#1318 – Hustle

Hustle.

Over the past 18 months to two years, I would say that hustle has been one of the buzziest buzzwords on the Internet. Everyone, from authors to rappers to entrepreneurs, has been talking about their hustle. Hustle is no longer just a verb, but it’s also our work ethic; we compare our hustle to that of others.

Over the past six months I’ve thought a lot about my own personal hustle. One of my favorite authors, Jon Acuff, uses the word a lot. He turned his personal blog into a career of writing and speaking; I pretty much quit my job as a youth pastor to pursue the same dream. So when I’m still fixing computers six months after quitting, I sometimes wonder if I’m not hustling enough.

Could I spend more time writing my blog posts?

Could I spend more time planning and perfecting our podcast?

Could I spend more time promoting myself as a speaker?

Yes.

Yes.

And yes.

However time is a limited resource. If I spent more time writing, podcasting and promoting, then I would necessarily have to take time from another activity. At this point in my life I don’t have a lot of margin. I wake up at 5:30 to spend time with Jesus and go running. I leave home at 8:00 for work and get home at 6:00. Alycia and I have dinner, we spend a little time together and I try to write something before going to bed by 10:00.

At what point do we have to sacrifice too much for our hustle?

I don’t think I’ve sacrificed too much for my hustle yet. Alycia and I still have time together, we hang out a lot on the weekends and we’ve been doing a lot getting ready for the baby. But it would be really easy to justify sacrificing time with Alycia in order to hustle more.

Why wouldn’t I give up time with my family in order to hustle more?

Isn’t achieving my dream good for my family?

Can’t I trade some time now for some time later when I’m done hustling?

Most of the people I respect who use the word hustle hold it in proper perspective. Based upon what I can see from social media, Jon Acuff doesn’t let his hustle get in the way of what’s most important. I’ve got friends who are successful and advancing in their careers, but understand the importance of faith, family and friends. I want to achieve my dreams and goals, but not at the expense of the blessings God has already given me.

So we should hustle, especially for those dreams that God has placed on our hearts. We can’t get lost in our hustle, though, and lose sight of those things that really matter.

How do you hustle?