Hustle Is Important, But Not That Important

Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Photo Credit: Unsplash | whoislimos

Quick summary:

Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who was able to illustrate a simple order of human needs that could play a huge role in motivation, emotions, and decision-making behavior.

Basically, you need your physiological needs met first.

Like food and shelter.

Photo Credit: Simple Psychology

Then you need your social and emotional needs met, like family and friends.

Only after that can you go after other things like advancing your career or becoming your best self.

We fluctuate up and down the Pyramid of the Hierarchy of Needs throughout our lives so don’t be fooled into thinking once you’re up, you’re up for good.

Here’s how this relates to hustle, motivation, and your career:

It’s the same with your work ethic, your attitude, and your intentions.

To be “successful” in your own eyes, you need to work hard. That has to be the first part of the equation.

But after that, you need to get adequate rest and recovery.

After that, you can go after gains in performance and career.

After that, you can say “no” to opportunities and narrow your priorities.

A quick pause to focus on the punchline:

I’m sure this all makes sense but I want to be really clear about the process and the order in which all of this can happen.

Hustle first. Recover second. Compare your input to your output. Make any changes or improvements. Get back in the ring.

Not only do you need to figure out what works for you, but you also need to figure out what works for you right now.

I’ve found that a lot of advice is delivered in words slightly different from “here are the 8 numbers I used to win the lottery” and won’t apply to you, your industry, your decade, your team, or your circumstance.

That doesn’t mean don’t try.

It means you need to try more.

Hustle first. Recover second. Compare your input to your output. Make any changes or improvements. Get back in the ring.

2 Minute Action

Where are you in the hierarchy of needs?

Do you have your basics met?

If not, it might be time to reset your goals to focus only on basic needs.

If so, it might be time to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself.

Identify this today.

Your next moves will be clear, guilt-free, and easier to execute after you do.

Thanks for reading. It’s people like you, who care, that make me want to keep helping people with posts like these.

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