Worth the Hustle

A couple years ago I was selling/not selling essential oils for a few months. My kit came in the mail and I used them myself for a few months before I hit the ground running. It was full-fledged oil mode. I baked peppermint brownies. I made roller bottles and sugar scrubs and room sprays. I diffused oils in my house all day and all night.

I joined Facebook groups and started hosting classes in my house nearly every week. I spent all my spare time working on this oil business. I even met up with a few of my upline leaders from across the U.S. and Canada. I met women who have been successful in this industry and saw their passion for oils and this business.

I remember studying the company’s compensation plan and thinking that I could do it. People tend to refer to network marketing companies as a pyramid-scheme, but I really do see the potential and the benefits of this type of business model. If you put in the work, it is what you make it.

During this phase I read Start by Jon Acuff. In this book he wrote a lot about finding our “unique path to awesome”. He encourages us to figure out where our interests and our talents intertwine. I spent time trying to figure this out for myself, but mostly I was trying to force this oil business into the box of my unique awesome.

It wasn’t the right fit.

I couldn’t keep up the hustle.

By hustle I in no way mean it as swindling or deceiving. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear hustle is the Rihanna song Work. “work work work work work”. You know you were singing along in your head…

There are many different definitions of hustle, but here’s how I define it.

Hustle is the all in pursuit towards something that requires faith in the process and hope for the outcome. It demands long hours, hard work and to be a top priority.

That’s hard, nearly impossible, to do when you are married and have a family and a job. The little spare time that you actually do have is not your own.

In the book, Jon addresses this very situation.

“When you’re a spouse, parent, or caregiver, your time doesn’t just belong to you. It’s in large part communal property, shared by the entire house. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be selfish with some of that time. You just have to know when you can be, which is why I mention 5:00 a.m.  

The mornings I get up and write from 5:00 to 5:30, you’d be surprised at how infrequently my wife tells me I’ve been ignoring her. You’d be shocked at how rarely my oldest daughter wants me to watch her jump rope before the sun breaks the horizon. You may even be mystified at how seldom my youngest daughter asks to go bike riding at 5:15 am. 

You can be selfish at 5:00 a.m. Or 11:00 p.m. if your spouse goes to bed early and staying up an extra thirty minutes doesn’t wreck your next day. You can also rescue thirty minutes during lunch… The point is that you can carve out time in your day and claim it, if you’re willing to hustle.

If you can’t–if the idea of setting your alarm thirty minutes earlier sounds horrible to you–then you may not be ready for awesome. If your dream isn’t worth thirty minutes, you’ve either got the wrong dream or you’re just pretending you have one.”

Oils just really aren’t my thing.

I still like using them and try to help friends and family when they have questions, but it’s not my job to spread the good news of oils! I’m just not the person that’s so passionate about it that they have to share with everyone they meet. I couldn’t maintain that.

I’m still learning what my path to awesome looks like. But for now I know that part of that hustle is writing. It feels scary to admit that. It’s hard to find time to do it especially with an active baby and trying to keep up with housework and laundry that never seem to end. But writing helps me feel fully alive. It’s how I process and make sense of everything. It’s worth the early mornings.

If you’re like me, making a list helps. Get out a pen and paper and take the time to learn more about yourself and figure out your unique path to awesome.

What have you loved since you were a kid?

What are you good at?

What makes you feel fully alive?

Life’s too short not to go for it. If it’s the right fit, it will be worth the hustle.