They say alignment is the new hustle.
To me, alignment means making sure how I’m living is aligned with my heart.
This includes making sure what I say I want is what my heart really wants. And tuning into my body and intuition to tell me when to rest, play, and create.
They say alignment is the way to find the path of least resistance to your dreams.
It is the way of surrendering, trusting, and allowing.
It is the way of living in flow state, taking inspired action, and following your joy.
When you’re aligned with your soul, the wind fills your sails. Life becomes magical in this space.
It feels like you’re at the right place at the right time, opportunities and people come to you “randomly” with exactly what you need, and you are keenly aware how much you influence your day-to-day reality.
You feel inspired to take action, and each step unfolds to show you the way based on what feels most exciting or easy.
Hours go by, engrossed in creating, and it feels like 10 minutes.
Spending a day, or week, in a state of surrendered flow feels otherworldly.
But after experiencing both ways – hustle and alignment – I believe we need both.
I believe in hustle AND alignment.
There’s nothing wrong with hustling. Creating from a place of alignment often looks like hustling – they can be very similar.
It’s about balancing the two and making sure what’s fueling your drive to hustle is coming from a positive place instead of lack or fear.
But from childhood, I believed I needed to work hard to become successful.
I watched my parents sacrifice so much for our family – just so we could survive and “make it” as immigrants in America.
No matter how many milestones we reached, it seemed like it was never enough.
In school, sports, and my career, I hustled to achieve my goals. And it worked well for me.
But it took me to a place I never want to visit again: completely burnt out, waking up with heart palpitations, anxiety fogging my mind to the point where I lost myself.
So I started wondering – is there another way?
I realized I had pushed myself to achieve so much in my life because 1) that’s how I felt most seen and loved by my parents from a young age and 2) I’m a naturally ambitious person.
So the first driver wasn’t healthy, but the second was a part of my personality.
I came into the world with racing shoes on, ready to DO this life.
Without the hustle, the big dreams, the drive – I wouldn’t be me.
It is part of the meaning behind my name: “Spreading love, through strong will and beauty.”
But we need both strength and softness. Strong will and beauty.
Just like the flowers in the meadow – they have a strong will to live, but their blooming, their beauty, happens as naturally as we breathe.
Like most people, I had spent too much time hustling and controlling my life that I didn’t trust myself to surrender and allow.
In the past few years, aligning with my heart and soul taught me the power of creating with ease.
But without alignment, hustle can lead to burnout. Or rushing up a career ladder, unaware that it’s not the right one for you.
And without some hustle, alignment can feel like you’re not tapping into the potential that you can now taste.
But when your heart is aligned with your dreams, hustle will feel different. It will be fueled by inspired action, joy, and excitement. You’ll feel deeply connected to your soul’s mission in this life – and all your hard work will realign with this higher purpose.
If you overdo it, it can still lead to burnout and anxiety.
I’ve found that because I feel excited about my dreams, there’s so much I want to get done. My mind races as I try to accomplish more in a day than I can.
It pulls me away from the present moment, and I ignore the intuitive nudge to rest.
So there needs to be a balance. In between the time spent doing, there needs to be time for rest, reflection, and play.
An hour spent meditating on your work can end up far more “productive” and centering than an hour struggling at your desk.
The key is to find alignment first – then hustle.
Make sure the compass is pointing in the direction of your heart before pressing the accelerator.
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This is Part 1 of a two-part blog post. Read Part 2 here: My Process for Finding Alignment with Your Heart and Dreams
If you want to follow my writing, I share it more frequently on my Instagram @ashmi.path and Facebook.
You might also like: How to Trust Yourself: Taking the Leap to Follow Your Heart
Written with love,
Ashmi 💖
