To Hustle or Not to Hustle?
A millennial weighs in.
I’ve had points in my life where I was engrossed by the hustle. ‘On the sauce,’ if you will, unknowingly weighed down by the thought patterns that were conditioned into me against my choosing.
Nothing comes easy.
If you have time to rest you have time to work.
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Nothing is ever enough.
There is always more to do, more consistency to cultivate, a higher level of productivity to achieve.
Etc, etc, ad nauseum, to infinity and beyond, until I was as burnt out as a box of matches drenched in gasoline and lit with the eternal flame.
As is natural when pushing too far in one direction, I’ve swung wildly towards the other. Boomeranged to a place where I questioned the purpose of everyone and everything.
Everything is made up and nothing is that important.
I’ll get to it when I get to it, consequences be damned.
I think with the amount of Aquarius placements in my natal chart I can’t help but be a bit anti-establishment. The only times I’ve been interested in going with the grain were when I was wildly disconnected from my truest self.
But I also can’t escape the optimism of my Sagittarius moon which comes in and asks — can’t there be a better way? A best-case scenario? An option C?
I love rebellion in favor of the individual. I love the idea that rest and nourishment contribute to a better self, which then contributes to a healthier collective. I love to challenge the status quo and I certainly believe that just because something has always been one way doesn’t mean it needs to continue to be.
But as much as I like to burn things to the ground, I also like to build. And quite frankly I like to work hard. I love the sense of satisfaction that comes from a job well done. I love taking a thought and making it a thing.
I like to work hard in the gym — to challenge myself with heavier weight and intentional movement brings an intoxicating sense of strength.
I like to work hard at my craft — no one is asking me to become a better writer, a better coach, a better thought leader, but myself.
I like to work hard on myself.
A product of diligently doing so has been the ability to release those conditioned thoughts that were keeping me in the hustle/burnout cycle. To finally realize that yes, I am enough, nothing more must be done.
But getting to that place and then staying firmly rooted there? It’s hard work. It’s the hard work that I have chosen, and I love working hard at things that I choose.
The only way to improve at any given thing is to put in time and effort, this much is true. It is also true that this can be done while simultaneously being nourished and well-rested. While simultaneously knowing that it is enough. That you are enough.
Option C — why can’t I have both?
Perhaps this is the peak of ‘millennial entitlement’ but I think we can choose to reframe the concept of hard work as it has been taught to us, and instead create our own meaning.
Can you work hard to build, to create, to contribute — not because society demands it of you, but because you require it for yourself? Because there is something within you that is asking to be shared? Because you are at your core, a creative being with value and worthiness and enoughness? Because by working hard for yourself, you create a more conscious collective?
Why can’t you be rested, nourished, and aligned and also work hard at what gives you life and meaning and purpose?
Can you choose to rebel by choosing yourself?
Chelsea is a writer, speaker, tarot reader, and intuitive life coach. She helps her clients transcend fears and limiting beliefs and bring more confidence and intention to their life. For information on working with Chelsea, head here. To stay updated on her writing, services, and offerings, subscribe to her email list here.
