Don’t be Busy – Be Purposeful!

Meaningful and measurable action beats hustle.

The hustle culture is everywhere.  From Gary Vaynerchuk and all the want-to-be Gary V’s shouting it at every chance, to the t-shirts and hats that say, “hustle” being peddled on countless Shopify stores, and all the Instagram posts proclaiming that hustling is the key to success, the hustle culture is unavoidable online.  Hustling, if you mean working hard, can be a great thing, but the obsession with it is dangerous.  Hustling is not a replacement for meaningful and measurable action.

The interesting thing about the hustle culture is, with the exception of Gary V, I never see successful people pushing it. Most often, I see people who spend a good part of their day trying to present an image of success that promote it.  I never see happy people or people with a solid family life proclaiming the virtues of hustling.  It is being pushed by broken people who have fallen into the hustle trap.

The hustle culture will tell you to trade all of your today’s for all of your tomorrows.  They find sacrificing almost all time with family as a heroic virtue, after all, if you hustle you’re surely to make millions and set your family up for generations of wealth. Right?  Not likely.  Most of the people I see pushing the hustle culture aren’t successful.  They often are struggling in their personal life.   They hold on to the hope, the suckers bet hope, that hustling will cure everything in their life.  Its a viscous cycle.  It destroys families. It destroys lives.

Meaningful and measurable actions, accompanied with a value system that places relationships and quality time with those you love above all, is the real key to success, and most certainly, the key to a meaningful and happy life.  By all means, work hard, but above that, be purposeful.

Hustle, in itself, is not likely to get you anywhere in life.  Don’t value it.  Don’t promote it.  Don’t fall into the trap of the hustle culture.  Be a person of purpose.  Always value people and relationships above work, above money and things, and above the perception of success.  Take meaningful and measurable actions towards your goals.