🔄 Why Hustle Culture Doesn’t Work for the Persistently Curious
For years, I believed I was failing at consistency. I'd start with clear goals, structured routines, and all the right intentions.
But eventually, something would shift—my energy, interest, and priorities—and my regular rhythm would fall apart.
In hustle culture, falling out of rhythm can make you feel like you're falling behind. Like you're not doing enough, fast enough, especially when everyone else seems to be moving in straight lines while you're circling back, figuring things out as you go.
We're told success comes from showing up every day, sticking to the schedule, pushing through no matter what.
But that model was built for a kind of linear focus that I don't have—not because I'm lazy or uncommitted, but because my mind doesn't work that way.
My thoughts are like wildfires. I can be intensely focused one moment and scattered the next. Ideas come in waves, not timelines.
I experience the world through inner chaos, and trying to force that into a tight, predictable structure burns me out.
But here's what I've come to realize:
I may not be consistent, but I'm incredibly persistent.
I return,
I reflect,
I regroup,
I rework things until they make sense to me.
I never stop trying, even when it looks messy from the outside.
And that persistence? It's powerful.
It just doesn't fit into a hustle culture mold.
🕊️ Where Hustle Demands Repetition, Persistence Offers Grace
Hustle culture defines consistency as relentless, repeatable action—early mornings, showing up every day, constant output. But that version of consistency assumes your energy, motivation, and circumstances are always stable.
But that’s not how real life works—especially for those of us who are curious, creative, experimental, or wired a little differently.
Persistence is the antidote.
🔙 Persistence Doesn't Need To Be A Perfect Record
It just needs you to come back
when your rhythm breaks,
when burnout hits,
when you've paused for a week, a month, or longer.
Persistence says: You're still in it.
You're still growing—even if your path doesn't look like someone else's highlight reel.
Hustle culture demands repetition. But persistence? It honors the return—no matter how messy, late, or unconventional that return looks.
So maybe the goal isn't to beat ourselves into traditional consistency but to build a rhythm around our persistence—one that flexes with who we are and how we operate.
Because we may take the scenic route,
but we haven't stopped walking.
Thanks for reading and listening!
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Until then,
I’ll see you next time,
- Mili