Last fall I came across a video of Lady Gaga speaking at Yale, at something called the ‘Emotional Revolution’ Summit and it really resonated with me. (Go watch it here! No really, go! If nothing else, just watch this quick minute and a half clip.) To sum it up, she talked about having to make some tough decisions in her career to ultimately be happy. That being an ‘overworked money making machine’ wasn’t worth it. That she almost wanted to quit music because her creativity was taking such a backseat to everything else, much of which was not at all related to her passion, such as selling a signature perfume and all things focused on merely her image. That a person with true integrity doesn’t just blindly say yes to everything, especially when those things have nothing to do with who they really are and what they want to put out into the world. This sentiment really hit me.
(Quote: Paulo Coelho)
I used to think getting somewhere in your career and being successful meant you had to hustle your ass off nonstop. And, okay, partly it does. But I used to think hustling meant saying yes to everything. Like absolutely everything. But along the way I realized that what really matters and makes a difference is hustling for the things that you are passionate about. Hustling with heart. Not hustling just to hustle. Just to say you said yes. Just to say you did this and this. But, instead, investing your time and energy into things that count. Things that make sense for you. Things that are a good fit. I’ve learned it’s better to say no to those things that are not a good fit so you are not burning out on the things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Saying no doesn’t mean you are not hustling. It just means you are conserving your energy and creativity to whole heartedly hustle on what counts. Because at the end of the day when you’re exhausted and just want to become one with your couch, it’s going to be a good exhausted. An exhaustion you can feel good about because the things you worked hard for were true to who you are and where you want to go. I’m not saying the hustle isn’t necessary….because it very much IS! Hustle is a BIG part of success. But hustling with heart gets you much farther and leaves you far more fulfilled than hustling blindly though every little thing that lands in front of you.
