Hustle Culture: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

“Everyday I’m Hustlin”

The word Hustle has a pretty unexpected origin. It dates all the way back to the 17th century from the Dutch word “husselen” which means to shake or toss. As the years went on the meaning of the word grew to mean “to hurry” or, pretty ironically, “to obtain by begging”. Which when you think about it, really gives a new meaning to Rick Ross’s hit song.

Jump forward into 2021 and #hustle has become a buzzword used regularly by freelancers, single-mothers, musicians, strippers and pretty much anyone who sees themselves as working harder than the norm.

But perhaps, driven by the narrative of the likes of Gary Vee and other celebrity entrepreneurs, most recently there is one category that has cemented its relationship with hustle culture more than ever.

Business owners.

The Good

Life's not all sunshine and rainbows and if you want something, you better be prepared to go after it. As a serial entrepreneur I am no stranger to hustle. Hustle, by it’s modern definition, is working aggressively and relentlessly for your business to thrive.

There is something incredibly empowering about when you decide to do things on your terms but the simple truth is, hustle isn’t a choice if you want to be successful. Building a business is one of the hardest things you can choose to do. The failure rate is high, the failures are many and if you are not ready to give it your all? The reality is, you aren't going to make it.

The “good” side of hustle culture is seeing your ideas come to life and then come to fruition. You are your own boss and the experience of putting in the hard work, testing and then launching a product or service, offer or anything of that nature is incredibly rewarding when you sit back and say "Ahh I did that thing”.

Hustle is something that you have to love and when you do, it will repay you for all that you put in.

The Bad

As hustle culture explodes, so unfortunately does the expectation for quick turnarounds and results. Many who are putting in the hustle are expecting short term gain. As if six months of relentless work will bring the same results that in reality take years of the same work-ethic.

As a result of this, Failure is seen as being something bad. Where in reality, you need to fail multiple times to refine processes, get better at doing the things and really iron out any kinks and issues. Not all products or offerings always succeed, but rather we need to look at what we learn and what we are taught by that failure for the next time around.

The Ugly

In recent years, with the emergence of the term “toxic hustle culture”, there has been a number of conversations internet-over discussing the damage the hustle narrative is creating.

Hustle is imperative, but it must come with boundaries.

Without them, what was once hustle quickly spirals into what every entrepreneur dreads.

Burnout.

Burnout is a state of exhaustion caused by exposure of the body to excessive stress for a prolonged period of time. I’m not talking about feeling tired at the end of the day. Burnout brings an unforgiving fatigue that can cause anxiety, lack of creativity, complete loss of energy, disillusionment, helplessness and so much more.

Not to mention the long term effects on your physical health.

I regret to say that I myself have experienced “the ugly” side of hustle culture more than once.  When it comes to living with not one but 2 chronic illnesses and OCD, public enemy number 1 is stress, and if I don’t mange myself and everyone else around me, burn out and breakdown are incredibly real.

In the past I’ve worked 90-100 hour weeks and my body quite literally shuts down. I can’t walk, I cannot get out of bed and my brain fog is the worst. In the past I’ve even been hospitalised because I’ve just pushed so hard and caused myself to relapse; in turn resulting in the biggest of setbacks and having to spend 5 days in hospital on steroids, where all of this could have been avoided if only I’d taken the time to STOP.

I’ve worked myself so into the ground that I’ve had social engagements and events to attend and when it comes around to going and doing the thing, I’m  a shred of a human and the social anxiety and stress kick in. I have missed many celebrations and milestones, which after a while people stop inviting you along to.

What's the verdict on hustle culture?

Hustle itself is a necessary trait in order to thrive in business.

The reality is that hustle itself is not the problem. But the lack of self care, self awareness and self prioritization that have become intrinsically linked to the word have led to the perception that the “hustle” itself is at the core of the issue.

Hustle becomes problematic when it is the soul force from which an individual is operating. There is a belief that if work is not every single minute of every single day then you are not “doing it right”.

Of course the opposite is true. If you are not taking care of yourself and performing at your best, no amount of hustle is going to substitute what would have been there had you been operating from full capacity.

I have hustled more than most. But if that is all I had done, it is likely I would not be here today.