Why The Hustle Is Keeping You Broke

Register or find out more about the $2k Cash Boost By Christmas Challenge Here

Summary
In this episode of the Living My Life Like It's Golden podcast, Louisa Larado explores the concept of shifting from a hustle mentality to an abundance mindset. She discusses the societal pressures that keep us in a constant state of busyness and the importance of stopping to appreciate what we already have. Louisa shares her personal journey of overcoming financial struggles and emphasizes the role of mindset in achieving financial well-being. She provides practical steps for listeners to cultivate an abundance mindset and invites them to join her upcoming challenge aimed at boosting financial health.

Takeaways

• Stop each day to appreciate what you have.
• The hustle culture keeps us stuck in a losing cycle.
• Awareness is key to shifting your mindset.
• You can be more productive by slowing down.
• Lack attracts more lack; abundance attracts abundance.
• Self-care is essential for personal growth.
• Reflect on your day to find joy in small things.
• You deserve to live your best life.
• Mindset shifts can lead to financial improvements.
• Join the free $2k challenge to boost your financial health.

Find out more about my next workshop Thriving Together: A 1/2 Retreat for Mums and Teen Daughters by clicking here

Want more? You can check out my website for more free resources or follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Disclaimer: The information contained on today’s podcast has been provided as general advice only. The contents have been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or individual needs. Before making any decision regarding the information, strategies or products mentioned on today’s episode, please consult your own financial advisor or other professional first.

Chapters

• 0:00 The Hustle Culture and Its Consequences
• 8:42 Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance Mindset
• 11:11 Cultivating an Abundance Mindset
• 22:34 Breaking the Hustle Cycle and Finding Joy

Transcript

Hi and welcome to the Living My Life Like It's Golden podcast. I'm your host, Louisa Larado And on today's episode, I want to explore the idea that the hustle that we're all living right now, where we are busier and life is crazier than ever. We feel like we're constantly striving. We're on the go all the time just to sort of

keep up and get by. Why is that hustle keeping us broke? Why is it not allowing us to reach our full potential? And why is it not making us feel fulfilled? So we're going to explore those ideas in the episode, so stay tuned for that.

Thanks so much for tuning in today. So why is the hustle keeping you broke? Right now, just looking around our society,

You just have to scroll through social media or have conversations with friends and family and everyone is busier than they've ever been. The research shows that we are working longer hours than ever before. We all striving for this elusive work-life balance thing that we all hear about and we're trying to figure out how to create it, but it just doesn't seem possible. In fact,

The harder we try to reach it, the further away it seems to get. And it's like we're setting ourselves up to fail. And I know for me, when I was in hustle mode,

If you're not aware of my story, it went from living quite an abundant life to filing bankruptcy and then having to figure out how to rebuild completely from scratch again when we still had two young kids that we were supporting and we just need to figure out how to get our lives back on track. And it took a while because we'd gone through all these different ideas of that money didn't serve us anymore.

that we had to shift. But one of the things that I fell into immediately after I filed bankruptcy was, all right, well now we've got to work hard. That's what society tells us we've got to do. That's how we create more money. just looking around now, cost of living is higher than ever. Inflation is at an all time high. Interest rates are higher than they've been in years.

It's almost like we are in this sinking ship as a collective in society and we're trying to bail it out but the bucket that we're trying to bail our ship out with is full of holes and the harder we work at it the more that we're going down. And I don't know if that's familiar to any of you that are listening but for me when I...

was trying to rebuild from our bankruptcy initially, my idea was, okay, well, the more money we earn means the more money we will have. So in order to earn more money, we need to work harder. And I was teaching and I was also had multiple side hustles on the go at the time. So I did not understand the idea of downtime. I would come home from work, I would work on

business or two and I would try and be constantly on the go and my brain told me if I was just relaxing or if I was laying on the couch reading a book or watching TV or doing something that was not striving towards reaching that goal then I wasn't gonna get do it and I felt

in those times where I did want to take some time out for myself that I felt like that was time that was wasted and I couldn't truly appreciate it. And what I then realized through doing this for a couple of years that and I switched into this autopilot living and that's where I felt like it was like the same thing like Groundhog Day every day you wake up, you make your kids lunch, you get yourself ready for work, you go to work, you come home, you're cleaning it.

doing kids activities, maybe helping them with homework or dropping them off at their own activities, then you're to make dinner and then you're going to clean up again and then you're going to do it all again the next day. So it was this constant cycle of trying to cram as much as I possibly could into my day without actually stopping, without even looking around and thinking, wow, what actually is, what have I enjoyed today? It was like just existing.

