The Anti-Hustle Culture

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Hey bud,

Most people feel tired and burnt out.

They work over 8 hours a day and dread having to do it all over again tomorrow.

Society says this is normal.

They unconsciously say to work until you’ve sacrificed your physical and mental health for a job you don’t even enjoy doing just so that you can make a living in current society.

And they’ve convinced you that you have no choice but to conform. That we should get used to this experience because that’s how a functioning member of society works.

Welcome to modern day hustle culture.

If you’ve been around the internet the past 5 years, then you’ve seen it.

Where the message of overwork is glorified.

You’re sold an idea of a dream life where a big house, fancy cars, and luxury travel are your (eventual) rewards for burnout.

The question is, are those really what you want? Or are they just goals that have been assigned to you because you haven’t dared dream for yourself?

Now, there’s nothing wrong with these things if they’re what you truly want, but most people just want a simple life.

A life where they aren’t pressured to chase after things that ultimately don’t matter all that much to them.

Whether you want the idea of a dream life or a simple life, there are two ways you can go about it.

You can either get to the destination you want stressed, burnt out, and sleep deprived — or you can get there calm, grateful, and fulfilled with each step of your journey.

The first way seems to be the “Hustle Culture” path to getting there — where the price you pay for success is stress, anxiety, and your health.

The second way is an idea that I want to share with you in today’s letter from The Empowered Entrepreneur Journal.

It’s called Happy Hustle.

Let’s get into it.

What is Happy Hustle?

This is actually an idea that my wife introduced to me one evening.

After the holiday festivities, my wife and I decided to go out for a walk.

It was a pleasant evening outside and we walked hand-in-hand after a hearty dinner.

We were talking about a lot of different things and the conversation eventually went to what we wanted to do in 2024.

I mentioned to her that the theme of my 2024 will be all about working on my one-person business and my personal brand.

I was thinking aloud and I mentioned how grateful I am to start to pursue work that makes me happy.

She encapsulated it well in a few words as she smiled and told me: “It’s your Happy Hustle.”

When she said that it made me feel a bit emotional because looking back on my career — the first few years of work (while I enjoyed it) felt like my taste of “Hustle Culture.”

So, what is this “Happy Hustle?” and what’s it all about?

Well, in essence, it’s the antithesis of hustle culture.

If hustle culture is all about forcing yourself to work long and hard hours, happy hustle is about doing less things overall, but more of what brings you joy.

If hustle culture is all about dreading the mountain of work you have for the day — making time go by at a snail’s pace, happy hustle is about being so immersed in the fulfillment of your work that time fades away and nothing seems to matter in that moment.

If hustle culture is all about rigidity to the point where you feel trapped, happy hustle is about tapping into your creativity during your work resulting in a sense of freedom and fulfillment.

Happy hustle is all about creating work that helps and inspires not just you but people around you as well — think of people like Michaelangelo, Steve Jobs, and J.K. Rowling.

These people followed their passions and made a living from it (and not just made a living but became wildly successful).

Now, I hear what you’re thinking: “But Zach, ‘following your passion’ is poor career advice!”

It is if you’re looking at it from the lens of climbing the corporate ladder or if you’re pressuring yourself to find your passion right away which can cause you to feel stuck.

There are ways to prevent yourself from becoming a “starving artist” — and that is to learn the 5 evergreen skills of business, which I wrote about here.

Happy Hustle and The One-Person Business

The future of work is play.

Humanity is in a period where you can actually create your own career.

I’m talking about modern day entrepreneurship.

In the old days, for you to start and scale a business, it was essential to have leverage in the form of money (capital) and people (labor).

You needed to invest a big amount of money and hire a handful of employees for you to even just start.

Now you can start a business with very low capital, an internet connection, and your smartphone because you have access to code and media.

Things are different now because these 2 new forms of leverage made available by the internet.

Code and media allow people like me to build a following online and share what I learn from my unique curiosities and interests (personal development, productivity, the one-person business).

Code and media allow people like me to write these newsletters and send them to over 100+ people each week.

In the old days (maybe 100 years ago), if I wanted to do this, I’d have to handwrite 100+ letters every week, mail it at the post office, and my readers receive my letters after a couple of months.

Humanity has come a long way in a short period of time.

Code and media allow people like me to attract potential clients through my personal brand and online presence.

And this is work that I truly enjoy doing. In fact, I’m writing this portion of my letter on a Saturday morning at 5:30am, while sitting on the toilet (too much info?)

And it feels like play to me. Creative play.

If I didn’t enjoy this kind of work, I’d be sleeping in right now dreading the work I have to accomplish.

Instead, I wake up early each morning excited to work on the different parts of my business (I have the most creative juices first thing in the morning).

And the reason I’m sharing this with you is because I believe that more and more people ought to see this one-person business as a viable career and business path — and a way to find their happy hustle.

With these letters and with what I build online, I strive to document this journey and one day help others build their own happy hustles.

I look forward to a time in the future where there will be more people happy and fulfilled with their work while enjoying the perks of time freedom, location freedom, and financial freedom because of this one-person business model.

And it is indeed a happy hustle because it’s working on what you enjoy, and it’s working on what lights up your soul.

In Conclusion

There are many paths to getting to the destination you’re working towards (and no path is right or wrong).

The two ways I went over in this letter (Hustle Culture and Happy Hustle) are the black and white of things. But of course there are in-betweens and combinations.

Each person’s journey is unique and I’ve always believed that.

Each person’s journey also shapes who they are.

True happiness and fulfillment come about through a person’s growth and transformation.

And the goals we set and the journey we take are just vessels for that transformation.

Growth and transformation can happen through pain and suffering but it can also happen through joy and fulfillment.

Whichever path you take to reach those goals, at the end of the day, is your choice.

And as long as you are happy and at peace with that choice, then I believe that’s the right one for you, personally.

All the love,
All the power,

— Zach Marañon

P.S. Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways that I can be of help to you:

1. Follow me on Instagram here if you want a source of bite-sized ideas and content that can help you reach your next level in life.

2. Book a free kick-off conversation for one-on-one coaching here if you are an entrepreneur or sales professional currently looking to create solutions to a problem or challenge in your life but you seem to be stuck.

3. Download my goal setting guide here if you are wanting to create clarity on your desired outcomes (I’ll soon convert this to a paid resource).

P.P.S. If you are from the Philippines and are looking for a personal mastery workshop to help you experience growth and transformation, check out Discovery by I Am Plus Coaching and Training Systems. It’s where my journey of self evolution personally got fast-tracked.