Hustle culture, the latest craze to hit our shores. Simply put, it’s the unwavering message that we must place ourselves into high gear in order to generate a status-driven level of success — and those who don’t follow in its path are perceived to be “settling” in both life and career. With thanks to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, we are shown extreme romanticisations and glorification of this lifestyle. Thus this week, we explore the underlying toxicity of hustle culture.
The qualm lies in the destabilisation of our work-life balance. Hustling through every moment of the day in an attempt to prove a point. To be able to say you’ve got what it takes. It latches on through its ability to convince you that if you work hard enough, long enough, you too are able to be able to retire into a world of luxury and ease before you acquire your first fine line. Except this way of thinking defines success in one way, monetarily. A career becomes the defining factor of one’s life. And if it isn’t about the money, it’s the status.
In the last twelve months, the lifestyles of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have been heightened upon a pedestal, and the journeys to how they got there, are glamorised. It begs the question, to have committed so much time to this pursuit — what do their personal lives look like? Life swings on a pendulum, and this lifestyle swings to one extreme, meaning something has to give. Realistically, the only reason their lives are so sort-after is because of their monetary freedom.
THE VILLANISATION OF THE NINE TO FIVE
The toxicity of hustle culture has loomed for a little while now, but now I’m seeing a shift in the way we see traditional work altogether. Instagram Reels and TikTok videos seem to be the greatest culprit in promoting this thought; that working a nine to five is a limiting endeavour as you’re working towards “someone else’s dream”.
While I understand the sentiment behind the thought, I don’t agree with this misleading ideology.
If you’re pursuing your natural talents and passions, who can tell you that you’re not following your own goals in life just because you work for someone else’s company? For whatever reason, working a nine to five has become associated with a lack of freedom. But what the individuals who preach this ideology don’t realise, is that company-employee relationships are a two-way street. And you should be getting just as much out of your role as the company is. If you’re on the right path, a nine to five can be the most rewarding of experiences. A chance to master your craft and cultivate a specific skillset.
Ultimately, you are as limited in your pursuits as you perceive yourself to be. We all require a pinch of selfishness, the ability to choose ourselves — even when chasing the dream.