Plot Twist: I'm Lazy.
I’m a hard worker, but not because I want to be lol. That ‘lol’ is genuine. I’m really laughing out loud. I’m pretty lazy and I’m okay with that now. Not that it’s something I’m super proud of, but I accept myself as I am.
I don’t wake up at 5am every morning -I wish I did. Sometimes I roll over, check the timeline, tweet, and then roll right back over. It’s not just work I’m doing on my laptop all day -I spend way too much time Googling random things and getting sucked into YouTube black holes. I love taking naps. I love vegging out and binging Netflix. And I’m definitely getting plenty of sleep now AND when I die.
I used to be really hard on myself about this. With all the ‘success’ books telling me to “wake up early, workout daily, and hustle hustle hustle!” it’s pretty easy to feel like a loser when I only get a few good hours in, or worse, when I’m having one of those days where it’s just not in me to do much of anything.
But I’ve learned a couple things: 1) I have to know myself and do things my way, and 2) I have to be kind to myself and forgive myself.
It’s absolutely imperative that I stay on my work, get things done, and not procrastinate. I’m not saying that it’s okay to cruise along not doing anything while expecting results. What I am saying, is that at the end of each day, I can feel okay about how I spent my time whether I finished my to-do list or got some much needed relaxation. If it’s not in me today, I can forgive myself and try again tomorrow.
In this social media era, it’s easy to look at folks tweets, stories, and posts and think they’re hustling non-stop. It’s all they show you. And for those who have it in them to do that, great. I talk about work a lot too. I have ‘10X’ tattooed on my finger for a reason. I aspire to be as productive as I can be. But I don’t want what I do and how I do what I do to give anyone the impression that they’re not doing enough, that they should model themselves after how I work, or that they should put me on any pedestal. I’m honestly still trying to figure things out myself.
Don’t compare. Don’t even pay much attention to what others are doing. A lot of these folks are 'hustling' on the gram while getting steady paychecks from their day job. And that’s not a diss to anyone at all… it’s a blessing to be able to fund your dreams in that way. But it’s also important to be transparent and to not sell dreams. We’ve put so much value into looking like hustlers, that we act as though it’s a sin to relax.
Move at your pace. Know your bandwidth. Take your breaks. But also know when to call yourself out on your own BS and get to work.
Please believe that I chill hard. But when it comes down to it, I get it all done.