The Busy Badge: Reflecting on Our Hustle (#39)

If you're living and breathing in America today, chances are you've had this conversation:

"How are you?"

"Busy. Crazy busy."

It's like a reflex, right? Being busy has turned into this weird flex we all seem to be making, a complaint that's secretly a boast. And we all nod along, saying, "Hey, that's a great problem to have!" But is it, though?

Here's the thing. Almost everyone I know, from CEOs to startup founders, is swamped. They're either grinding away at work or hustling to make their side gig look good on LinkedIn. I shot a text to a friend the other day, asking if he wanted to hang out. He tells me he's slammed but to hit him up if something fun pops up. He might sneak away. That moment? It hit me. We're all drowning in this sea of busyness, thinking it's where we need to be.

Remember being a kid? I do. After school was my time. No plans, no schedules. I’d dive into whatever caught my fancy, from playing Sonic The Hedgehog (yeah, I was a Sega guy so don't come talking to me about Super Mario Bros) to shooting hoops. That unstructured, free-wheeling time? It taught me a ton. It taught me how to think on my feet, solve problems, and just enjoy being alive. That's the vibe I miss and crave in the grown-up grind.

Now, this hustle, this constant go-go-go, it's like we're all trying to outdo each other on who can be the most stressed. But deep down, we're scared. Scared that if we stop, even for a minute, we might realize a lot of what we're doing... doesn't really matter. That's a tough pill to swallow, right? We fill every minute to avoid facing that maybe, just maybe, we don’t need to be in motion all the time.

And here's a kicker - idleness, that thing we all avoid like it's the plague? It's actually essential. It's our brain's vitamin D. Without it, we're like plants trying to grow in the dark. History's full of lightbulb moments that happened in the downtime. Archimedes in his bath, Newton under his apple tree. It turns out a lot of the world's bright ideas came from people just... chilling.

So, what's all this hustle for? I had my wake-up call tripping over my own feet, rushing to the gym because I didn't want to let someone down. I was that guy, treating life like a checklist where every box ticked off was a step closer to... what? Fulfillment? Success? Or was I just racing towards burnout, missing out on the good stuff along the way?

Let's get real for a sec. We need to talk about finding balance. It’s not about ditching ambition or not shooting for the stars. It's about remembering to breathe. It's about making space for those moments that fuel our creativity, our joy, and yes, our success, too. It's about living, not just doing.

I'm trying to get better at it. Slowing down, tuning in. Making time for friends without scheduling it weeks in advance. Allowing myself to get lost in an audio book without feeling guilty that I'm not 'being productive.' Because at the end of the day, those moments of connection, of inspiration, they're what make the hustle worth it.

To my fellow entrepreneurs and everyone caught in the busy trap: let's try to remember that being busy isn't the goal. Living a life full of moments that matter, that's the real win. Let's not rush through life only to look back and wonder where it all went. Let's make the time to live it, really live it, along the way.