Excuse me, but “the hustle” is not real.
Lately it seems as though we’ve moved away from glorifying “busy-ness” to glorifying “hustle”. All I seem to hear these days is “The hustle is REAL!”. But, do we even know what hustle means?
Hustle – verb
1. force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously in a specified direction.
2. obtain by forceful action or persuasion.
Yikes. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend my days in a constant state of forced/forceful energy. I don’t want to be move hurriedly in any direction, unless I really have to go potty, and being ushered unceremoniously around does not sound appealing at all!
So why all the bustle about hustle?
Here’s what I think. Before I found my true calling (passions\gifts\strengths), I felt like I had to hustle every workday just to get by. I felt as though I was forcing everything; tasks, that smile on my face, my sense of happiness and well-being, everything.
Everything felt like an uphill battle. Everything felt like fight. And, when everyone around you is trying to make light of their situations (“I’m always busy! No, I waaaaaayyyy busier! Actually, I’m busier AND I hustle too!”) they tend to find comfort in voicing their unhappiness in this way. I know I did.
This issue has intrigued me for a long time.
So, I decided to explore it further. As I researched and studied this concept of “hustle” I learned that when you perform tasks (job related or otherwise) that are out of alignment with what you are truly meant to do, a/k/a your Soul’s Purpose, then, the hustle will be real. And since that is one side of the coin, the other side must be that once you bring your life into alignment with your Soul’s Purpose, you will be full of a peaceful momentum that will gracefully guide you through your day. In other words, little to no hustle at all.
So, how do I do this? How do I align with my Soul’s Purpose?
First, take a moment to visualize. If you can’t visualize yourself in a state of peaceful momentum (perhaps because it feels unattainable?), think of someone you know that seems to float through life. Think of her (or you) glowing, brimming with peaceful momentum and gracefully moving from one task to another. She certainly isn’t hustling. Hold that image in your mind and refer to it often. Write down the feelings that come up (i.e., peaceful, serene, accomplished, easeful, etc.) and keep those handy as well. Whenever you feel out of alignment, pull up the image and the words and breathe. Feel better? <3
Next, start identifying what lights you up, by, well, identifying what lights you up. I’m currently reading this book: “The Passion Test” by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood. By identifying what we really enjoy doing we’ll bring ourselves, more and more, into a state of alignment. And, you simply can’t hustle when you are aligned. I mean, it’s the law.
Finally, try some meditation. Yes, I’m on the meditation bandwagon as well! In fact, I’m in the middle of a 40 day prosperity meditation right now! The point of meditating is to learn how to quiet your mind so that you can let your Soul speak. Think of this, you can’t hear the television if you have the radio blaring. So, turn down the radio of your mind so you can hear the television of your Soul speak. <3
And remember, “Grace will take you places hustling can’t.” -Elizabeth Gilbert.
#MoreGraceLessHustle
