Hustle Culture

For years we have been taught the value of hard work, taught to do more and work more. But recently I have started to question this for myself. After experiencing burnout in 2020 and then spending 6 months re-evaluating my habits and routines, I have questioned the validity of hustle culture as a concept. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that hard work pays off and that we get out what we put in, but I think that the construct around this needs to be changed. Questions I found myself asking were:

1. Can I work hard and be in flow?
2. How do I combine the concepts of mindfulness with hard work?

I truly believe that we bring our whole selves to work, that our lives are interconnected, and I think we need to embrace this as part of our experience of hard work. Hustle culture, to me, says that its only about the outcome and what we produce. I would like to counter this and say that it’s about who we become on the way. That what we bring to the table is not just about what we do but also about who we are.