Why We Hustle

The more I research and read about our hustle society, the more I realize how deeply entrenched it is into our daily lives. I hear myself reverting to hustle language when we are trying to find shoes and load up the car or are trying to do a quick grocery store run.

Lying underneath this hustle mentality and patterns are deeper questions. “Am I a good parent?” If I am not sure, then I am going to hustle to make sure my kid is in all the enrichment activities, making the best grades, going to the best school, and has one-on-one tutoring or coaching. “Am I successful?” If I am not sure, then I am going to work longer hours, work and work and work in order to get that next raise or next promotion or just to be seen as committed and dedicated. “Am I a good person?” If I am not sure, then I am going to volunteer and rush from one gala to another gala to ensure that people see me as generous or compassionate.

But the thing is, these questions can’t be answered or addressed with hustling. These are the question that find their resolution in the silence and solitude and reflection: the very thing that hustling hustles out of our life. As we are trying to answer these questions, we are only going deeper and deeper into uncertainty and doubt about who we are.

We hustle to avoid the deep questions. We hustle to avoid our doubts and fears. We hustle to present who we are rather than truly finding who we are.

I’m giving up the hustle and instead seeking the silence and solitude.