Can we stop with all the "hustling" please?

I have a friend who is more than a decade younger than me. She's young, lived in East Tennessee her whole life and I don't understand most of her nostalgia because when she was in high school I was turning 30. You'd think our relationship would be me sharing my life wisdom with her. Instead, she's basically my spiritual guide. She just... gets it, you know? She is the prime example of why you can't judge a person by external factors and most importantly age. She's an effing sage at 28. 

Last week she posted something and replaced "hustle" with "align" and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm done ya'll. I've had it with water bottles, marketing books, workout clothing, and freaking Instagram posts that remind me that I need to "rise and grind" and that it's all about the "hustle".

And not just as a business owner. Apparently as a mom I need to say, "I don't have a 9-5. I have a 'when I open my eyes to when I close my eyes'." And since I lift weights I need to "Wake up beauty, it's time to BEAST." It's too aggressive, too rigid, and too likely to lead me to burn out and then burn it all down because I can't keep up the "hustle" and I feel like a failure. 

Balance is something we hear a lot, especially as women, but I think it can be problematic. Balance assumes that everything in our lives will be equal, and that's just not possible. I can't always give equal time of my day to work, family and myself. Some days it's 90% work and 10% family. Other days it's 100% family. It's about harmony and being honest about the fact that our focus needs to shift from week to week. 

I'm not suggesting we spend all day reading Eat, Pray, Love while soaking in a tub with an overpriced unicorn bath bomb. Get up and do the damn thing! Work hard, push yourself out of your comfort zone and fight for your dreams. But darling, don't forget to nourish your body, drink water, call your best friend, take a walk, take a nap, have a long conversation with a stranger for no reason other than it feels good. 

Carve out moments of joy and pleasure while you work hard. Those moments will sustain you when challenges and setbacks come your way. Your bravery at rejecting bullshit expectations won't go unnoticed, and you may inspire others to seek out harmony in their own life. You are so much more than your daily output friends, and I love being on this journey with you. xo