Why Hustle Culture Has It Wrong (And How to Fix It)

Why Hustle Culture Has It Wrong (And How to Fix It)

Let’s be clear — there’s nothing wrong with hustling. Getting up early. Going after it. Putting in the work. That fire? That’s not the issue.

The problem is where that fire is coming from.

Most hustle is fueled by fear. By lack. By survival.

And I get it — I’ve lived it.

Coming from poverty, I know what it’s like to feel like you have to hustle just to breathe. Just to keep the lights on. Just to prove you’re not a failure.

But that’s the trap. That’s the curse.

See, when you hustle from fear, you might produce results — but you never produce peace. And without peace, it’s just motion… not progress.

Real power comes when you tap into the hustle mindset, but move from a foundation of abundance.

That’s not some new age affirmation — that’s ancient truth.

From the beginning, humanity operated from abundance. In Eden, there was no grind. No “rise and grind.” No to-do lists, 5 a.m. alarms, or side hustle stress.

There was clarity. Alignment. Provision.

The shift didn’t happen because we stopped working. The shift happened when we left alignment. When we moved from presence to panic. From walking in purpose to working in toil.

And that’s what most of hustle culture misses.

It’s not that ambition is bad.

It’s not that putting in work is wrong.

It’s that too many are hustling from insecurity, not identity.

And when you’re not rooted, you’ll hustle yourself straight into burnout — chasing freedom with chains on your mind.

For me, the shift happened when I started asking a better question:

“What does Yahweh have for me?”

Not, “How can I chase success?”

But, “What does success look like when I’m in alignment?”

That question changed everything.

Because when you build from abundance — when your hustle is strategic, not survival-based — you stop running from lack, and start building for legacy.

So no, hustle isn’t the problem.

But fear-fueled hustle? That’s the poison.

What we need is clarity-fueled execution. Kingdom-backed movement.

Work that flows from identity, not insecurity.

You don’t need more grind. You need more alignment.