Hustle Culture Lied. Where’s My Lamborghini?

Side Hustle feels like Hamster Wheel, Don't you agree? People always think: Are We Working to Live or Living to Work?

There was a time when a stable 9-to-5 job meant financial security. You clocked in, did your work, went home, and forgot about it. The only "side hustle" people had was gossiping about their neighbors or collecting coupons. Not lying. You know that.

Fast forward to today, and suddenly, everyone is moonlighting as a content creator, flipping vintage sneakers, or delivering food while listening to a podcast about productivity hacks. The modern economy didn’t just kill the dream of a single-income household—it buried it so deep even Indiana Jones wouldn’t find it.

But let’s pause for a second: Are we actually getting ahead, or have we just built ourselves a very fancy hamster wheel? Working all the time, collecting wealth — where is the time left to enjoy that wealth?

Back in the day, my father was the designated breadwinner, while my mother was—well, everything else. She ran the household like a Fortune 500 company, seamlessly juggling roles as the finance minister, chief economic planner, in-house doctor, physical therapist, head chef, school principal, teen therapist, and part-time magician who somehow made everything work. My father? He simply showed up, stress-free, knowing that life at home was running smoother than a well-oiled machine.

And guess what? We thrived. We had family dinners without the constant ding of work emails, heartfelt conversations that didn’t require scheduling, and a mother who was always there—when we got home from school, when we needed a listening ear, or when we were just bored and in search of snacks (which, let’s be honest, was most of the time).

Fast forward to today—both parents are hustling, juggling jobs, side gigs, and deadlines, while kids come home to an empty house, greeted only by Wi-Fi and bad decisions. Their restless brains, with no supervising force of nature (a.k.a. mom), often get busy in ways that would make any parent break into a cold sweat. Because let’s face it, when mom and dad are neck-deep in Zoom meetings or clocking in overtime, who’s left to teach them right from wrong, or at the very least, remind them that microwaving aluminum foil is not a science experiment?

Somewhere between progress and productivity, we seem to have misplaced presence. And that’s a trade-off worth rethinking.

The Never-Ending To-Do List of Hustle Culture

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve either:
a) Googled “best side hustles in 2024” at 2 AM, or
b) Felt guilty for watching Netflix without monetizing it.

Side hustle culture has convinced us that every hobby, every free moment, every passion must be converted into a revenue stream. 

If you enjoy baking, why not start a home bakery? 

If you like writing, why aren’t you ghostwriting eBooks for people who will pretend they wrote them? 

Even your sleep isn’t safe—apparently, “passive income” means making money in your dreams (which, ironically, most people are too overworked to have).

We were told that hustling would lead to freedom. But instead of escaping the rat race, we’ve just swapped one treadmill for another—only now, we’re running faster, longer, and without health insurance.

“Do What You Love” is a Scam

Remember when parents used to tell us growing up, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life”? Well, turns out, that was just capitalism in disguise, whispering, “Turn your passion into a 24/7 unpaid internship.”

I love photography. Do you love photography? Congrats! Now you’re competing with a million others for Instagram likes and hoping a brand offers you “exposure” instead of actual money. 

Do you like gaming? Good luck streaming to 5 viewers (one of whom is your mother, or bother or sister). 

Do you enjoy gardening? Time to open an Etsy shop selling artisanal, hand-painted succulents.

The reality is, when every joy becomes a job, we lose the very thing that made it joyful in the first place.

We’re All Just Freelancers for Ourselves

At some point, the workforce shifted from “job security” to “job survival.” Companies stopped giving raises, stopped offering benefits, and turned everything into a gig. Want a stable income? Too bad. You’re now an independent contractor responsible for your own taxes, retirement, and office supplies (a.k.a. your kitchen table).

The worst part? We’re gaslighting ourselves into believing this is a choice. “I love working on weekends! Being my own boss is amazing!” we say, as we cancel another social event to finish a project for a client who still hasn’t paid us.

So... I have the Solution?

I wish I could end this by saying, “Just quit and move to a cabin in the woods!” But we both know you’d just end up monetizing that, too—selling firewood and starting a “how to live off the grid” YouTube channel.

The truth is, some side hustles are necessary. Some people genuinely enjoy them. But if your side gig is just a second job with worse pay and no benefits, maybe—just maybe—you’re not hustling. You’re just desperately filling the gaps that your real job should have covered in the first place.

At some point, we have to ask: Are we building a life, or just financing an endless cycle of work? And more importantly, do we even remember what it feels like to just exist without trying to monetize the moment?

Think about it—before you start selling branded t-shirts about anti-hustle culture.

Would love to hear from you: Are you hustling for freedom or just working twice as hard for half as much? Is hustle culture empowering or just modern slavery?

Let me know in the comments!