Hustle porn, a term coined by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is by it’s very nature a 21stcentury issue, one that I myself, as the creator of The Self-Care Enthusiast, feel strongly compelled to comment on. Imagine the knights, blacksmiths or scribes of the Middle Ages being bombarded with messages to forfeit sleep, food and companionship in order to “succeed”. It sounds silly right? All of those things are clearly essential to our individual success, as well as the overall success of the human race.
The word porn when related to any subject inherently brings with it the sense that the subject is being dramatized. What is being watched on screen is portrayed as something greater than it’s real life counterpart. Whether it is sexual, food, gaming, or hustling, the content created paints a satisfying image. Scrolling through Instagram you’ll see images of food perfectly displayed, put together for the sole purpose of being aesthetically pleasing. You then try to make that same recipe at home, you place it on the plate exactly like the picture, only to your naked eye they look nothing similar. In reality we don’t have Photoshop or filters, we just make the food to fuel our bodies and eat it. This is exactly what is happening in the entrepreneur community. Content is being created that glorifies workaholism and fails to acknowledge our basic needs or mental health.
Hard work is necessary to achieve your goals, dreams and desires; I’m not going to say otherwise. What isn’t necessary is being so tired that you run on endless streams of caffeine, and the work you’re trying so hard to produce becomes second-class. Sometimes pulling an all-nighter to achieve something short term might be beneficial, but weeks or months of continuous sleep deprivation will inevitably lead to a crash. Perhaps, you think it might be worth it after you finally get what you want. When it’s all over and your dream has been realized but your relationships have gone unattended to, and your friend-list has dwindled, will it still be worth it?
In an open letter to Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington wrote of Elon’s 120-hour workweeks. She writes that people are not machines. That for machines downtime is a bug; for humans downtime is a feature. The goal of each entrepreneur should be, to be healthy and because of that health, be able to make clear, concise, and productive decisions. Serious effort should be put into fostering relationships and watching them grow, providing benefit to both the business and one’s personal life.
No one’s perfect. I myself have spent sleepless nights working and days on end neglecting the people around me for the sake of a story, a book, and the next big break. I too have put my career ahead of my friends and family, ahead of my own health and have felt the consequences. I have worked 100-hour workweeks, becoming zombie like, moving aimlessly from one task to another. Gary Vaynerchuk, the co-founder of VaynerMedia is one entrepreneur who talks about getting adequate rest. He talks of doing what is right for you, taking care of yourself, working hard and having patience. His views and straightforward attitude are refreshing.
What can we learn from all of this? Each individual is different and most importantly human. In order to function at optimal levels we need to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Hard work is extremely important but it’s not worth risking your health over. Be aware, take care of yourself and keep in touch with those around you. Hustle porn is just as dramatized as actual porn, and once you see the difference it will change the way you think, work and live.
