Love the “harvest” as much as the “hustle”
It’s that time of year again! You can’t look at a menu without seeing some “pumpkin spice” featured item, and the grocery stores have been flooded with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers, which are supposed to last in my pantry until Halloween… yeah right! And yet, amidst the autumnal festivities, on the first day of fall I woke up feeling like I was made of lead.
Confession time! Physically and creatively I was completely burnt out. For several months, I’d been running on autopilot, chugging a pot of coffee each morning and convincing myself to put on my “entrepreneur game face” to crank out my work. Even though I promised myself I wouldn’t, I kept taking on projects that I wasn’t particularly inspired by—the kind of underpaid and repetitive tasks that prevented me from being able to begin new branding or web design projects where my creativity and strategic side could really shine. And yet there I was. I didn’t know how to say no because I felt like I needed to take on as much work as possible to grow my business and stay afloat.
But after watching my business plateau, I had to be brutally honest with myself. Was the hustle—the grueling pace I’d been forcing—actually helping me? Not only was my business NOT growing in the direction I wanted it to, but I wasn’t feeling happy, inspired, or free to live the life I wanted, which was why I had started my business in the first place. So what the heck was it all for?
A poem from Yung Pueblo’s book, Inward, with the Colorado fall colors in the background.
I had entered into the uncomfortable season of change in my personal and professional life where I finally had to confront how weighed down and stuck I’d been for too long. I knew that the only way I was going to move through this was by accepting what I was feeling and working to let go of what was no longer serving me.
I had some tough decisions to make. I decided that I needed to step away from a few of my clients—many of whom I loved dearly and didn’t want to leave, but I recognized I was not being of service in the way my heart was calling me to be. I accepted it would be a slimmer month financially, but instead of desperately searching for new clients from a place of fear, I convinced myself to hold off for just two weeks to really evaluate what was working and what wasn't. It was surprisingly painful to slow down and hit pause in a society that tells us to be faster, louder, bigger, MORE. But by creating that space and time for myself, I realized that I hadn’t actually been living the life I wanted. For the first time in a long time, I could hear my intuition speaking to me now that the roar of the hustle had momentarily subsided.
The toxic '“hustle”
I’m sure you’ve heard the mantra of the “entrepreneurial hustle” before. We are constantly bombarded with stories of “the grind” on social media, and we glorify those seemingly successful entrepreneurs who neglect sleep and make extreme personal sacrifices to conquer every obstacle to get to where they want to be. We are basically taught that to be “successful” you just have to push through—even if it kills you. And sure, I guess that is one way to do it.
But if we are making the choice to do this work because we have an idea that we feel called to bring to life, do we really want it to exist at the expense of our own mental and physical health? Or do we want it to prosper in an environment that encourages growth and collective healing—for ourselves and others? Yes, the hustle does have value since we need to be persistent in order to keep moving forward when times get tough… but we also need to be patient.
Embrace all the seasons of your life
As we enter into the literal season of fall, I’m inviting you to look to nature as inspiration. She is our greatest teacher after all. If you are feeling drained, perhaps it’s time to take stock of what’s working and what’s not working in your own life. Are there certain beliefs about yourself or where you “should” be that are weighing you down? Can you look to these periods of burn out not as failures, but as opportunities for learning and deeper levels of growth? By giving the events in your life meanings that are empowering rather than pointing out your self-perceived flaws, you are able to make yourself the hero of your own story.
This is particularly important if you regularly compare yourself to other so-called successful entrepreneurs. You will always find a way to fall short by someone else’s measures. Have you considered that these successful business owners may have been building their “empire” for decades already? In the age of social media we are only seeing the highlight reels and the big wins. We don’t see when Marie Forleo is having a full blown existential crisis. We don’t see the days when Oprah Winfrey can hardly get out of bed, let alone think about inspiring millions. Building a business takes time. It takes a lot of trial and error, and it takes a hell of a lot of courage to even take that first step of deciding to bring forth the idea in your beautiful brain that’s been waiting to come to fruition.
However, pushing through and trying to move at the same pace 24/7 is simply not sustainable. When we only appreciate beginnings and periods of growth but fail to see the value in endings and periods of rest, we are setting ourselves up for frustration. This narrow approach ignores the reality that the only constant in this world is change—and, much to our dismay, that includes our energy levels.
As entrepreneurs, we have to learn to honor the seasons as they come so that we can ride out both the highs and the lows. Sometimes that means barely hanging on by a thread, at which point it’s essential we hang on to a thread that promotes healing—like self-care or our real values—not this idea of fame or success, which will only lead to comparison. We have to stop attaching our self-worth as entrepreneurs to the success of our business. There are so many factors out of our control (cough cough… global pandemic, anyone?). Instead, can we respect our natural energetic cycles and enter into the flow of our lives without resistance? Just like the seasons, sometimes we are ready to thrive and blossom, and other times we need to slow down, rest, and shed what’s no longer serving us to make it through the winter—I know… a scary thought for an entrepreneurial culture that values profit over wellbeing.
Enjoy the “harvest”
But what if instead of the idea that profit equals progress, we saw progress as sustainable growth and authenticity—a life well-lived and enjoyed thoroughly? Let’s take a moment to cultivate what we’ve already grown, allowing ourselves to recharge and redirecting our focus toward gratitude. An oak tree continues to grow taller and wider each year even though it sheds its leaves in the fall and goes dormant to endure the winter. This conservation of energy is critical for its overall growth since these periods of rest allow it to enter into spring in full bloom with all its energy.
If you feel like you may be entering into this season like me, here are a few gentle reminders:
1. Slow down
I’m talking physically, mentally, and spiritually. Make time in your day to pause and reflect on where you are in life. Prioritize rest if your body is calling for rest and honor the change in pace instead of resenting it. Give yourself permission to truly relax in order to reap the full benefits of this rest. (That means not beating yourself up if you don’t do as much as you feel you should! Be intentional about it. If your to-do list says “read a book and chill” then you can feel like you’ve accomplished everything you needed to that day with no guilt.)
2. Let go of what’s no longer serving you
Get honest with yourself. What do you need to let go of in your life? This could be a belief, an assumption, an expectation, a person, a situation, an object, a memory, a habit, or a goal that no longer feels right for you. Take time to pause and reflect on where you are in life. Really check in with your values and the vision you have for yourself.
Sometimes something that used to be helpful might no longer be serving you in the same way it once did. While creating this new space in your life can feel uncomfortable (almost like you are killing off or saying goodbye to an old version of yourself), it can allow you to get back in touch with the inspiration, innovation, and truth within yourself.
3. Harvest what you’ve already grown
Yes, it’s true that the hustle can be valuable and even essential at times. Sometimes there are periods where you feel like you are on fire—where your rapid expansion is illuminating your path and paving the way for others. But sometimes this light burns low and we need to conserve our fuel to make it through the winter. In these seasons of change, instead of hustling more or pushing through with blind determination, listen to your body and the environment around you. Sometimes we must endure rather than thrive and there is still beauty in that. Listen to your inner wisdom, and in getting quiet, you’ll be able to uncover all that you’ve already cultivated.
Take a moment to list out what you’ve accomplished this year and everything that you’re grateful for. Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned, the insights you’ve gained, and the relationships you’ve built throughout the previous seasons. You have so much wisdom within you that is just waiting to be harvested. If only we could remember to quiet the incessant need our society places on us to produce and imitate. Look within instead of looking at others who seem to have it all together because this silence is where true innovation and inspiration is born.
What if we could learn to love the “harvest” just as much as the “hustle”?
