Hustle Culture is a Thief

 Why do I need a why? Why do I need to hustle anything? Why do we need to be so busy we can’t live a life? Yesterday in my Instagram feed I saw a reel with a quote that deeply resonated with me - Time isn’t a thief, our “hustle” culture is. Let that sink in. Go ahead, reread that.

Those of us living in the US have been brainwashed into thinking our lives haven’t been validated if we aren’t constantly in a state of work, a state of hustle. According to Fobes, 765 million vacation days go unused, and around 52 percent report working while on paid leave. Americans, as a culture, work constantly and when we aren’t at work all we can talk about is work.

I find it interesting that valuing your time off or having boundaries for your work is almost frowned upon. I also find it interesting how many people have developed the habitual answer of “We’re crazy busy you know how it is” when you ask them how they are. That answer assumes that everyone in your circle is also consumed by being busy and living the hustle culture.

I don’t need a why, I don’t hustle anything and I don’t want to live a life that’s so busy I forgot to live in the moment. Seriously. Why do I need a why for not wanting to expand my work into a career with more responsibilities and travel? Why do I need a why for spending my weekends cooking and enjoying my family? Why do I need a why for watercoloring walls full of trees and knitting a closet full of shawls? I don’t need the why, but many do.

What I’d like to ask is - why is it not ok to be content with less hustle and less busy in life? Maybe there is also a what - what is it about being in a constant state of work that brings validation to your life?

While Hubby is near retirement, as in less than two years, we have always lived a life of working to live not living to work. There is far more to our lives than the jobs we currently have. Our work life doesn’t and has never defined us.

Living the hustle won’t unlock a magic level to enjoying life. Working yourself to a fray won’t bring you joy. If all you talk about is being busy and your work, you'll build more wedges than you will relationships. Hustle culture truly is the thief.