The Glorification of Being Busy all the time by Odilia Rivera-Santos

Good things happen to those who hustle -- Anais Nin? Jesus?
It's a cool quote but it's not Nin's

I have always loved this quote wrongly attributed to Nin and think many people misconstrue it to mean one should be doing something every minute of the day to accomplish a particular goal. Nin was a sensual woman who enjoyed slow meals with friends and parties with her intellectual peers. She was brilliant, clever and had the financial support of a husband as she meandered through her journey as an artist, writing about every aspect of her life, taking lovers and financing other artists' projects.

'Good things happen to those who hustle' has more to do with taking advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, if the fit is right, than the idea one must run from action to action all day and fall into bed exhausted every night. Ms. Nin took plenty of naps in her garden with a book slipping out of her fingertips while her lover caressed the tendrils around her face. She was no nine-to-fiver running from apartment to train station at rush hour, losing a shoe on a grate in the process.

Nin knew how to chill and kick back and sprinkle a bit of her brilliance and feminine powers to make things happen. There is a finesse to not forcing things, to not barking up the wrong tree too ferociously for too long, to not being desperate to get things done and to not expecting the worst.

THE BUSY LIFE AND NUMBNESS

Adrenaline is a great painkiller. Being busy can keep you numb and prevent you from grieving a death, grieving the end of a relationship or dealing with the emotions that come with everyday struggles in life.

Maybe, you've kept yourself outrageously busy because you fear taking a close look at your life and how the little fires are becoming infernos. 

Maybe, if you were less busy, you would find out you are lonely for family, for supportive real friendships or for a committed romantic relationship.

Maybe, you'd discover you don't like yourself as much as you'd like to and this is the driving factor behind the artificial accomplishment of being too busy all the time. 

Maybe, you don't value yourself and your accomplishments enough to believe the right work and/or the right projects will come to you.

DO YOU DARE BE LESS BUSY?

You can only examine your life and/or deepen a spiritual practice at a slow pace. 

The monkey mind going from one idea to another and from one action to another is not road to a happy life or long-lasting physical or mental health.