HUSTLE CULTURE IS DEAD: HOW PRIORITIZING PLEASURE CAN TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS
One analogy could change everything…
For years, entrepreneurs have been told that the key to success is hard work and hustle. Burning the candle at both ends, sacrificing leisure time, and pushing through exhaustion has been glorified as the path to business growth and prosperity. However, a new paradigm is emerging, and it’s challenging the hustle culture that once dominated the entrepreneurial world. The truth is, prioritizing pleasure in your work can actually supercharge your business growth – in fact, I’d even go as far as to call it the ultimate success hack.
In this post, I’m unpacking why hustle culture is dead and why embracing pleasure can take your business to the next level.
STORY TIME: THE CASE FOR PRIORITIZING PLEASURE
We’ll start off with a little Storytime. So grab a cuppa and let’s go on a mind-adventure together.
Picture this:
You’re on a long solo hike in the mountains. You’re slightly hungry (read hangry) and a little bit cranky, but you’re also impatient. There’s an amazing view to see at the peak of the mountains – and you can’t wait to see it. You hardly notice the incredible beauty around you because you’re so focused on reaching your destination. Your limbs are aching with each step you take. You decided to skip all the rest stops to reach the summit as quickly as you can – after all, that’s the whole point of the adventure isn’t it? You keep pushing yourself, ignoring every signal your body is giving you to slow down and you ignore your discomfort so you can cover more distance.
Now picture this:
You’re on a long hike in the mountains with 6 of your favorite friends. Each of you has packed a backpack full of delicious snacks and treats and you’re currently taking a coffee break under a shady tree and passing around some biscuits. Birds are chirping in the background and you allow yourself a moment to breathe in the magnificence of the forest you’re sitting in while feeling a surge of excitement as you glance over to the mountains you will be climbing soon. The only thing interrupting the blissful nature sounds, is the sound of everyone’s laughter as you share stories together. You have a destination, and your goal is to see the magical view at the peak of the mountains, but you make a point to stop at all the interesting sites along the way. You swim in the natural pool under a gorgeous waterfall. You stop for snacks breaks along the way and take photos of everything beautiful in your path.
Which hiker would you rather be, A or B?
B? Great choice.
Do you know why?
Who do you think gets there first?
B. Want to know why?
Since hiker A began to ignore how she was feeling miles into the hike she failed to notice that she’d taken a wrong turn and slipped down a rocky hill. Now she’s stuck on the side of the trail waiting for a team to help her out of the hike – with a swollen ankle to boot.
Let’s say hypothetically that hiker B and their friends took a wrong turn too, they’d still be in a far better position.
They’re well fed, joyful, rested and full of laughter and there’s no doubt that the time they spent waiting for the rescue team would have passed joyfully in no time.
This is the power of prioritizing pleasure.
SHIFT YOUR BUSINESS INTO HIGH GEAR: APPLYING THE ADVENTURE ANALOGY TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR SUCCESS
Your business journey is similar to our adventure analogy. We’re all walking the journey towards our own idea of success. We’re all striving to reach the peak – whether that’s a revenue point or a juicy lifestyle design goal.
None of our journeys will be perfect and there will be setbacks along the way. Ups and downs are virtually guaranteed
And if we choose to override our bodies, hearts and minds and pursuit of the summit we lose touch with the joy that is accessible to us in each moment of our journey.
We may even suffer the consequences of our disconnection through burnout, exhaustion or dis-ease in our bodies.
When we prioritize our pleasure, magic happens.
Suddenly those ‘mundane’ tasks that will move our business forward on a Monday morning don’t seem so daunting.
Soon, we may even begin to look forward to them.|
Getting into momentum starts to feel more and more effortless as our resistance dissolves into nothing.
When we’re proactive about injecting pleasure into our lives and businesses we’re able to show up consistently with far more ease than ever before.
Consistent action over time creates mind-blowing results.
“Success is not a destination, it’s a journey. It’s the result of consistent, deliberate action that moves you closer to your goals each day.” – Tony Robbins, author of “Awaken the Giant Within.”
And what better way to succeed than to walk a journey that you love to walk daily?
The truth is, hustle culture is dead.
It always was.
It’s nothing more than a lie kept alive by Insta-business gurus in order to sell more spaces in their programs.
And it’s up to you what you will do with this one precious life of yours.
SIDEBAR: THINK YOU’RE LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE? THE DARK TRUTH ABOUT HUSTLE CULTURE AND ITS CORPORATE AGENDA
Our society is bombarded with messages promoting hustle culture on a daily basis, and it’s no coincidence. The truth is, the majority of the media we consume is owned and controlled by big brands and capitalists who benefit from keeping us on the treadmill of work and consumerism. By prioritizing work over pleasure and rest, we become too exhausted to think critically and buy into their never-ending cycle of consumption, ultimately lining their pockets at the expense of our own well-being.
According to a 2019 report by the media watchdog organization, Free Press, just six companies control about 90% of the media in the United States. This concentration of media ownership means that a small number of corporations have immense power to shape public opinion and influence our cultural values. It’s no surprise that these corporations have a vested interest in promoting hustle culture, which serves to keep us on the treadmill of work and consumerism, ultimately benefiting their bottom line.
Remember, that just because the masses are doing it – doesn’t make it the best path for you to walk.
Have the courage to question everything.
IN SUMMARY
Success and mastery are built on a foundation of consistent action over time.
Making that consistent action joyful and easeful is dependent on whether or not you make your pleasure a priority.
The quality of your journey directly impacts the depth of your destination’s joy.
JOURNALING & REFLECTION
Here are some of my favorite reflection questions from today’s topic:
* Take stock of your unconscious beliefs. What messages have you received around success relative to ideas like hard work and hustle culture? Take time to question each of these beliefs and messages.
* Can you think of a time when you prioritized pleasure in your work and how it positively impacted your productivity and success?
* Can you think of a time when you did not prioritize pleasure in your work and how it negatively impacted your productivity and success?
* What are some small ways you can inject pleasure into your daily work routine and make it more enjoyable?
* How can you shift your mindset from viewing success as a destination to viewing it as a journey that you love to walk daily?
Meet The Author
I am a luxury business strategist and writer with an Italian cappuccino fetish and a 3-day work-week. With a personal love for indulgence and the finer things in life, I’ve seamlessly blended my passion for dissecting profitable businesses with the art of curating a life of pleasure. My obsession? Unraveling the DNA of success and happiness while teaching you how to beautifully disrupt the norm by crafting a business and life that you can’t wait to wake up to on a Monday morning.
P.S. WHENEVER YOU’RE READY HERE’S HOW I CAN SUPPORT YOU TO
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