In today’s entrepreneurial culture, hustling is a source of pride for many. But the question must be asked: Should we be proud of hustle? Is there any other way to maintain success? And if hustle is a good thing, at what point does it go overboard and become workaholism?
It’s not that we haven’t yet conceived of a better way to get things done. It’s just that, as a culture, we haven’t yet figured out how to implement it.
“Workaholics don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is at home because she found a better way.”
– Jason Fried
Hustle is a stepping stone
Entrepreneurs all owe some (or maybe even all) of our success to hustle. The stats for startup success are daunting.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “A bit more than 50 percent of small businesses fail in the first four years. Of all small businesses started in 2011, 4 percent made it to the second year, 3 percent made it to the third year, and 9 percent made it to the fourth year.”
Clearly, entrepreneurship is survival of the fittest, and putting in a bit (or a lot) of hustle in those early years is unavoidable if you want to be around in 5 years. But that same driving force that gets a business off the ground can be its very downfall.
When we‘re hustling, we’re distracted. We’re busy. And once caught in this cycle, it becomes depressingly predictable.
