Every day I’m hustling … But do I still need to? Do you?

Twenty years ago, after leaving the agency world, and starting the “freelance copywriting chapter” of my career …

?I faced starting a new business from scratch -- on my own.? And I understood that, probably for the rest of my career, I would only eat what I killed.

The pressure was on.

?So I hustled like crazy.? I explored every avenue I could find to new clients and work. I did anything – speaking, writing articles, loads of cold calls and emails -- to get in front of people that hired copywriters like me.

?And even as my business and reputation grew over the years, and as I became more successful, I still was never content to just sit back and say, “I’ve got it made. I don’t need to spend time or effort hustling anymore!”

?I just always felt the need to hustle. ?It’s part of who I am.

?Then COVID hit, and the business world got funky. And I was grateful for all the hustling I had done early in my career, because it kept me busy while others we're just scraping by, or out of work completely.

?Once we came out of COVID, the business, marketing and copywriting landscape had changed. And one of the lingering effects for me was -- I didn't want to hustle anymore.

?And for about a year, I felt like hustling was beneath me. And I shouldn't have to do it anymore, so I took a break from really pushing for new business.

?But towards the 2nd half of 2023, I had an epiphany … I saw an ad for Disney world. And I thought, “Why on earth does Disney spend any money at all to advertise?”? Despite raising their prices every year, they still seem to sell out their parks almost every day of the year.

?Why do they bother?

?And the answer is … They know it matters.? So if Disney, as successful as they are, still feels the need to hustle for new customers, and is never content that they are “set for life,” then I should do the same.

?And honestly, whether I really need to or not, or whether I can really handle any more copywriting projects or not, I just feel better when I’m trying hard to build my business and connect with others in different ways.

?Does anyone else have this debate in their head?