Once upon a time, Jenna Kutcher was just like many young college graduates – goal-driven, ambitious, and eager to take on the world of work. She envisioned a future of high-ranking corporate jobs and corner offices ahead. Or in other words, what society tells us is the only acceptable version of success.
But it didn’t take long for things to become clear and for Jenna to realize that the beaten path was not right for her. One of the biggest moments of enlightenment came when her manager happily handed over a five-year plan outlining her future at the company she worked for at the time. Why should an employer have the right to dictate the way someone lives their life?
She quickly found herself in search of a way out, not completely certain where she wanted to go or what she wanted to do, but sure of the fact that she wanted to avoid a fated destiny. Eventually, this led to a career in photography and a visit to the Seattle set of CreativeLive.
I’m happy to have the opportunity to speak with Jenna and discuss everything that’s happened since, from her entrepreneurial endeavors to book ‘How Are You, Really?‘
The Problem With Hustle Culture
Hustle is an important verb. It’s defined as working energetically and diligently, often in an effort to achieve some sort of goal. You could put it alongside plenty of other words that people use to explain success, like commitment, ambition, and proactivity. But despite being key to getting things off of the ground, a hustler’s mindset isn’t always beneficial.
“The problem that I have with hustle culture is that it never ends. There’s never enough.” Jenna says. And she’s right.
Hustling is an obviously necessary part of getting ahead in today’s world. You can’t just sit back and expect your dreams to realize themselves. It’s all about having the initiative to get started and the willpower to not give up.
Where things become confusing is when that goal is achieved. After putting tons of time and hard work into something for so long, it can feel surprisingly unsatisfactory to hit a long-awaited milestone. What now? Is this it? Do I sit back and take a break, or keep going? If you live by hustle culture, the only correct answer is the latter.
Jenna sees this as particularly problematic to the wellbeing of entrepreneurs at large. She herself faced a crossroads upon reaching six-figure earnings with her wedding photography business, wondering if she should continue to grind forward or begin investing time and energy into other endeavors. Amid fertility challenges, personal struggles, and changing family needs, it became clear that her current way of doing things was no longer sustainable.
“That was when I started to buy back my time”, she tells me, explaining that it took an honest moment with herself to realize that what really mattered to her happiness in life wouldn’t be achieved through business success alone.
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What’s Your Currency?
As a society, our thresholds for success are always changing. One hundred years ago, you might have met the threshold by owning decent stock in the railroad industry or owning a motor vehicle. Today, it’s arguably achievable by any means, whether you’re a Wall Street banker or Instagram influencer. But as names like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Kylie Jenner prove, most famous success stories still have two things in common: money and social status. That’s all that matters, right?
Maybe not.
Jenna chased the cookie-cutter definition of success for years before realizing that it didn’t make her happy. She saw no point in scaling the corporate ladder and achieving five-year plans if it meant spending time away from the people and things she loves most. To her, this is the ‘currency’ she measures success with – the amount of freedom and flexibility that a day’s work can offer.
Of course, money pretty much always factors into the equation in one way or another. Adults need to make a living, after all. But Jenna proposes a different way of doing it. A mindset where dollars aren’t the only answer to happiness.
Forging Your Own Path
Upon hitting a fork in the road as a photographer, Jenna was forced to find a way to pivot. She had experience and skills to share with the world, but wanted to work in a way that would allow for time with her kids and husband. So she got into podcasting.
Leveraging her background and prior successes, Jenna started what is now the Forbes top-rated Goal Digger podcast. She has spent her time teaching people what she’s learned throughout her entrepreneurial journey, while also creating resources, email lists, and courses.
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But her life is in no way dominated by this independent career. Jenna embraces a life of balance – one that includes family, travel, and hobbies she loves.
“I just feel like I’m in this beautiful place where I get to earn a living making an impact, but also get to live a life that feels even better than it looks online. And I’ve been able to do that through books, courses, podcasts, and all those things… all from the comfort of my own home and all in yoga pants.” And that’s what really matters.
If there’s one thing anyone can learn from Jenna Kutcher, it’s the importance of being able to love the work you do and the life you live at the same time. Her book ‘How Are You, Really?’ is a great guide to this, and I highly recommend giving it a read when you have the chance.
Enjoy!
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