There's this culture that seems to be growing (in America, at least) and it's equal parts admirable and irritating. It's the hustle culture. Now, don't get me wrong- I'm a big fan of passion (hey, I started a whole podcast devoted to the topic: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/thegaudyinsights) but there's a point where it went from touting hard work and focus to shaming people for living their lives. I keep seeing these social media posts chiding people for going to parties- not because of COVID prevention, but because that money someone is spending on a martini could be spent on buying stocks. Er...a stock, I guess. Or maybe a fraction of one.
Bought some shoes a few months ago? Shame on you- you could have started a business with that $250.00. Did you buy a bunch of gifts for people during the holidays? Why didn't you take that money and get an LLC? And on and on and on it goes, until it seems like instead of encouraging people to live an uncommon lifestyle- maybe holding off on buying consumer goods and instead investing in themselves or a business- it's more a series of discouraging shame posts...some of them ridiculous. Yes, you can buy a wallet and still get a passport. You can buy a handbag and still retire early. Everyone just has to be smart with their money and follow their own path.
And those posts saying that if you didn't hustle hard or succeed in 2020, then "it's just not in you?" Come on. We had a whole pandemic start in 2020 (one that we are still in the midst of, by the way) so maybe everyone's focus wasn't on starting an e-commerce empire. Some people in 2020 found a space to create, to sell, to reinvent themselves, etc. Some people didn't. Either way, it's okay. We should celebrate that we're still here.
And to be clear, the hustle itself isn't a bad thing- entrepreneurs, artists, designers, and others have been hustling for eons. But in my opinion, the hustle should never feel obligatory. And we shouldn't beat ourselves up because we bought avocado toast last week instead of spending the time and money building a better widget or whatever....
Ok, I'll climb down off my soapbox.
Oh, by the way, I'm selling some metal wallets that I bought wholesale if anyone's interested. J/K...J/K.............Unless you wanna buy one.
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