There was a time I believed rest was laziness. That success came from waking at 5am, crushing 12-hour workdays, and never letting up.

I burned out — hard.

What I’ve learned since is that hustle is not a badge of honour. It’s often a symptom of fear — fear of falling behind, of not being enough, of being forgotten.

Slowing down felt terrifying at first. But once I did, I realized how much noise I had mistaken for meaning. Productivity had become a proxy for self-worth. That’s not a life, it’s a trap.

Now I work less. I earn a little less too, but I live more. I’ve reclaimed my weekends. I say no. I take naps. And somehow, the work I do create is better — deeper, more authentic.

The world doesn’t need more exhausted, over-scheduled people. It needs present, curious, awake humans. Hustle isn’t the only way.