“Good hustle!” is a cheer most of us have been hearing—and internalizing—since we were children. And while it seems an appropriate way to encourage a child who played poorly but tried hard on the soccer field or basketball court, the idea we’ve all carried into adulthood that “hustle” is inherently good is a paradigm that bears examining.
This paradigm doesn’t just dominate our day-to-day working lives. Even on our vacations, we focus on the things we want to do, hustling from one adventure to the next, packing in as many unforgettable experiences as we can before we have to return to real life… and hustle some more.