Hustle culture is the ‘go hard or go home’’ mentality, selling millions of books, motivational conferences and sports products. In the world of sports, the temptation to buy into the hustle culture is almost undeniable.
Hustle culture existed within sports long before it was popularised in the world of business. A hustling mindset is so strongly illustrated by high-performance athletes, due to their apparent willingness to relentlessly work towards their goals.
As a society, we have become obsessed with unpicking athletes, such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Richie McCaw. We want to know if we can replicate even just one aspect of high-achieving athletes’ routines to improve our own performance. For underdog athletes, the only way to overcome their competition is often perceived to be, to out-train them.
Hard work or toxic
Sayings such as “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard” by Tim Notke, keep the fires lit within athletes, as they grow tired of adhering to rigorous routines. The challenge for athletes and coaches is being able to distinguish, where the hard work ethic ends and the toxic obsession begins.
Hustling turns toxic when an athlete loses sight of what ultimately matters. Becoming so routined they push away their support structures and struggle forward exhausting themselves. Athletes risk being consumed by the warped belief that the only way to accomplish their goals, is through placing all the pressure to perform solely on themselves.
Interestingly, the word hustle as defined by the Oxford dictionary varies from ‘roughly pushing, pushing one way and obtaining something by forceful action or fraud’. Unveiling hustle culture's deeper meaning diminishes the bright illusive Instagram advertisement, telling you to hustle through this life.
Individuals
The overarching problem with hustle culture is the hyper focus and pressure it places on the individual. The promotion of the notion that to succeed you must sacrifice it all, neglect relationships, refuse to take rest days and constantly analyze your progress in comparison to others, robs athletes of experiencing life beyond the sport.
Unfortunately, as a society, we glorify this type of behaviour. We place such an immense value on podiums and ignorantly accept extreme sacrifice as the means of obtaining them.
Of course, in order to excel in anything, there is some level of sacrifice required. However, the question we need to continue to ask is how much sacrifice is too much. Is it really worth standing at the start line, sick to your stomach because you are so afraid of failing because you sacrificed so much to be there?
The identity crisis that inevitably ensues when an athlete who has been hustling does not attain their goal is heartbreaking.
Burnout
Burnout from chronic stress induced by hustling steals the joy from every achievement. Getting burned out is often the only experience that opens an athlete's eyes to the problematic attitude they were holding toward their training. Severe burnout can often result in athletes not returning to the sport they once loved and lived for.
So how can we avoid burnout and still strive toward our sporting dreams using the wonderful athletic gift God has given us? Knowing your ability to compete is a gift is the first step to a sustainable headspace because you are acknowledging that you are not competing in your own strength but that God has blessed you with an ability.
Resting
In Colossians chapter 3, verses 23 to 24, we are told to work hard at all that we do as if we were working for God not man. If God who created the heavens and earth rested on the 7th day, then we mere human beings also need to accept that it is good to rest.
Resting is not the unproductive activity hustling culture wants you to believe it is. It is an opportunity to reset and reconnect with God and the world around you. Our bodies are designed to heal and grow stronger when resting.
Genesis chapter 2, verse 18 also provides us with the assurance that we were not created to walk through this life alone. God created Adam but acknowledged it was not good for Adam to be alone. He recognised that Adam needed support and created Eve.
Athletes need support, especially Christian athletes who are often competing in environments that can encourage worldly behaviours we are called to refrain from. A good support system will help prevent a burnout spiral and keep life in perspective through celebrating and commiserating all the highs and lows of high-performance life.