Give "hustle culture" a fair shot
Brent Moore, PhD, MBA
Chair & Professor, Behavioral & Health Sciences @ Indiana Wesleyan University N & G // LCPC // Owner, Neural Pathways Learning Center
We all know the reasons why hustle culture is toxic.?In fact, you’ve probably posted about it or “liked” a post about it.?Consider suspending your judgment for just a moment.?
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Let’s start by defining “hustle culture” because there is not really a clear consensus about what it is (and is not).?
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The first definition that pops up for me on Google is from Better Up and reads: “Hustle culture, also known as burnout culture, centers around the idea that working long hours and sacrificing self-care are required in order to succeed.?The promise is that if you give work all of your attention, you can achieve anything and everything.”?
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This definition does not fit.?
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The predominant ethos has already adopted self-care as a prerequisite for sustainable work.?You should be practicing self-care.?Hustling and taking care of oneself are not mutually exclusive.?To settle on the position that individuals who hustle must sacrifice their self-care is a perfect example of the logical fallacy, false dichotomy.?Hustling, while not taking care of oneself, is called masochism.?Don’t get it twisted.?
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The second part of the above definition states, “if you give work all of your attention, you can achieve anything and everything.”?Extremism appeals to the reader.?I know that giving all my attention to basketball will not lead to an NBA deal.?The conclusion is that hustle culture can’t deliver and is therefore misguided.?It’s a second false dilemma in one definition.?
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My definition of hustle culture: The degree to which one works is contextual and often shares a relationship to fulfillment and opportunity.?
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Context matters when considering most things in life, including hustle culture.?Everyone’s circumstances are different.?Reasons exist for its toxicity.?But other reasons simultaneously exist to support it.?I have spent time in jobs that range from little hustle culture to a lot of it.?There must be a healthy balance.?There are also seasons of life that require more hustle than others.?
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I’m no epidemiologist, but there is something else in the air.?Findings from a recent study are revealed in the title: The paradox of wealthy nations’ low adolescent life satisfaction (Rudolf & Bethmann, 2022).?While “life satisfaction” and “burnout” are separate constructs, many kids seem to be “burned out” before they even enter the workforce.?What does this mean for hustle culture??The pendulum swings the other way to job apathy. ?It’s empirical—not just in the literature, but in the public arena.?
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“Meaning of work” (a term from the literature) predicts job pride, which shares relationships with turnover intentions (Le, Hancer, Chaulagain, & Pham, 2022).?Taking pride in one’s work will impact a sense of subjective well-being and fulfillment.?Perhaps some individuals simply don’t like hustling at work because they don’t like what they do.?Meaning and identity are extracted from work and worn on our sleeves.?In other words, “What do you do?” is often the second question people ask after one’s name.?What would happen if we were forced to answer the question “How hard do you work?” rather than, “What do you do?”?It is a more equitable question between two people from different socioeconomic statuses.?Should we not find value in the degree to which we work??Work output is a stewardship issue and a time issue.?
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Nearly twelve years ago, a brain tumor was found inside my daughter’s head.?She had many surgeries to remove parts of the tumor and to redirect cerebral spinal fluid.?After fighting the cancer, she died just prior to her fourth birthday. ?Following one of her surgeries, she was left paralyzed on her right side.?With limited mobility, she lived a fulfilled life despite her limitations.?I use her example as a springboard to think about all your abilities and talents.?How are you stewarding your time to use your resources??You may not be paralyzed on one side of your body, maybe it is another physical, mental, or emotional limitation.?Maybe you are relatively free from limitations.?A spirit of gratitude for our strengths goes a long way here.?I’d like to think that my daughter hustled, not at work but to make the most of the limited time she had on earth.?
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I tried to stay away from conjecture in this article, but it is going to come out here.?I am from the United States of America.?We are getting soft in a lot of areas.?Hustle culture has been reified using negative connotations, logical fallacies, and unrealistic expectations.?The term can still be reclaimed.?Pit your job against someone else’s job at a different time in history.?Your conditions are markedly better.?So, enjoy your version of hustle with some perspective in this modern age.?
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It is another false dichotomy to remark that without hustle culture, we’d all be lazy.?In the absence of hustle culture many alternative variables exist.?Use a definition of hustle culture with negative connotations if you must, but it doesn’t serve us well because “hustle” becomes a misnomer.?Hustle is part of work.?The unhealthy aspects of hustle amount to work-related masochism.?You don’t need to carry shame for hustling at work.?
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References
Le, L. H., Hancer, M., Chaulagain, S., & Pham, P. (2023). Reducing hotel employee turnover intention by promoting pride in job and meaning of work: A cross-cultural perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 109, 103409.?
Miles, M. (2022). The problems with hustle culture—and how it’s tied to mental health. Retrieved on January 31, 2023 at https://www.betterup.com/blog/hustle-culture.?
Rudolf, R., & Bethmann, D. (2022). The paradox of wealthy nations’ low adolescent life satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1-27.?
hustle culture is mostly used in my experience by people that binge games, social media and procrastination to talk down to those that invest discipline in their craft and lift off they weight of their own shoulders from their guilt. For me it's exactly that you sacrifice these things, not your family or your health, you sacrifice partying, alcohol, validation for self respect to achieve things they are not willing to commit.
Speech Language Pathologist
2 年I appreciate this so much. I hustle, but I would not consider myself a part of mainstream "hustle culture". If anything, I would consider what I get to do a part of "attainment culture" (trademark ;)). I call it attainment culture because?I am gaining from all aspects of my job. I get paid, I am rewarded by the growth and improvement of my patients, I have gratitude for every opportunity I am given to help in the care of others. I am lucky to love what I do and I know that is often not the case. My father worked 12-hour days for a large HVAC repair company. He didn't love it. He did it because it brought in some money to support what he did love- his family. As a result, I think he pushed me and my brother to make what we loved an integral part of our employment/career goals.
Therapist at Hands of Hope Counseling and Support
2 年Great article on an important topic! Thank you for this thought-provoking perspective. As a mental health professional, I often touch on the importance of meaning and purpose as an anecdote to depression. I f think we all have to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Also, I think that resilience and growth are often cultivated through times of adversity. Though we will always prefer smooth-sailing, we can also learn to appreciate that some outcomes are only possible as a result of enduring the less desirable things in life.
Telling data stories | Curating Resources | Sharing Real Life
2 年I'm sorry for your loss. I have a 4-year-old, so it hits home. I think there are different ways and levels of knowing and feeling that time is short. Running out of time In a workday In a week To prepare for a party To prepare for a presentation In a summer Before a child grows up Before a layoff Before a vacation ends Before life ends It's not all equal
Licensed Psychotherapist @ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | LPC, LCDC, NCC
2 年Brent Moore, PhD, MBA I favor a career over "hustle culture". If I hadn't pursued undergrad/Master's degrees in Psychology, two licenses in Mental Health, I don't know where I'd be now. My life now is exactly where I envisioned it after leaving the military in 2014. "Hustle Culture" is not something I will ever entertain. It's fool's gold for many who simply don't want to put in the work to find a career.