‘Quiet quitting’ and ‘ban hustle culture’ took social media by storm at the close of 2022, as we all battled with end-of-year fatigue.
But step away from all of the noise and you’ll remember that there are important goals you want to achieve and, unfortunately, they are not going to be realised without hard work.
Yes, it would be far easier instead to start late, not pick up the phone, or not send that hard email. But do you want to play it safe, and play the small game, in 2023, or did 2022 also teach you that we only have one life and we’d better make the most of it.
‘Ban hustle culture’ is another of the most consistent messages on my social media feed on the so-called ‘What’s out in 2023” lists. It implies that money is cheap, chasing it is cheap and there’s so much more to life than money. And yes, there is.
If you do have career ennui, it’s smarter to work out areas where you don’t have to put in 110 per cent and those where doing your best will serve the purpose of allowing you to really shine. The lesson here is not to be perfect and give your all to everything.
Be selective about what you want and consciously focus on things that matter, meanwhile quietly dropping the ball on the things you’ve consciously pre-decided (not just in the moment when things get hard) that don’t.
Don’t kid yourself about just how much energy you can reasonably devote to excelling, of course. Humans are not machines and even machines need to power down or they burn out.
Self-care is a mantra that has resonated with millions of people for a reason and, at the heart of all successful lives, is a commitment to regularly recharge body and mind.
So, if you want to succeed, what will your pace be like in 2023?
Create a realistic schedule and use systems to manage your energy and time.
Above all, stay in the game. Drill down to the ‘why’ of your success and, if it’s important enough to you, that will help you go the distance.