Hustle VS. Alignment
I've had it with #HUSTLE. It's tough stuff running a business in line with your spiritual principles-no doubt. I kept thinking...there has to be a way of integrating mindfulness with entrepreneurialism. Today the focus is clear.The top entrepreneurs in our culture spam social media with messages like 'Hard to beat someone who wants to win- #GARYVEE #HUSTLE' (insta post 12/24). While I admire this don't-take-no-for-an-answer perseverance, I also don't completely subscribe to the idea of forcing life in a certain direction, nor do I want to be the person who strives for 'beating others'. The quiet voice of my intuition whispers 'there is always enough to go around'. If you are feeling caught up in all the clutter and not sure which mentor to subscribe to, read on.HUSTLE and BUSYNESS. We've all heard these words. Hustle is sexy. It's trending right now. It has become the young entrepreneur's go-to hashtag on social media. And even the non-business owners can relate to the notion of 'busy'. How was your holiday? Busy! How is work going? Busy! How are the kids? They are keeping me busy! So what do these terms REALLY mean anyways? Well, I'll leave it to Webster:
In my opinion, Hustle says "NOW, HARDER, FASTER, GO!" I like to think of hustle like a red sports car. It looks sexy and moves fast but there isn't really space in the back seat for the ones we love. Hustle can lead to burn out or it can get you down a path that you never intended to go. It might move you fast, but it won't move you mindfully.Busyness, on the other hand is like a hamster wheel, going, going, going.... nowhere. It seems to me like soulless work. "Just staying busy". It doesn't sound like meaningful work....which we all know is the kind of stuff that gives life purpose.So how do we move forward without pushing or forcing outcomes? How do we make sure our hearts agree with our mind, and our body can keep up with our ideas? How do we learn and grow as people, as well as expand and scale our businesses in a way that is more aligned to the actual pace of our soul? These are BIG questions. The kind of questions that are at the root of all my quests. The kind of questions that no business coach, mentor, counsellor, or friend can help me answer. But when I began asking myself, a still, small voice inside gave me a word. ALIGNMENT.ALIGNMENT:
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the act of aligning parts of a machine."oil changes, lube jobs, and wheel alignments"
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the route or course of a road or railroad.plural noun: alignments"four railroads, all on different alignments"
This is where feeling 'stuck' comes from. I think it's because we get out of alignment. Then, in a desperate attempt to keep going, we begin to hustle. Or, we get discouraged, and then busy ourselves with distractions. What we really need is to go inward, and find the answers. All the answers are within us. We need only the patience to wait and willingness to listen.I believe we each have a direct line to our higher power and can call anytime. ANYTIME. Better alignment seems to be the answer for me. The action steps? Do the things that bring me alignment.....yoga, meditation, prayer, going to the park and laying in the grass and eating a big salad, playing with my pup, getting tea with my girlfriends and hearing about their day, unplugging from electronics and playing a board game with my husband. These are not ironically also the things that bring me to a place of connection and love. What do you like to do to re-align?I am eager to discover how the word ALIGNMENT will play out for me in 2018. Being the end of the year and all, I sense that this new word will bring about new ways of seeing things. But for now, I am going to keep doing the things I know bring me in alignment with God and love. Happy New Year, and many many blessings to you!Love on,Melissa