Hustle Culture in the Working Class (and a really good banana bread recipe to help cope with this mess)

Written By Honey Colon

I find myself caught up in a trap. We are born, we grow up and work till we die. The fantastic game of hustle culture, becoming a girl boss, and building my empire. It’s all very exhausting because it’s not how human beings are created to function. We live in a society that values the number of hours worked above the quality of the work and without consideration for the person performing the task. I get tricked into believing my skills and experience are only valuable if I profit from them. Not just profit, but magically find success or a million dollars.

I don’t want to give in to this idea of ‘working till I die’ and the facade that I’ll be a millionaire by 40. These are not possible outcomes for me. I wasn’t born into wealth and I’m not buying every lottery ticket in hopes that I’ll make it big one day. The reality is that there is no sustainable or ethical way to gain or maintain wealth under capitalism. I will work for the rest of my life and still only make ends meet. Understanding that helps me rationalize decisions I make and will make while working or applying for a job. Majority of the time I, and a lot of us, are overworked, underpaid, and just tired. Employers pay us the least possible salary as a means of finically securing themselves. All the blame can’t be put onto these people though. It is the world and economic structure we all fall prey to.

That being said, I am a human being. I feel big things and small things and everything in between. I am tired because the structure of my humanness is supposed to be sustained in my work and my ability to work. I am tired because this structure will not disappear or even evolve within my lifetime. I cope knowing I am not my work. My work is not me. My work is something I have the privilege to enjoy and the privilege to say provides me with all that I need. Outside of my job, I can still find time to connect with the things that give me life. I can still find peace outside of something that feels like such a burden sometimes. It’s not a work-life balance idea I’m going for, but an actual life. I would like to make decisions for myself and not think “Will this finically benefit me”? I can only say I see it and experience it and this is what works for me to mentally and emotionally separate myself from work. I find peace in writing, in going to therapy, cuddling with my cat, laughing with my partner, making plans outside of work with co-workers, or baking some banana bread*. It’s these little things that remind me I am still a person with wants and needs- not a working machine. It’s small, but it is enough. Because I do fall trapped in it too often. I place my value on how well I exceed at work. Now, I can see that just because I am good at a job, that does not automatically mean I am a good person. Or even a bad person if I feel like I lack the skill for a role. I am just a person, trying my best.

Don’t get so caught up in the journey of surviving and or providing that you forget you have autonomy. Maybe not over your financial situation, but over yourself. Over the way, you treat yourself, and others. I’m not trying to sell you a lifestyle or some course - I want us to understand that there’s power in the way we think and the way we speak about living. We might not ever be able to actually ‘pull ourselves up by the bootstraps,’ but we can continue working to understand the systematic layers of oppression that make that idea unattainable. You are not a machine and don’t pretend that you can transform yourself into one. So if no one told you today- you’re doing great and I’m very proud of you. And don’t feel bad about wanting or needing a break now and then. You need it.

So please enjoy this banana bread recipe. Hope it gives you a couple minutes of peace. And if not peace, a happy belly.

Be well,

Honey Colon

IG: honeyycolon