Debunking Hustle Culture Mania

Can success be achieved without constant hustle and grind? We think so! Discover why working smarter, not harder, could be your key to a balanced and fulfilling life. Join Michelle as she debunks the myth that endless hustle is the ONLY path to success. We'll delve into the hidden costs of the grind culture and explore how practices like meditation, visualization, and affirmations can rewire your brain for peak performance. Plus, we'll uncover the overlooked power of rest and downtime, essential for maintaining high productivity and cognitive function. Tune in to challenge the hustle culture and embrace a more balanced approach to success.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to the Live your Extraordinary Life podcast, the show where we delve deep into all things personal development, transformation and leadership. I'm your host, michelle Rios, and today we're talking about a common misconception the idea that hustle and grind are the sole pathways to success. Now you might be wondering okay, michelle, but what about those who seem to thrive in the hustle, those who, at least on paper, are undeniably successful? It's a valid point. There's no denying that many individuals have achieved remarkable success climbing the corporate ladder or building businesses through hustle and grind, me included. But does this mean that hustle and grind are the ultimate keys to success? Not necessarily. While it's true, hard work is a critical component, we all know that it's only part of the equation. You know, success is influenced by many factors, and this includes mindset, strategy and alignment. So I just want you to think for a moment. How many high achievers have you known, or do you know now, who are perpetually stressed, exhausted and unfulfilled? Exhausted and unfulfilled? You may be one of them. In fact, I know I certainly was. What do high achievers all have right? The trappings of success, the corner office, the fancy title and six figure salary, but oftentimes, deep down, they're yearning for something more. So this begs the question what does success truly mean? Is it simply a matter of reaching the top, or is there something more profound at play? And I know that you already know that I believe it's the latter.

Speaker 1: 1:56

True success isn't just about the external accolades and achievements, although those are nice. It's about fulfillment and purpose and alignment with our deepest values. So while some individuals may achieve success through the sheer will of hustle and grind, they often do so at a cost, sacrificing their health, relationships and their overall wellbeing in the process. We've all seen it, you may have even experienced it. So what if there was another way? What if success didn't have to come at the expense of our sanity and happiness? And I think this is where energetics and alignment come into play. When we align our actions with our core values and we start to tap into the flow of energy that surrounds us, we can achieve success with greater ease and fulfillment. And that brings us to the idea that it's not about working harder and grinding more. It really is about working smarter.

Speaker 1: 3:03

I'm sure you've all heard of the concept of neuroplasticity, but just in case you haven't, this is about rewiring our brains. Neuroplasticity specifically refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, and this means that our brains can actually change and adapt in response to new experiences, learning and even our thoughts. So how do we harness the power of neuroplasticity, of rewiring our brains? Well, there are some practices that you can use, such as meditation, visualization and affirmations, that actually do increase neuroplasticity. In fact, meditation has been shown to increase gray matter in the brain, particularly those areas that are associated with memory, sense of self empathy and stress management all necessary ingredients to success. Visualization, on the other hand, helps to create that mental image of achieving a specific goal, which can actually stimulate the same brain regions as when you're actually performing the task. You've probably seen this or heard it discussed in reference to professional athletes, where they'll actually envision the play on the field or on the court before they actually do it, and that allows them to get into more of a flow state when they do. And then, lastly, affirmations are very powerful. They work by repeatedly sending positive messages to our subconscious. So when we repeat our affirmations, we're really helping to shift our mindset and reinforce new beliefs. So that really brings me to a topic that's near and dear to my heart, and that is rest and downtime. It's near and dear to my heart because for so many years I got so little of it and I didn't realize how much it impacted my cognitive ability, but it did.

Speaker 1: 5:11

It's easy to overlook rest and downtime as being important in our pursuit of success, particularly when we're getting messages over and over again about hustle and grind. That's the culture, right, but the science is clear. Rest is crucial to peak performance. According to research published in the Health Psychology Review, chronic stress and lack of sleep can lead to cognitive decline, reduced productivity and burnout. Not great for success, right. Another study shows that employees who regularly took breaks or vacations report higher job satisfaction and are actually more productive overall. Not surprising, right, you need to recharge, but sleep plays a vital role in our cognitive functions, including memory, problem solving and creative thinking. So when we hustle and grind to the point of exhaustion and we don't get adequate rest, we really are decreasing our brain's ability to function at its best. This isn't just about avoiding burnout, it really is about optimizing our brain's ability to function. So rest and downtime are essential. They really do help foster creativity and innovation, because when we give our brains a break, we allow our subconscious mind to better process, information which allows us to generate new ideas.

Speaker 1: 6:47

Studies have shown that periods of rest and relaxation can also lead to increased creative output and problem solving. I mean, not surprising. This really ties into the concept of flow, that state where you can get fully immersed and engaged in an activity, and it often leads to peak performance and creativity. You don't even know where time is going right. You're like in that groove, in that state of being. But achieving flow state requires a balance between both challenge and skill and it requires adequate rest. Research shows that regular breaks and downtime are essential for both entering and maintaining a flow state.

Speaker 1: 7:35

So how can we better integrate this wisdom into our lives? And I think it starts with a shift in mindset. We need to have a willingness overall, all of us as a society, to challenge the status quo of hustle and grind culture and start to embrace a more holistic approach to success. Instead of glorifying hustle, why don't we celebrate balance and well-being and alignment? We need to better prioritize self-care, rest and rejuvenation, not just to the well-being of the individual, which we should care about, but also because those have been proven to increase the ability of the brain to function at optimal level, which means better ideas, more creativity. So incorporating practices like meditation, visualization and affirmations to rewire your brain are important ways to start this process. These techniques can really help create these neuropathways that support goal making and enhance your overall well-being and lead to better success.

Speaker 1: 8:48

I also think it's about leading with authenticity, because we need to recognize that true leadership is about inspiration. Right, it's about redefining success on your own terms. It's about being true to yourself, not based on society's narrow definition of reaching the top, but realizing we need to be marrying our goals and marrying our aspirations with our values and our sense of self, and be in alignment with that. Otherwise, we're going to be pursuing success for success sake, at the risk of burnout and at the risk of our relationships and our overall well-being, and that sort of defeats the purpose. So, as we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with a challenge. Start to question the narrative around hustle and grind as being the only pathways to success, hustle and grind as being the only pathways to success. Start to embrace a more holistic approach yourself. Maybe allow yourself more breaks when you're working on a big project or you're focused on a goal.

Speaker 1: 10:03

I recently had to do this myself. I was finding myself quickly falling into a hustle and grind mentality in order to meet some deadlines, and I found myself not taking breaks, not walking away and just stretching and exercising sufficiently. And then I took a couple of days off and, lo and behold, I came back refreshed better ideas, more flow, state, and, let me tell you, the finished product was much better. So I want to thank you for joining me on today's episode. So I want to thank you for joining me on today's episode. If you found it insightful, will you do me a favor? Share this episode with someone who needs to get this message. Hustle and grind are not the only way. Hard work, of course, but start to think about working smarter meditation, affirmations, visualization and, of course, adequate rest as being essential to our overall success. Thank you again for joining and until next time, live your extraordinary life.