Hustle Culture: Why I No Longer Idolize It

Ishani Chatterjee
4 min readSep 23, 2021

“Rise and grind”, “got dreams worth more than sleep” and “good things happen to those who hustle” are quotes we come across on motivational pages and articles every other day.

Source: www.girlboss.com

People have often admired the so-called “hustle culture”, where you wake up, hustle, grind and repeat till the day you are burnt out, and find it difficult to do anything other than staying in your bed. Of course, that is not the case for some people. Some are adept to the grinding, and in some instances, it is a good thing indeed. Success comes with a lot of dedication and consistency. But is it worth more than your mental well-being? I don’t think so.

As a person who likes working as much as getting a good night’s sleep, I have often come across discouraging remarks from people saying, this is not the time to rest. That, I need to give my best every day else my dreams will slip away. I was convinced for a while and jumped right into a hectic full-time job while I was yet to complete my Master’s Degree. Along with that, I also dedicated whatever remained of my days to exercising or cycling or doing something productive. I kept telling myself, “Remember, they said you cannot waste a minute because your 20s is what makes or breaks you.” But what I did not realize amidst all the “hustle” was how tired it made me feel at the end of the day.

I thought to myself, “I should feel fulfilled because I have a full-time job amidst a pandemic. I am earning way more than I thought I would at this point in life. But why was I still so unhappy? Am I not fit for this fast-paced world? Why are my friends not struggling to cope the way I am?” Or perhaps, they did, but they were already better at concealing because there is no place for the weaklings in this world where the ideal person loves and idolizes the hustle culture with all her/his heart. And, in the blink of an eye, I was neck-deep into work, anxiety and became a victim of peer pressure.

People my age — or millennials as they call us — are especially keen on the concept of workaholism and their self-esteem seems to be directly connected to how “busy” they are and how many tasks they can juggle simultaneously. Although these constant words of motivation and reminders of opportunity can motivate people to give their all, they also often end up causing a lot of burden. The hustle culture is not as great as it is projected to be. And I will never idolize it. As a creative person, my peace of mind is vital to my creativity and productivity. I have, not yet, come across one person, who is hustling and grinding but not suffering from a serious mental or physical illness.

Especially, in the corporate world, long working hours and a higher workload are directly proportional to securing a higher position at a workplace. But, the other side of the coin says that longer working hours are responsible for poorer mental health conditions and increasing levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. For what it’s worth, it’s not something worth idolizing. It adversely affects a person’s mental and physical well-being. During the time I was working day and night, I struggled to sleep, eat and my social life went to be as good as non-existent. I stopped creating art, I stopped spending time on my hobbies such as reading books and watching movies, and not to sound dramatic, I realized I was quite unhappy.

Now, while I know that money is the highest signifier of success after fame, does it have to appeal to everyone? Can a person not be successful by simply creating art? Can a person not be successful by building meaningful connections?

Source: Normal People (Television Series)

With a thousand questions in my mind, I slowly and gradually convinced myself to allow myself the time and mental space required to achieve my definition of success. Some want (and get) it quickly, and some keep dedicating years of patience and hard work to become successful over time. Success is subjective. Hustling and grinding are two ways towards it, but not the only ones.

You’d be right to think that I am not entitled enough to give out life advice like this but, one thing I have realized over the past few months, is to chase my dreams the right way. It is okay to let myself breathe and allow myself the time needed to reach where I want to. One can choose to hustle if that’s their ideal way. But it is okay if they do not idolize this culture. I don’t either. I pledged I no longer will because I idolize “don’t work hard, work smart” and allowing myself just the right amount of work-life balance while finding the path towards success. No, my dreams won’t slip away. They will be mine but without the need of causing unnecessary damage to my mental well-being and ending up with just enough money but very little peace.

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Ishani Chatterjee

A 27 y/o, who loves watching movies/tv shows, traveling, reading, singing, and empathizing. I'm here to share my experiences and recommendations! Stay tuned.