Things were very different around these parts when I started this blog in 2012.
Back then, I swore by the motto, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” and proudly used the phrase “Get Gutsy” to describe not only the blog, but also my overall outlook on life.
I used the hashtag #GetGutsy on all of my social media posts, hosted an annual Get Gutsy essay contest and even ran a successful course called 30 Days of Gutsy.
It was a pretty solid brand, if I do say so myself. (Pats self on back.)
But over the years, something changed. I changed.
And I wasn’t the only one who changed — the culture around the hustle, stepping outside your comfort zone and “getting gutsy” started to shift.
The glorification of the hustle (I’m calling myself out!)
I used to be all about the hustle.
Entrepreneurs, influencers and bloggers (myself included — guilty!) used the phrase constantly on social media and in blog content.
Hustle. Grind. Work harder. Do more. Get shit done.
A few years back, it suddenly seemed like everyone was talking about the importance of the hustle.
And I certainly played right into it. Before I quit my job to start JL&Co, I glorified my busy schedule. I bragged about how tired I was because I woke up every day at 5 a.m. to work on my side hustle before heading to my full-time job. I thought that because I was working around the clock, I was proving myself worthy of becoming a business owner.
A brief look at my Instagram feed from 2015 reveals a series of posts all about hustling, including one with a caption simply stating: “Respect the hustle.”
*Facepalm* (I’m truly embarrassed).
I eagerly followed other entrepreneurs hustling equally, if not harder, than I was. I consumed so much content about hustling, building a business and making money.
For awhile, I found it motivating. Until it started to feel kind of crappy. I loved the hustle.
Until I didn’t.
Because as it turns out, I was totally wrong.
Something began to shift
It took me a few years to get there, but I finally woke up and asked myself: Why are you hustling so hard? What are you hustling for? Are you even happy?
And I realized I didn’t have many good answers to that question, and the truth is, I wasn’t totally happy. I was mostly just exhausted from lack of sleep. I was constantly spinning my wheels to do more.
So over the past few years, you may have noticed I’ve quietly retired the phrase “get gutsy” from my vocabulary (in fact, I sort of cringe when someone says it in reference to my old blog content or course).
And I made some real changes in my life — changes that didn’t always make those around me super happy.
I started saying no more. I stopped doing things the way I always did them just because. I began to delegate. I stepped away from leadership positions and reduced my yoga teaching to just once a week.
But these changes made a difference — because now I have the time and space to focus on what matters most to me, and even more importantly, what makes me happy.
The tides are turning
Luckily, I’m not alone in this shift in my thinking.
On a call with a friend the other week, we both remarked that the tides seem to be turning when it comes to the overall reputation of “the hustle.”
It’s going mainstream.
- In a piece for the New York Times, Erin Griffith wonders, “Why are young people pretending to love work?”
- In a Medium post, Angely Mercado writes, “Hustle culture sells a lie. Hustle culture tells us that relaxing is bad, that if it’s not making us money or reaching a goal, it’s a waste of time.”
- In this Forbes article, Celine Da Costa urges go-getters to stop idolizing hustle culture and find merit in stepping back to take a look at the bigger picture.
And that’s not all — I’ve seen countless tweets calling out those glorifying hustle culture and encouraging professionals to slow down.
The tides are turning.
More and more, we’re talking about important topics like mental health and self care. We’re prioritizing sleep, love and happiness.
We’re calling bullshit on hustle culture.
And personally? I’m here for it.
Goodbye to getting gutsy
And so, I say an official goodbye to “getting gutsy”, letting go of a lingering part of my brand that no longer serves me.
You’ll see the phrase in old, but still useful blog posts and you may catch a mention or two on other pages or in URLs on my site, but you won’t catch me actively “getting gutsy” anymore.
What you will see however is the same good stuff I’ve been giving you for the past couple of years — a much more balanced and healthy approach to being a go-getter.
Because guess what? You can still be a go-getter without hustling!
I still consider myself a go-getter.
I want my business, brand and blog to grow. I want to make more money. I want to be successful.
But I want to do it in a way that feels good on the inside and out.
And I still want to help you be a go-getter (if that’s what you choose!) and help you reach your goals because there’s definitely value in that.
