Hi!
You are a wide and diverse group of humans and not all of you are purveyors of social media.
HOWEVER. You are all – every one of you that I’ve met or heard from or spoken to – curious people who do take in media in some way, whether it’s through your phone or computer or a newspaper or a radio report or podcasts. And so, you’ve likely heard a story in the past year on some kind of “#culture.”
It might have ben a story on #dietculture earning millions for supplement companies but not reducing the obesity epidemic. Or a story on #beautyculture pushing women and men (and even kids) towards body altering pills, procedures and behaviors that punish and damage. Or a story on #cancelculture or #youthculture or…
So. Many. Cultures.
The word “culture” is a marker that something is being used to make money. Often that money is being made by someone else at your expense. That isn’t always a bad thing, and it isn’t always a good thing.
The hashtag is just a way of highlighting and segmenting these stories online to get more eyeballs and make them feel more urgent.
At the moment, the one that is top of mind for newsmakers is #hustleculture, so let’s use this one as an example. Hustle culture is the pressure people feel to put 25 hours a day into work, education and status to reach an elusive finish line that is never quite achievable. To keep pushing themselves without rest. As you can imagine, a lot of folks are pushing back on that pressure. This leads to conflict in the workplace, which I addressed here.
The reason I’m bringing this to you is simple. Whenever you, out of the corner of your eye or ear as you scan the media, catch the word “culture” I want you to take note! This is a sign that you are invited to look critically at something – your body image, your work schedule, your beliefs about aging, etc – and make sure that whatever you’re doing is aligned with YOUR goals.
Embedded in any “#____culture” conversation is one question for you to ask yourself:
Am I doing what is best for ME?
This is the path to resilience – navigating what is happening in your life with intention and purpose.
I explained all this in less than one minute here, feel free to share it with your people.
Does this change your mind about how you view hustling? Comment and let me know!
All my best,
Dr. G
