Editorial: This article is an opinion piece based on my personal experiences and observations. It is intended to encourage discussion and share one worker’s perspective.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about a simple question.
How many times can you tell people to work harder before they start wondering what they’re actually working toward?
It seems like “work harder” has become the answer to almost everything.
Need more money?
Work harder.
Want a better job?
Work harder.
Falling behind financially?
Work harder.
Trying to build a better future?
Work harder.
On the surface, that advice sounds reasonable.
After all, I’ve worked hard my entire life.
Most people reading this probably have too.
Hard Work Was Supposed to Lead Somewhere
I’ve worked full-time, part-time, overtime.
I’ve also “worked harder”.
I’ve spent decades working hard because I believed that consistent effort would eventually create financial stability.
Lately, though, I’ve found myself asking a different question.
If hard work is supposed to create financial stability, why do so many hardworking people feel less financially secure than ever?
I don’t think that’s an unreasonable question.
When I look around, I don’t see lazy people struggling.
I see people working two jobs.
Driving for ride share and delivery apps after work.
Picking up overtime whenever it’s available.
Starting side businesses.
Taking freelance work.
Doing everything they’ve been told they should do.
And many of us are still struggling.
When Work Stops Being Enough
Somewhere along the way, simply having a job stopped feeling like enough.
Now we’re encouraged to build a side hustle.
Create passive income.
Monetize our hobbies.
Build a personal brand.
Develop multiple streams of income.
And if that still isn’t enough?
Work harder.
Keep optimizing.
Keep producing.
Keep grinding.
Personally I hate the term grinding. Things wear down when they grind.
Eventually, it starts to feel like every hour of your life has to be productive.
Every hobby has to generate income.
Every skill has to become a business opportunity.
Every free moment has to be optimized.
That isn’t just physically exhausting.
It’s mentally exhausting too.
Always Working, Never Arriving
Right now, I work a seasonal job. I was promised that if I worked harder, hang in there and I would get full-time from the company I work for. That has been dangled in front of me for a decade.
Over the past few years, my coworkers and I have watched our seasons become shorter, our hours decline, and our income shrink. I have a friend that works for the same company and they’re full-time and he’s constantly telling me about the expensive nice things that they do for him. It feels like a slap in the face every time it’s brought up. This company can’t afford us just baseball games, concerts in the executive suites for full-timers and we have to come in and do the bulk of the work during their crunch time.
In my own case, my annual income has dropped by roughly 40 percent. Because my season has been been cut.
People always have the same advice.
Find another job.
Learn another skill.
Start a side hustle.
Work more.
Sometimes that’s exactly what people have to do.
But I think it’s worth asking a bigger question.
Why are so many people working harder than ever while feeling less financially secure than ever?
Hard Work Isn’t the Only Variable
I believe effort and hard work matter.
Personal responsibility matters.
But they’re not the only things that matter.
The economy matters.
Opportunity matters.
Health matters.
Family responsibilities matter.
Technology matters.
Timing matters.
Who you know matters.
Luck matters.
Those factors shape people’s lives whether we acknowledge them or not.
When we pretend that every outcome depends entirely on individual effort, we risk placing all of the responsibility on individuals while ignoring the larger forces affecting their lives.
If someone is working sixty or seventy hours every week and still struggling to pay rent, perhaps the problem isn’t a lack of effort.
Just find a better job isn’t that easy and perhaps the problem is bigger than any one individual.
Selling the Dream
One thing I’ve noticed is that hustle culture often presents success as something that’s entirely within our control.
That’s an appealing idea for people.
If success depends only on effort, then life would be predictable.
If you work harder you’ll earn more.
Everything will work out.
Tell this to the person working two jobs and still can’t afford rent and gets no sleep.
Real life rarely follows that script.
Sometimes people work incredibly hard and still lose their jobs or can’t make enough money.
Industries will change.
Technology always changes.
Companies do reorganize.
Unexpected events happen to us all.
The rules won’t always stay the same.
People understand that reality because many of us have lived it.
Redefining Success
The older I get, the less interested I become in maximizing every minute of my day.
I’m more interested in having enough. Having enough income, time, energy, and peace of mind. Right now I have none of that.
Because if work consumes every part of your life, what exactly are you working to protect?
To me, success isn’t becoming a machine.
It isn’t turning every waking moment into productivity with no guarantee of money.
Success is building a life that still belongs to you after the workday ends.
Lately, that feels harder to achieve than it once did.
Why I’m Talking About This
That’s one reason I started The Exploited Worker 138.
Not because I have all the answers.
I don’t.
But because I know I’m not the only worker asking these questions.
I know there are people who are tired of feeling like every setback is automatically their fault.
Sometimes people aren’t failing because they didn’t work hard enough.
Sometimes they’re navigating an economy that’s changing faster than they can reasonably adapt.
Sometimes they’re carrying burdens that were never meant to be carried by one person alone.
I think it’s okay to talk honestly about that.
Final Thoughts
Hard work will probably always matter.
I don’t believe effort is meaningless.
But I also don’t believe that every problem can be solved simply by working longer hours.
People deserve more than survival.
They deserve time with their families.
Time to rest.
Time to enjoy life.
And the chance to build a future without feeling like every waking moment has to be turned into another paycheck.
That’s the kind of success I’m hoping for.
What Do You Think?
Everything in this article reflects my own experiences, observations, and opinions. They’re not the only perspective, and I don’t expect everyone to agree.
I’d genuinely like to hear yours.
Has hustle culture helped you build the life you wanted?
Or has it left you feeling more exhausted than fulfilled?
Share your perspective in the comments. Honest conversations are how we learn from one another.
About The Exploited Worker 138
The Exploited Worker 138 is an independent publication exploring work, layoffs, unemployment, artificial intelligence, the economy, and what it means to rebuild in a changing world. Through personal stories, research, and honest discussion, the goal is to create a place where workers can learn from one another and have conversations that often go unheard.