And yeah, we were earning more money, but do you think we had more money as a result? And it's crazy because you think surely the more money you earn, the more money you have, but that definitely is not the case all the time. Because what tends to happen and through a lot of trial and error, I mean learning this the hard way, is that when you are in that hustle mentality, when you're always on the go, when you're busy,

when you are just trying to keep up with everyone else and tick off all the boxes, tick off your to-do list, that's putting you in this constant state of lack. It's like you are never enough. There's always more to be done. It is never just done. I mean, have you ever actually ticked off everything on a to-do list that you've set and then thought, well, that's it. There's no more I need to do. There's always going to be something else. There'll be something else for tomorrow.

or something else later that day that comes up. So we already know that we're setting ourselves up to fail by setting these unrealistic goals. So this puts us in this lack mindset. And what I found through my own experience is when I was in lack, when I was constantly focusing on the stuff that I haven't done or the stuff that I don't have already, or the stuff that I should have,

or comparing myself to other people what they have and what I don't have or even the times where, you know, we had some money saved up and I was holding onto that money so tightly because I was scared that we were going to lose it again. This all is that lack or that scarcity mindset. And what happened in those circumstances when I was like that is we still have paycheck to paycheck. We were both earning good money.

We were both generating income from multiple sources. But for some reason, it wasn't because we were big spenders. It was because unexpected expenses always seem to show up in our lives or we just because we're in lack, couldn't feel worthy, I think, especially me. I didn't feel worthy of actually having money and keeping money, I should say. And

This all comes down to your mindset stuff, but when I worked through that that was what was keeping me stuck, that I was not feeling worthy of it, that I was always focusing on what I don't have or what could happen, the worst case scenarios or never feeling fulfilled and never feeling like I had enough. Then all these different things would always show up. So it might be getting some unexpected bills.

having costly repairs that need to be doing that you didn't account for or any other unplanned expense would always seem to its head up. So it didn't matter that we started to get some money in our savings that would always seem to be taken up by something else that seemed to be out of my control. So when I actually did the hardest work of all and the hardest work of all has nothing to do with

how to hustle more, how to set up multiple businesses, how to try and manage your money better or invest your money better. What the hardest step was, was working on my mindset. And the foundation of my mindset when I realized that I was just in this lack and this scarcity space and that was what was keeping me broke.

That was not serving me in any way. So I had to shift. had to figure out how to switch over to more of an abundance mindset. And it really starts. It's once you are aware and awareness is such the starting point, it's the key you need to be aware of. And unfortunately, there's a few things that are just setting us up to fail from the get go. Setting all of us up to fail. Number one is our

brain. So right now we still have our caveman brain which is that survival flight-of-flight type of brain where your brain's primary job is to protect you, to keep you safe from any threats. And we are very fortunate, we live in a society where we're probably not going to get attacked by a saber-toothed tiger or have any immediate threats where we're going to be chased through the woods by a lion or anything like that.

But our brain thinks that any sort of thing that may cause us that stress or that worry is something that we need to be protected from.

So what ends up happening with our brain now is if it has any threat to your comfort level. So your comfort level is where you probably currently are sitting right now. And anything that sort of pushes you to that next level where maybe it involves taking a risk, maybe it involves you doing something you've not done before,

even if it's something so simple, this can really affect your brain and it thinks that it needs to protect you. So what it does to protect you and keep you in that safe place, keep you playing small, is it gives you all these reasons and it's usually in the form of this little voice in your head that says, no, you can't do that. That's not for you. You're not good with money. You're not able to do that. know, money is always going to be hard for you. All these different limiting ideas will be

pop itself up. And that is just your brain's way of trying to keep you small, keep you in its comfort zone. And that does not serve you in any way. It just keeps you in that lack mentality. So you need to actually do the work and retrain your brain. And even though that sounds crazy, it actually is a lot easier than you think. Now there's so much science on this now how...

this thing called neuroplasticity, which means it's our brain's ability to rewire itself.

Louisa Larado (11:14)

what I found is the best way to start retraining your brain and switching over into that more abundance mindset is to actually stop each day have even if it's just for one minute every single day to stop and look around and appreciate and notice what you already have showing up in your life. Cause when you're always in hustle mode, when you are

always busy. you're just focusing on the next step, the next step, the next step, which means you are not seeing actually what's around you. So you're trying to be maybe the best mom and the best wife and the best person and the best business person and the best worker and employee. But are you actually stopping to

notice what how they all makes you feel. Is there anything that went really well in your day that you can stop and reflect on think actually that was a really good part of my day. When you were driving to work or to drop off your kids or wherever you were going did you notice the beautiful nature that was around you on the journey or were you just focused on the destination or your brain going over and over all the stuff you've still got to do on your journey.

