Because not every season of life demands the grind.
When I was 21, I made a decision: I was going to climb the corporate ladder.
Not hope I got promoted. Not wait to be noticed. I picked a company I wanted to work for and started from the bottom—as a receptionist—and hustled my way up. I stayed late. I raised my hand for every opportunity. I kept pushing, kept proving. I was on a mission.
And you know what? That hustle paid off.
That’s the thing about hustle—when it’s aligned with a goal, it works. It has a purpose. It’s not toxic. It’s energizing.
But no one ever told me that hustle isn’t meant to be a permanent lifestyle. No one said, “Hey, once you get there—once you achieve the thing—you’re allowed to stop sprinting.”
So I kept going.
And that’s when the cracks started to show.
Hustle Culture Doesn’t Care If Your Life Changes—But You Should
The first real shift happened when I had my son.
I went from being 100% dedicated to my work… to also needing to be 100% present for my child. Suddenly, I couldn’t stay as late at the office. I had to pick up a sick kid, make doctor’s appointments, attend school events. My time wasn’t just mine anymore.
But my work expectations didn’t change. I still felt like I had to show up the same way—even though life had changed completely.
I had the same 24 hours, but way more responsibility. And hustle culture? It didn’t make room for that.
I started to feel like I was failing. If I gave more to work, I felt like I was letting my son down. If I gave more to my son, I felt like I was slacking at work.
But the truth was, I wasn’t failing—I was evolving.
Each season of life requires something different from us. And if you don’t adjust your hustle to match that season, it will drain you.
Hustling Isn’t the Problem—But Hustling Without Alignment Is
Here’s what I had to come to terms with: there’s a difference between hustling and overworking.
Hustling—when it’s intentional—feels powerful. It’s focused. It’s directed. It gets you closer to something that matters to you.
Overworking? That’s what happens when you’re hustling without a goal. When you’re grinding just to be seen. When your self-worth is so tied to being the one who does it all that you never stop to ask… why?
That was me.
I believed that if I wasn’t the hardest worker—the one who stayed the latest, said yes the most, carried it all—I wouldn’t be a good employee. But the more I overperformed at work, the more I felt like I was failing as a mother.
I couldn’t be both… at least not in the way I was trying to be.
So I realigned.
I asked myself: What are my goals now?
I wasn’t just trying to climb anymore. I was trying to create a stable, joyful life for me and my son. I wanted financial security and time freedom. I wanted presence, not just productivity.
That meant my hustle had to look different.
It wasn’t about being the first one in and the last one out anymore. It was about working smarter, not longer. About improving my systems, communication, and boundaries. About creating real
work-life integration—not a performance of balance.
And guess what?
That kind of hustle actually moved me forward.
Hustle Can Be Powerful—But It’s Not a Personality
Let’s be clear: hustle isn’t bad.
There are seasons when hustle is necessary. When you’re building something new, chasing a bold dream, or leveling up in your business or career, you’re going to have to dig deep.
There will be late nights. Extra hours. Sacrifices.
But that’s a season—not a personality trait.
You’re not meant to live in hustle mode forever. If you do, burnout will catch up with you. Resentment will grow. Joy will shrink.
So stop asking if you’re doing enough. Start asking if you’re doing what’s aligned.
Are you working toward a goal—or just working because that’s what you’ve always done?
Are you chasing something that matters—or are you afraid of what might happen if you stop proving yourself?
You Don’t Owe Hustle to Anyone
The hustle isn’t the problem. The pressure to never stop hustling is.
You don’t have to constantly prove your value through exhaustion. You don’t need to earn your worth through overwork. And you definitely don’t need to subscribe to hustle culture just to be seen as dedicated.
Real success isn’t about how much you do—it’s about how aligned your actions are with what you truly want.
So go ahead and hustle… when it makes sense.
But don’t forget to rest. To realign. To shift when life shifts.
You’re allowed to pursue your goals without burning yourself out in the process.
Because hustle should build something beautiful—not break you down.
