The Hustle Is Overrated
Joy vs. Hustle: Choosing Joy Can Help You Build a Successful Business and Save You from Burnout — Here is How.
I'm Manuel Saez, I write to help founders master emotional intelligence to make decisions with clarity 🌻 EQ coach, 2X-founder & award-winning designer ➜ I love fixing old motorcycles 🛵 🏍
Reading time: 7 min.
Contents:
The Connection Between Joy And Success: How Focusing On Joy Can Help You Achieve More
The Dark Side Of The Startup Hustle Culture: How It Can Lead To Burnout And Unhappiness
Breaking The Cycle Of Guilt And Overwork: Learning To Prioritize Joy In Your Career And Personal Life
Cultivating A Joyful Mindset: Five Practical Tips And Strategies For Living A More Fulfilling Life
Conclusion
Dear Manuel,
For many years, I thought that hustling and working hard was the way to success in life. The immigrant in me drove that thinking, but over time, I realized that although you must do the work, working hard is not the answer.
With time, I found that there is a different path to success and fulfillment. A way of life that doesn't revolve around working yourself into exhaustion but joyfully creating your destiny.
It's possible to have financial stability, time, freedom, and inner peace without sacrificing your well-being to achieve them.
Let's explore how to become successful by seeking joy instead of grinding away at tedious tasks.
In today's world, hustling isn't just a necessity; it's almost an admirable trait. Working long hours has become a badge of honor for ambitious entrepreneurs and career-driven individuals. After all, nothing ever comes easy, right?
Well, the reality is that you don't need to suffer through grueling days at the office or give up control over your personal life to make progress toward achieving your goals.
The key is finding the balance between work and play.
When you prioritize activities that bring you happiness and satisfaction while moving forward with your professional ambitions, everything falls into place much more naturally than when you rely on sheer willpower alone.
So forget about 'working hard' and start looking for opportunities that spark joy within you instead.
The Connection Between Joy And Success:
How Focusing On Joy Can Help You Achieve More
It's no secret that many of us are driven to succeed, but what if instead of focusing on hard work and grinding through each day, we focused our attention on joy? Recent research has shown a strong connection between joy and success. By incorporating activities that bring you joy daily, you can set yourself up for more significant achievement in the long run.
Think about it this way: When you take time to find joy, you create an environment conducive to growth and progress. When you seek out meaningful moments throughout the day – those things that make you smile or laugh - you increase your capacity for creativity, productivity, and overall well-being. This is especially true when tackling challenging tasks or meeting difficult goals.
When faced with a daunting task, having something joyful to look forward to can give you the energy and motivation needed to overcome any obstacle. It becomes easier not only to push through a challenge but also to enjoy it while doing so!
In addition to helping create an atmosphere where ideas thrive, and dreams come alive, finding joy can have even more profound effects on our lives. To maximize its benefits, I encourage you to create a "joy list" – a specific plan outlining how you will actively pursue happiness today and in the long term.
Putting in the extra effort shows dedication to living peacefully amidst chaos; it's proof that despite whatever setbacks may come along, your spirit remains unaltered by circumstance. Achieving such inner peace allows us space from which we can view challenges objectively with clarity and purposefulness, resulting in better decision-making necessary for success.
The Dark Side Of The Startup Hustle Culture:
How It Can Lead To Burnout And Unhappiness
You work hard, harder than anyone we know, to win and advance your career. The hustle culture of the startup world glorifies hard work, often leading ambitious founders down a path of burnout and unhappiness—sounds familiar? There is an alternative way to find success that doesn't involve sacrificing your mental health or happiness.
Focusing on joy can be more beneficial than grinding away at your job until exhaustion sets in. By seeking activities that please you, you can strengthen your resilience while still achieving results – without burning out or becoming unhappy.
This doesn't mean you have to reduce your workload; it simply means finding the balance between work and leisure time so that productivity and happiness remain high.
Working fewer hours can also give you greater clarity when tackling problems, allowing you to develop creative solutions instead of slogging through them. It's important to remember that life shouldn't revolve around blindly striving for achievement; sometimes, stepping back from your goals can help you reach new heights.
