The Hustle Doesn't Have To Hurt

“Do you have what it takes?” 

I know you’ve heard this question before and while it can be a motivating line, it’s actually not clear what IT is, is it?

I think we have to start by defining IT for ourselves.

From side hustles to start-ups, entrepreneurs have this relentless pull to work harder, work MORE, and yep, work even longer than you worked yesterday if that’s actually possible.

When it comes to hustling, our days tend to blend together, where there is no start and there is no finish to a day or a week. And the weekend is just an extension of the week and more like a unicorn that you only take when you’re feeling so burned out that your body refuses to work. 

We sacrifice our minds, our health and our lives because we want this big idea we have to work.

I am here to tell you that the hustle doesn’t have to hurt.

Believe me, I’ve made it hurt. I’ve pumped out work for hours on end for my clients, my own business, and all in the name of success I was chasing. I thought that working hard was this badge of honour that I carried and I wore it proudly with dark circles under my eyes and mini ugly cry sessions daily. 

Let me just say that as entrepreneurs, the majority of stress we experience is self-imposed. ⁠We put in ALL the work so we can reach this level of success we imagine for ourselves. The feeling that you need to be at everyone’s beck and call always. ⁠

The pressure to respond instantly. ⁠

The desire to always exceed clients’ expectations and deliver projects ahead of time. ⁠

The comparison game that we have to be as good or better than our competitors. ⁠

If you’re an entrepreneur I know at some point that you have experienced one, a few, or all of these, and I’m here to tell you that’s normal! ⁠

We are drivers and do-ers and expectation crushers, so we self-impose the most ridiculous expectations on ourselves. 

Honour your client’s expectations, strive to exceed them (when it doesn’t affect your schedule and happiness and sleep), and stick to your boundaries! When you do the hustle will still be hard work, but it will no longer hurt. 

Spoiler alert:

Your success is NOT determined by the number of nights you slept 4 hours or the number of weeks you worked 100 hours. ⁠

Your success is determined by the number of times you followed your heart and trusted your gut, the number of times you asked for support, and the number of times you put processes and systems in place that support you in working smarter not harder!

The next time you are burning yourself out and the hustle is hurting, I want you to pause and take a look at the story you are telling yourself to show up in this way. 

I can almost guarantee you that when you stop that loud train of hustle dead in its tracks, you can quickly pinpoint what you are trying to prove.

And almost always, you will quickly find out that you are only trying to prove it to yourself.