So it's when you actually stop and notice what's around you because we already are surrounded by so many amazing things in our life. And this is regardless of your current financial situation. Now, if you have the ability to be listening to this podcast, I'm assuming that you have a device of some sort. I'm assuming that you have access to the internet and technology. So think of already just how many ways that

That improves the quality of our life. Now, if you've got a light that you can turn on and have electricity instantly, if you can turn on a tap and have water coming to you, then you have so much more than so many people in the world already. But when was the actual last time you stopped and noticed these things? If you had a bed that you were sleeping on comfortably last night, if you have clothes that you can wear each day, like there is so many things around you right now.

that can make you feel more abundant and can switch you into that mindset. But we don't stop and notice them. And I know for ages, I did not stop and notice these things. I was just in autopilot. Like I say, I was just go, go, go. And my bank balance was a clear reflection of my current emotional state. So when I actually

started taking steps and became aware of it first, but then started taking steps to change that and start to rewire my brain into a different way of thinking and a different way of seeing things. I realized that by slowing down more, by taking a bit of time for myself each day,

This actually wasn't selfish. wasn't stopping me from doing things. It actually benefited everyone in my family. Because what started to happen was I was a lot more productive in the time that I was spent in doing mode. But I also became a lot more patient. I became a lot more of a better person in general just to

be around, was more receptive, I was better at listening to people. And as a result, my relationships improved, my friendships improved, and I was a better role model for my kids by taking that time and slowing down. And often when we are in this busy go, go, go mode all the time, we're not showing up as the best version of ourselves. We are showing up as this

shell of ourselves. Often we feel resentful when we're in this mode too. We can't understand why more people aren't helping us or why they can't just read our mind and do the things that we want them to do and that we expect them to do but we actually haven't asked them to help us. And if we're doing things for others because we want to be doing things for others. If you are a mum then you probably you know want to help out your kids or you've got the best advice you think for your partner and

when they don't take that advice or they take our help or assistance for granted, we get really angry and resentful with them. But we're actually not clearly communicating those things. So when you stop and slow down a bit and start to retrain your brain to get into abundance mode, then all these things you start to notice showing up in your life and you can when you're aware of something, that's the

best step to actually start making differences and to stop yourself sometimes from repeating the same patterns because we all know if you do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome, well, there isn't that definition of insanity. if things aren't working for us, we need to change them, but we need to be aware of what's not working. And you can't have that awareness until you actually stop and take the time to look and reflect on

What really is going on? So when I did learn to do this and I switched over to abundance mode and it started with a few little things and then I gradually increased different mindset techniques. So it wasn't just the abundance thing, but that was a real good starting point. I found the less time that I spent in that hustle mode and the more time I spent having more fun.

doing things I enjoyed, spending quality time with my family and actually looking at what do I actually enjoy? Like when you're in that mode, that struggle mode, the hustle mode, the busy mode, you forget what you actually enjoy. You lose complete touch of what actually makes you happy. What are the things that light you up? What do you actually value? And for me, it's things like going for walks out in nature, spending time

playing games or doing activities with my family, having great conversations with friends, going camping, traveling. So these are all the things that truly light me up, that make me feel that I'm in flow when I'm doing these things. So if you've forgotten what those things are, then you need to stop and start having a think yourself. And then the more I started doing these things that I knew were the things that lit me up.

the things that made me happy that brought me joy. This is when I started seeing a shift in everything. It wasn't just my my bank balance which definitely made a massive shift when I switched my mindset but I found like I said I was more productive in the times where I was working or I was doing things that I needed to get done in my day.

And I didn't feel like I had to constantly be juggling all these bulls and never keeping up. I wasn't feeling resentful anymore of those people around me or the situations. Or I didn't feel like I was comparing myself to others because I was feeling more fulfilled in my own life because I knew how to tap more into that abundance. And if you're not spending any time in your day doing anything that brings you any joy,

then you're not going to be getting into that abundance mindset. You're going to be staying in lack. You're going to be staying in scarcity. And if you're a woman, our default can be to think that we've just got to do all of these things and be that carer and nurturer for everyone around us. But that doesn't serve anyone. It doesn't serve anyone. And it took me a long time to figure this out for myself.