Finding joy in your daily life gives you the strength to take risks, challenge yourself, and progress toward your dreams—all without feeling depleted or overwhelmed by stress. So remember: do not work hard—seek joy instead.
Breaking The Cycle Of Guilt And Overwork:
Learning To Prioritize Joy In Your Career And Personal Life
It's easy to fall into the guilt trap when you feel you are not working hard enough. You don't want to let anybody down, you have a team that looks up to you, you have to set the example, and you tend to think that success requires you to put in more hours, but this isn't necessarily true.
Taking a step back and re-evaluating your priorities is one way to start reclaiming the joy in your life. The idea that fewer hours means less work and, therefore, less productivity can feel intimidating initially, especially if it goes against cultural norms. But finding joy doesn't have to come with sacrificing quality or quantity of output - it just takes an adjustment in mindset and expectations.
By normalizing reduced work hours, we can learn to prioritize our joy and create meaningful experiences within our day-to-day activities. This could be as simple as taking frequent daily breaks for mindful meditation or scheduling regular team outings outside office walls.
These joyful moments will give you something else to look forward to and help break up the monotony of daily life. By understanding how much time you need for yourself, you can set boundaries for what you are willing (and unwilling) to do during a workweek—ultimately allowing freedom from guilt while achieving great things.
Cultivating A Joyful Mindset:
Five Practical Tips And Strategies For Living A More Fulfilling Life
Considering the power of thought and its ability to shape our reality, it is worth considering how to cultivate a positive mindset. It may seem impossible when life throws you curveballs, but with practice, focus, and dedication, anyone can learn to be more mindful of joy-seeking activities and exercises. Here are five practical tips for living a more fulfilling life:
Prioritize leisure time over working long hours. Working unreasonable hours has been considered a way of life; however, this lifestyle often leads to burnout. Instead of sacrificing your health and family relationships for money or fame, focus on enjoying yourself while still being productive. This could mean taking up a passion project such as starting an award-winning podcast or learning a new skill you're passionate about – anything that pleases you outside of your day job will help build a better overall outlook on life.
Spend time outdoors and appreciate nature around you. Studies show that spending time in nature has tangible mental health benefits – so if possible, try exploring parks or natural areas close to home for some peace away from bustling city streets. Not only will you get some much-needed fresh air, but you will also bask in the beauty of Mother Nature, which can be quite therapeutic!
Maintain healthy social connections with friends and loved ones. Strong support systems make us feel safe and secure—even if it's just through phone calls or video chats with friends across the world! Stay connected with those who care about you so they know what's going on in your life; listening closely to others can provide valuable insight into different perspectives, too—something invaluable during times of stress or hardship.
Take regular breaks throughout the day. Working nonstop without proper rest can lead to fatigue and exhaustion, which deplete any motivation gained from earlier successes. Taking short 10-minute breaks every hour helps relieve tension accumulated throughout work tasks; use this time for meditation exercises such as yoga or deep breathing techniques for added relaxation benefits!
Find ways to be helpful even if it seems small scale at first glance—like opening the door to someone or giving your seat in the subway. Doing acts of service allows us to understand our privileges regarding wealth, health, and opportunities available – which encourages gratitude within ourselves instead of resentment against what we don't possess yet (which is understandable!).
All these little things add together until they eventually form part of your character, ultimately deciding whether you're heading toward success or failure.
Many other people in the world and I have been conditioned to believe that hard work is essential for success. However, I now know that seeking joy instead of just working hard can be a more fulfilling and successful path.
By focusing on what brings me joy, I can better prioritize my time and care for myself and my work. I invite you to recognize when you are overworking yourself; statistics show that overworking can lead to increased fatigue, anxiety, and depression—all signs of burnout. Be mindful of these signs. Maintaining a balance between your personal life and professional commitments is vital in preventing these adverse effects while achieving objectives.
It's up to each person to decide where their priorities lie. For me, striving for joy has become an integral part of my life journey towards success—which I hope will inspire others around me, too!
Manuel Saez 👉 manuelsaez.com
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