Why Hustle Culture Will Destroy Your Life

Don't crush it in one area of your life just to lose it in another. Hustle culture is fool's gold.

The body builder scene can be slightly comical at times (not that I follow the body building scene), especially those amateurs who forget their leg days one too many times. They're ripped and fanned out up top and chicken legged down low.

Guys consumed by hustle culture, at the expense of everything else, are building the same disproportions. Maybe the hustlers are also making people laugh, especially when they're portrayed in memes, but that kind of grossly imbalanced existence is often just tragic.

And I'm not pointing the finger at you anymore than I am at myself. I've been seduced by the allure of hustle culture. I've burned down pieces of my humanity and relationships trying to win this game.

My own failings are what fuel my drive now not to be overly driven. Not to lose everything that matters for the things that won't be there for me in the end. Emperors have very few friends.

Hard work is absolutely critical, of course. This is what's required to practice good stewardship of everything and everyone God has entrusted to us. Stewardship is the critical word of the day here. We are stewards. Not emperors or owners of what we've been given. 

We can't take it with us. We can only tend the garden and hope we leave it better than we found it–but we will leave it one day. That's a guarantee. Don't leave it desolate and filled with locusts that we mistook for riches.

RELATED POSTS | Raising Men: The Making of Warrior Poets • Why Tough Guys Ruin Relationships • 3 Ways to IMMEDIATELY Spot GOOD or BAD Character

What is Hustle Culture? Hustle ≠ Hard Work

Hustle culture is more than hard work. Hard work is good for the soul. The Bible even encourages it. I believe we're supposed to work hard.

But then we take this good and God-given desire and re-create it in our image, for our self gratification, for the praise of men, for wealth and power and our own dangerous freedom without constraint. Jeffrey Epstein comes to mind. P Diddy.

Do you work hard for the things that matter? Or are you really burning your life down because all that matters is your name, fame, and fortune? Are you gardening or just being greedy? That's the difference. 

Hustle culture makes my work all about me and my little kingdom on earth, but that kingdom is already rusty. That field is already fallow. Yay for that.

Combatting Hustle with the Hard Work of Balance and Hope

At Warrior Poet Society we're all about preparing for the future. Shoring up defenses against economic and societal collapse. And all of that is good. Even noble. But we're also big on being providers and protectors. Defenders of the innocent.

All of those worthy pursuits are pointing to something greater than ourselves and holding on to what we see as our domain, our little square foot of earth. The driving force of Warrior Poets is timeless. We're defending goodness in the world. Beauty. Human life and dignity. Because we believe the value of those things was established in another kingdom in a world without beginning or end.

If our hope is in this little patch of earth then we are in danger of hopelessness. And this is what hustle culture feeds and is fueled by. How do we fight it? By becoming good men full of hope. First you have to know there's a war, remember you're entering that battlefield every day, and embracing the reality that you can't fight hustle with hustle. It only leads to more hustle. 

Your addiction to the game can only be battled by better game.

Become Good Men. Build Good Lives.

A good man is basically one who sets good priorities and balances well between those priorities. For the longest, I felt like I was either killing it at home or killing it at work, but trying to do both created a crisis. Maybe you've been there. Maybe you're there right now.

We are not machines. We are ecosystems, and ecosystems require balance or they die. Perhaps your body is strong and your spirit is pathetically weak. Your soul is decaying and you can sense it in your lack of emotional connection with your spouse and kids and the people you call friends.

What nourishment have you been depriving yourself of for so long you didn't realize you were starving? Is it rest? I mean, if you can't take one full day off of work a few times a month? You might be idolizing your work. It will catch up to you. Your health, family, and the work you're idolizing all will suffer. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon.

BONUS: Don't Let Christmas Hold You Hostage

Embrace patience. People will overestimate what they can do in one year, but underestimate what they can accomplish in 10. Impatience and the craving for immediate results has wrecked many a promising person with burnout and bad decisions. Focus on growth and process rather than results. Life is a long journey that requires a steady pace rather than a sprint. 

Little bits at a time consistently over time lead to great payouts–compounding interest is powerful in money but also health, relationships, and your development as a human person. Success and fulfillment come from consistent, patient effort over years. Leave a legacy not a train wreck.

Embrace silence, solitude, and reflection. Solitude and reflection are important pieces for a man. You need time alone and spiritual guidance to understand things and understand yourself. This is a force multiplier in your life. If you don't take time for this, then you'll spend all your time on lots of nothing. This is a form of much-needed rest. Which means resting from devices, too.

Embrace good sleep. Sleep is God's daily reminder that we are ultimately not in complete control. It reminds us of our human frailty. This is good, since we are indeed NOT the center of the universe. So, embrace it. You need it. Get as much as you need as often as you can.

And if all of this seems like a real hustle, don't get overwhelmed. Just start somewhere. Get some good guys in your life who can encourage this. Your wife, family, and future self will thank you. As with any combative skill that matters, it takes time, patience, practice, and training.

Train Hard. Train Smart. Live Free (of Hustle Culture). Get Some Rest.