Hustle culture is out of hand. Social media has now convinced more people than ever before that there is a "secret", "X steps", "must do this", "anybody can do it" approach to wealth.
The sacrifice is 3 fold. One, so few people are trying to master anything. Two, so many people are missing out on many pleasures of life, family and friends to hustle moooore. Three, so many people are causing themselves grief, financial loss, and mental damage.
And yes absolutely if you do want to get to some magic number of wealth and power, and you dont fall into generational wealth or exceptional talent, you have to do things. But the outcome will be tied not to how tenacious you are, when you wake up. what smoothie you drink or book you read. The variables are dedication, demand, skill, capital, team, outreach, timing, serendipity. You control very few of these at best. And if all are perfectly aligned the odds are still likely below 50% for success as you might imagine. So you will fail most of the time.
Risk and reward is a very efficient model in society, especially a global one. There is little arbitrage. Most success stories and stats are also deceptive, always outliers and often pure lies. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try or that you should be a bum. But stop beating yourself up about "more". More is endless. And more doesn't mean better.
Hustle culture is a marketed good like every other product.
Comparison is the killer of joy. Breath. You are fine. You are worthy of joy. It's all narratives. And.. on top of that.. AI is going to shake up so very much of how society and economy function at their core, even the most talented and wealthy aren't sure how to navigate and likely won't navigate it very well.
So turn off the reels and feeds. Go eat something savory. Touch grass. Smile at a loved one. Get a proper sleep.