Nature's "hustle" is relaxed, amazingly efficient, and non-stop.

The hustle, and the alignment.

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I recently saw a meme posted to Facebook by a friend that read "Align." Next to "align" was the word "hustle." "Hustle" had been crossed out. The meme went on to emphasize the critical importance of rest, and aligning with one's purpose, in comparison to the lesser important element of hustle. I had run across this idea before, but this one was exceptionally emphatic, and it bothered me.

I commented below the meme "Align and hustle." I found that I was not comfortable with the idea of "rest" and "hustle" as mutually exclusive. Sure, one needs rest, and it's true you can't burn the midnight oil or work your ass of without periods of rest or reflection for days on end, without there being at least some practical consequences. Still, I think the ideal spot is to have your rest built into your work. And, like Gary Vaynerchuk of Vayner Media has said before "I feel most relaxed when I'm working."

The flow, and the synergy.

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A house divided against itself cannot stand. Be like water. Flow. Be united in purpose.

Just the other day I went out for a run. My body and muscles were more tired than usual. I wanted to push myself to go farther, and in the past I would have, but I am learning to choose my battles. To be patient and play the long game. To play the long game, and to flow. I recognized that pushing overtired, painful muscles is sometimes good and necessary, but that the level of fatigue I was feeling was somewhat remarkable. To force and push myself would mean tired muscles later on, and less enthusiasm. And potentially, burnout.

I stopped just after two miles and felt good about my decision. Then I realized that because I had my phone, and had some distance left to walk home, I could record a video for Steemit on a topic I had been wanting to talk about. The perfect opportunity, and a real time-saver. This opportunity would not have existed had I not trusted my own flow and timing and instead rigidly forced myself to complete a 4-mile run looping all the way back home.

I guess what I am trying to say is, even your periods of rest can work to the advantage of your "hustle." There is a fantastic synergy to it all once it all gets locked in. Instead of worrying about wasting time watching Youtube documentaries, I just flip the script and realize why I am watching. I am following my natural flow. My interest. Now we all know circumstances don't always permit this type of time and freedom, but bit by bit, as I hustle and grind, I find myself getting closer to the place I want to be, where I will have the wealth to and financial power to make and take that time and do my thing more freely.

Doing the "irrational" things I want to do, like, say, watching hours and hours of YouTube documentaries, going for a drink with a friend, or just taking a walk by the riverside, are the things that often spur me onward in enthusiasm, generating curiosity, interest, new ideas, and a real desire to get to fuckin' WORK to express those ideas and turn them into reality!

Inspiration comes from you, so stop fighting yourself.

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I wanna be a full-time Steemian. A researcher, debater, and content creator. An "idea man." I realized only recently that maybe I do not need to be ashamed for "wasting" hours on end learning new things from books, the internet, and YouTube documentaries. Why should I feel bad about spending hours fully captivated and being sharpened by a heated philosophical debate on Facebook? This is me. This is "what I do."

These things make the very substance of "what I am" and "what I'm about." These new ideas spur on my creative drive and people my mind with more thoughts, questions, and ideas. There is so much to know and so much meaning in this world! I need not be ashamed of my curiosity. Flow with it. Embrace it. Accept it.

I find that as I treat myself like a full-time activist, blogger, and content creator, and put myself in the mindset of one, making content whether or not I feel like it at the time, as if it were my full time work, things start to open up. I also find that as I allow myself some comfort and rest amidst the hustle, and treat myself less severely and hypercritically, I get a lot more done! The work is also usually of a higher caliber, and more natural.

~KafkA

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)