A Better Way.
My last post was about the myth of hustle. This one is about what comes next. Because life doesn’t end with hustle. There’s a better way.
I don’t live perfectly. Surprise.
I still feel the pull to overwork. I still catch myself reaching for hustle when life feels uncertain or when I want to avoid hard conversations. But, today, I live with more awareness, and that awareness has reshaped my life.
I’ve discovered that the opposite of hustle isn’t laziness. The opposite of hustle is rhythm.
Hustle runs you ragged, but rhythm sustains you. Hustle thrives on exhaustion, but rhythm creates renewal. Hustle promises freedom, but rhythm actually delivers it.
Here are a few lessons I’ve learned about rhythm.
The first is rest. Rest is not for the weak. Nope. It’s intentional. Rest means Sabbath. It means dinner with family where my phone isn’t on the table. It means vacations that don’t double as “content trips.” Hustle says rest is wasted time. Rhythm says rest is where strength is restored.
The second is deep work. I still work hard, but I’m learning to work with focus. Hustle kept me in constant motion, multitasking my way through endless to-do lists. Rhythm forces me to ask, “What actually matters today? What work, if I give it my best energy, will move the needle?” Hustle made me busy. Rhythm makes me effective.
The third is connection. This one has been the hardest for me, because hustle always pulled me away from people. Today, I fight to make space for the people I care the most about. I make space for friendships, for conversations that don’t have an agenda, for people who fill my soul instead of drain it. Connection isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s what makes life rich. Hustle isolates. Rhythm reconnects.
The fourth is soul care. Hustle left me thin inside. I could impress others with output, but inside I was restless and anxious. Now I make space for prayer, reflection, silence, and writing. I don’t always get it right, but I know this: if my inner life isn’t healthy, no outer success will ever be enough.
The fifth is stewardship. Hustle treats time, energy, and relationships as disposable. Rhythm treats them as gifts to be managed wisely. Stewardship has forced me to say NO more often. It’s made me slower at times. But, it’s also kept me aligned with what matters most.
These practices aren’t glamorous.
They don’t look like hustle reels on Instagram. But, they keep me whole. And, I’d rather live whole than live impressive.
Here’s the thing: hustle will always try to seduce you back. There will always be another opportunity, another push, another season where it feels easier to stay busy than to stay honest.
But, I’ve learned this: you can hustle your way into accomplishments, but you can’t hustle your way into peace. Peace is the fruit of rhythm, not hustle.
So if you’re caught in the trap of hustle right now, let me encourage you: step back. Count the costs. Ask yourself not just what you’re building, but who you’re becoming in the process.
Because at the end of the day, success without peace, health, and people isn’t success. It’s just noise. It’s motion without meaning. It’s hustle dressed up as progress.
I want more than that.
I reckon you do, too.
+++
Steve Knox | Salt Lake City
\\\ Thanks for reading. For my Aussie and Kiwi mates in the Southern Hemisphere, check out my good mate, Russ Murphy’s Executive Reset event. He’s a legend and one of my go-to thought-partners for the past decade and a half. Until next week. Be honest. Be you. Much love.