Is it just me or is anyone else in the mood to dive deeper into the daily pressures we face as millennials to rise and grind? To hustle? To go big or go home? Well if you’ve ever felt TRIGGERED by Linkedin, go get your tea, agbalumo or whatever it is you’re into, and let’s talk. Today, we are shaking tables and hustle culture just happens to be the subject of discussion. Yes, I said what I said.
In a nutshell, Hustle Culture means that you are working non-stop. It means that you are devoting as much of your day as possible to work, grinding, and pretty much —hustling without any clear-cut boundaries.
Do you guys remember the “At 23” trend on social media a while back? Well while some people were acquiring a new start-up business which they then sold on the stock foreign exchange fruit market for triple the value; starting a trust fund on i-can-save for their unborn children; launching several successful retail stores on SocialPay, and learning at least 5 new languages at 23; I was busy eating my kuli kuli and sipping my chilled Zobo because, in the words of my president, Tiwa Savage, I no come this life to suffer.
Don’t get me wrong, hard work and wanting the best life for yourself is important, (especially in this gbas gbos economic climate) but knowing what’s good for you and your future is importanter. Do you know when to draw the line and say “E don do?”. I didn’t mean to shake the table that roughly dear, come back.
Listen, I dey say this thing just once- “All you can do is all you can do, and all you can do is enough”. Yeah, I got that quote from Authur Williams because it is the aspire-to-perspire version of “No go come kee myself”. Life isn’t all about accomplishing this or that. You are a human being, so allow yourself to be one.
Are there so many opportunities out there? Yes! But how are you going to put out your best work if you are always hustling and end up burnt out? Burn out is when you feel empty, mentally exhausted, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring as a result of prolonged stress. For many Nigerian youths, the story is the same– working a 9-5, while having a side hustle with an extra side hustle.
My friend, will you carry your leg up, relax and sip on that chilled Zobo? Because you deserve it!
You need a friendly pat on your shoulder, and some reassurance that everything will be okay in the end; especially because you have us, the #risingsun in your corner. Quote me! Tell them that that aunty from the Sterling Bank blog post told you to tell stress that you are not around.
Better yet, if you need to slow down, catch your breath, and press pause on hustle culture, here are three ways to go about it. Shall we?
- Stop the grind and get yourself a life
It’s one thing for us to open our mouths gbam and start talking. But talk doesn’t pay the bills and we know that! We also know that it’s about time you let your money do all the work for you. So how about you watch with your two korokoro eyes as your money takes on the workload with i-invest or doubble. With Doubble, you get to convert your small small coins into gold and gain returns that help you build sustainable wealth while you chill and sip on your chilled zobo.
Okay good, now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, you can trust us, your honorable plugs to give you offerings like EveryNanny, fitness app, CafeOne, 3PA to attain that well-rounded balanced life that you desire while trying to secure the bag.
- Understand that hustle culture comes from a place of fear
If you still dey work hard with the mindset say wetin you dey do never fit be enough, then you need to sit back and ask yourself what you are afraid of. You need to take your time. Take care of yourself. And, whenever you find yourself rushing through life, take a step back and ask: “Why the rush? What am I actually working towards?” - Flip the script (in fact turn over the table make everybody gettat)
The one thing I think we need to do as a generation is redefining what success should look like. We need to understand that success can look different for different people because we are unique after all. So Ade that earns less than the legendary #400k needs to stop comparing himself to a trust fund baby-boy coming from generational wealth and live his life! Live your life! Your turn will come!
Breaking free from hustle culture will not be easy. Yet it’s a necessary shift that will not only benefit us in the long run but also set the pace for our children and generations to come on what it looks like to thrive by embracing less hustle and more flow.
