For years now, I have seen hustle-culture being glorified, and it frustrates me. The idea of earning respect by overworking yourself isn’t healthy. It just isn’t. As a small business owner, I fully understand the word hustle. I grind daily. But as human beings, we have limits, so I suggest that we must be intentional with how we hustle.

I like to think about it in running terms. Hustle culture would have you believe that you can sprint forever. But that isn’t possible. At some point, your legs are simply going to give out and hurl you face-first into the ground. Intentional hustle, on the other hand, is like doing a 100-yard dash a few times. You have a goal, you meet it, and then you have a bit of time to rest and reset. The important thing here: it’s sustainable.