And often we repeat the same patterns that we see our own mothers doing. I know my mom wasn't a fantastic mom and she was always there for us and our kids and she would always put us above herself and anything else. And that's the model that I then started replicating when I have my own kids. And that is exhausting. That is tiring. And I didn't enjoy parenting like that in any way.

I remember thinking, if the days pre-kids, you know, that was so much easier. And it wasn't until I actually learned that that wasn't the only way to parent. That was actually causing my kids more harm than good. And I'm not saying that my mom did anything wrong. And if you were currently parenting like this, that you were definitely not doing anything wrong. But for me personally, I realized that I was setting them up to do the same steps and be that same role model. And that I also...

wasn't showing up for them entirely because I felt resentful and it didn't feel good to me. And you can gauge your mindset. How do you currently feel? If you're feeling burnt out, resentful, stressed, angry, stressed, worried, any of those things, then you're in lack. When you are feeling just joy, gratitude, happy in flow, at ease, peaceful, you know, you've had a bit of fun.

then that is when you are in that abundance mindset. So the goal in the day and I'm not saying I am constantly in abundance mindset all day. Of course, there are times where I go back into lack, into worry, into stress, but those times are less. And I have that awareness now because I make sure consciously throughout my day, there are times where I have nothing scheduled, where I can just be.

and reflect on what's going on. And I know how to quickly shift out of those feelings now rather than staying stuck in them and recognizing those patterns. And honestly, when you learn to slow down, when you learn to break the hustle cycle, you see that you are going to be so much more productive.

So my message and my take home for you today is have a look at where in your life you are still hustling, where you're still busy and how that's making you feel. And even if you start by setting a timer or an alarm that goes on your phone,

for one minute every single day, just to stop and reflect and look around you and see what's actually gone well in your day. How are you already so abundant? And the more you do that and the more awareness you bring to what your actions are currently making you feel and the people around you feel, you're going to...

tap this new found level that is going to open you up to so many more opportunities. And like I said, when I made this shift, my bank balance reflected on that too. And it sounds crazy, but it's that whole like attracts like, lack attracts more lack, abundance attracts more abundance. So give it a try. What have you got to lose? start with one minute a day and then increase. We'll find some things that you can add to your day too.

bring you some more joy and light you up because you deserve to be living your best life. You don't need to be playing it small. You're not serving anyone by being this burn out shell version of yourself. You owe it to yourself, you owe it to your family, your loved ones, your friends to show up fully as the person you are meant to be. So give it a go and share in the comments what

change for you when you put these things into place.

Now to help you shift your mindset, if you want even more steps to help you get to that next level and stop you feeling broke, I've got a really fun challenge that's happening in just over a week. And it's the 2K cash boost by Christmas three day challenge. And it's going to be amazing. It's going to be so much fun. And this is a completely free virtual challenge so you can

register wherever you are in the world and be part of it. And over the three days, I'm going to be sharing so many insights and tools on how really you can change your mindset around money and just tap more into this abundance mindset that I was talking about in today's episode. I'm also going to show you how you can have an extra $2,000 saved in time for Christmas because I know for so many people,

It can be a struggle and this often is when we go into this hustle busy mode. I'm going to show you how to break that cycle and create an additional $2,000 in your account in time for Christmas without the hustle, without the stress and to feel really good and really empowered and really inspired by it so you can enjoy the Christmas period with your family and friends. Feeling just in flow, feeling a

abundant, feeling great about your money and not having to worry about it. What a gift that will be to everyone in your life if you are able to show up as your best version of yourself and you're going to have that $2,000 cash buffer, which I'm going to give you the exact steps that you will be able to achieve in time for Christmas if you follow the roadmap that I'm going to give you during this challenge. So like I say, it's completely free to take part.

You just need to make sure you're registered and if you can't show up live to the event, if you're registered, you'll be able to still catch it on the replay. But there's going to be so much goodness I'm going to share with you all for free. So click the link in the show notes to register your spot or to learn a bit more or just go to louisalarado.com forward slash.

challenge and you'll find all the details on how to save your spot and what we will be covering. So I really hope I'll see you in the challenge. If not, thank you so much for listening to today's episode. I hope you can see that you can definitely make some shifts to break that hustle mode and break that cycle. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, leave me a review,

subscribe or follow along to the podcast and I'll see you on the next episode or hopefully inside the challenge.