The Hustle Breakdown

I hustle at work.

I hustle in my personal life.

I am a planner.

I have processes for everything.

At the end of every day, I need to reach Inbox Zero.

Apple’s Reminders and Notes help me hustle every day. Tools like Hemingway, CoSchedule, and Grammarly, mixed with those above ended up helping my dyslexic brain meet goals.

Gary Vaynerchuk defines hustle as having a passion around something and squeezing every last juice out of the orange. Or maximizing the energy of something.

Something happened that caused what I am calling a Hustle Breakdown.

My wife Melissa had a transient ischemic attack, which is considered a mini stroke.

This was my view while my mother-in-law and I sat in the ER room waiting for Melissa to return from some tests.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEE1op1js9u/

Without getting into the details, after more testing, and a few nights in the hospital, and rapid improvement, Melissa was moved to an acute rehab center. There she went through physical, occupational and speech therapy. Now Melissa is home and doing very well.

But it was rough for a while. Melissa missed Layla, wanted her own bed, and not a hospital bed.

We have a strong support system between family and friends.

We did bring Layla to see Melissa a bunch, and when she felt comfortable enough, she got to hold Layla in her lap. At one point, they both needed a good hug.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEB5Yf1Ds4T/

The Hustle Breakdown

During all of the chaos, testing and worry, my brain was in overdrive.

I am so used to hustling all the time that I actually could not concentrate on anything.

I thought that if I tried to do some work to get my mind off things that it would be helpful. I could not work. I tried so hard. I sat in Melissa’s hospital room with my laptop, but I could barely answer emails. I could not function at even 30% capacity.

I thought maybe I would try editing some photos, but I couldn’t.

I could not multitask and I could barely focus on one task at a time. My brain was wired for the hustle, that it nearly forgot how to focus on individual things.

My job at Imagely has many hats. Some of which are social media management, community engagement, and brand ambassador management. However, I had to pass off those tasks until my head was clear. Fortunately, the people I work with, and interact with, on a daily basis are so understanding.

If you hustle like me, and something big comes along, take a break.”

When The Hustle Is Too Much

If you hustle like me, and something big comes along, take a break.

It’s ok.

Do what you need to clear your head.

Get yourself into a mental state where you can be helpful to those who need it.

With the major stuff behind us, I’m back working and ready for full hustle mode again. But I’m not rushing into it. I’m easing my way back into the hustle.

I know that If I didn’t step back and relax, I would have driven myself into panic attacks or anything that too much stress can bring.

Although I may not be a doctor, I’m sure any doctor would agree that your hustle isn’t worth it if you are not mentally capable.

So relax. It’s ok.

Take care of whoever it is you need to take care of.

I know Melissa is happy I spent days sitting in her room doing nothing but talking to her.

When the time came for Melissa to be discharged, her bags were packed and ready for home.