Ditching the Hustle and Embracing Grace
I’ve been running my own business since February 1st, 2015. Well—that’s the day I got my business license and tried to start figuring out what it meant to start and run a business. And boy, I was naive. Fortunately, I have been able to push through the hardships and allow myself grace through the process. But, it certainly hasn’t been easy. In fact, at first it was paralyzing.
In the beginning, I spent too much time feeling like I wasn’t doing enough, working hard enough, or producing enough. I felt like in order to be successful, I needed to hustle all the time, be super busy with a full inbox, long to-do list, and countless clients to attend to. So, without any of these things, my value started to decrease. I felt like a failure and my success was tied up in a number. The number of followers, emails, clients, sales, etc. Each day was dependent on the “success” of my business, so I was always vulnerable to the ebbing and flowing of shop sales and client inquiries. I thought that in order to be successful, I had to be busy. And boy was I wrong.
When I began to realize that my worth was all wrapped up in success, I knew something had to change. I wanted to create a reminder for myself, and that’s when I started #lesshustlemoregrace movement. I knew that there had to be another way to success without hustling. I knew that I needed to work hard and be productive, but the hustle didn’t need to be a part of that. I truly believe the “hustle” is a mindset, and that hurried, busy mindset was making me crazy. I never felt enough. I never felt like I could reach the mark. I never felt busy enough. So, I ditched the hustle and decided to stick with grace instead.
In order to ditch the hustle and embrace more grace in my life as a woman and a business owner, I follow three simple practices:
1. Choose to intentionally encourage and cheer for others on social media. This helps me to let go of comparison and let go of my own insecurities. In addition, I am able to encourage and empower someone else at the same time! This helps take the focus off my perceived shortcomings and puts it on the accomplishment of someone else.
2. I put less on my daily to-do list. I started a new practice of having multiple to-do lists. I have a master to-do list of all the things that need to get accomplished in the next 4-6 months, a list for the current week, and a daily list. When I started doing this, I was able to focus more on what was in front of me for that specific day. So, instead of starting each day with a list of 12 items, I start each day with a list of 4-5. It helps me to feel less hustled, and also leaves me feeling accomplished at the end of the day. A shorter list gives me grace to take a nap if I need to, or empty the dishwasher without feeling guilty or rushed. At the end of the week, I typically accomplish more since I am focused on the task at hand and not wasting mental energy on the massive list of items to complete.
3. Remind yourself that you are worthy and valuable each and every day. This is hard to do on a regular basis, but it is something that we must do! Did you know that the only voice your subconscious trusts is your own voice? This means that I could tell you all day, every day that you are beautiful and enough. But your subconscious wouldn’t believe me. The only way you can retrain your brain to believe the truth is by verbally telling yourself. That’s why whenever I have a low moment, I stop and say “You are strong, beautiful, bold, and brave.” I challenge you to verbally remind yourself of the truths about you and see what happens! You ARE enough, and nothing you do or don’t do will ever change that.
When we start to find our worth in success, achievements, our kids, etc. we are bound to live in an unstable state. When something goes wrong, or a client is disappointed, or a product launch fails, our worth and value plummets. But, if you are able to remember that you are enough and worthy regardless of what you achieve or do, you are able to move past hardships was ease and grace. You know that you are able to overcome and that one mistake doesn’t mean you are a failure. It means you are human and you messed up. Just like me. And everyone else. You’re in good company, friend.
Ditch the hustle and embrace grace! You’ll be glad you did. Promise.