can be enticing. The belief is that this way of living is the blueprint for a happier life. After all, you cannot help but look around and notice the happiness glowing from people who share their professional achievements, fancy purchases, and lavish vacations. Comparing your real, messy life to a projection of idealised lives creates feelings of envy and inadequacy.
On a cognitive level, you know that people present a façade of who they are, both at work and on social media. Nevertheless, the emotional impact of social comparisons is undeniable. You cannot help but fall for the trap of hustling to achieve more, even if it means sacrificing your health, happiness, and relationship with loved ones. In such an environment, even basic self-care feels prohibitive.
The solution is not to work harder to keep up with peers. This only makes you vulnerable to anxiety and burnout. The solution is to go against the grain and resist hustle culture by slowing down and living an authentic life that is consistent with your values rather than what is prescribed by society.
If you are having a hard time slowing down due to the urge to do more, don’t despair. Here are five tips to help you resist hustle culture.
1. Redefine achievement
Achievers often make the mistake of having a narrow definition of achievement. It fixates on professional aspirations and fails to include other roles that are important but less visible.
Broaden your definition of achievement to include your roles as a parent, spouse, family member or friend. Take pride in those roles by showing up with the same level of attention and dedication as you devote to your career.
I have worked with countless successful professionals whose personal lives had taken a nosedive. In our work together, I had to remind them that it does not matter what kind of work one does or what they accomplish. Public accolades are not a reflection of one’s true character. What matters is how you honour your commitments and treat people when no one is watching. That includes how you treat your loved ones behind closed doors.
2. Embrace your self-worth
Achievers often make their self-worth dependent on their level of productivity or success. The truth is, you do not have to achieve anything else to be worthy. Your self-worth is an innate and undeniable part of your humanity.
Cultivating humility can help you rise above hustle culture and embrace your self-worth. Humility is the acceptance that you are no better or worse than anyone else. No amount of success makes you more worthy than any other human being.
You are a mere mortal, one of the over 100 billion who have ever walked on this planet. Remembering this sobering fact can keep you even-keeled and prevent you from oscillating between the highs of achievement and lows of failure.
3. Schedule self-care
When life gets hectic, your reflex is to sacrifice self-care. It is so much easier to say no to yourself than to others. Emotional forces such as guilt can make the practice of self-care feel prohibitive.
Make your self-care a priority. When you deny your needs, you are ultimately denying yourself. Every time you sacrifice self-care, you are sending the message that you are less important than everyone else.
4. Avoid the success trap
Don’t fall for the trap of idealising success by assuming that it is the equivalent of happiness. The satisfaction from tasting the sweet nectar of success is short-lived. Plenty of achievement-oriented people suffer greatly behind a façade of success.
You are more likely to find happiness in prioritising your health, cultivating healthy relationships, and practising gratitude to appreciate the small things in life.
5. Clarify your values
We often achieve in a desperate attempt to gain approval and validation from others. This is a dangerous mindset that can make you vulnerable to exploitation. Some people will never be satisfied, no matter how hard you try.
Take a moment to reflect on who you are and what you stand for. Live a life that is congruent with your values, not theirs. Search for meaning and purpose beyond professional aspirations and financial gain. This will spare you future regrets.
