Hustle Less, Achieve More: The Road to Purpose-Driven Success

In this episode of Beyond Common Business Secrets, host Tracey Watts Cirino breaks down the shift from hustle culture to purpose-driven success. Learn how overworking and burnout hold you back from building a sustainable, fulfilling business, and discover actionable steps to align your work with your values. Whether you’re a small business owner, a mompreneur, or someone simply looking to create a more balanced life, this episode will guide you through transforming your hustle into a mission-focused strategy. Tune in for insights that can help you grow your business without losing yourself in the process.
Ready to get the private support you need?
Book your Deep Dive Strategy Session today!
Grab your FREE 5 Time Saving Strategies Checklist
Just starting on your Self-love and care journey? Get the Guidebook.

Are you ready to say goodbye to fear, frustration, and overwhelm when it comes to growing and scaling your business? You’re in the right place. Welcome to  Beyond Common Business Secrets Podcast I’m your host, Tracey Watts Cirino

Transcript

• Hello, and welcome to beyond common business secrets. I'm your host, Tracey Watts Cirino. And in today's episode we are discussing the importance of shifting from hustle, culture
• to
• purpose, driven success. That is why I titled this episode, hustle less, achieve more the road to purpose, driven success.
• So
• why this topic is so so important is because statistics show that this was on. This was a
• a review done by Harvard Business Review, and they did a study on women in leadership back in 2,020. And this is all about
• women in leadership.
• How burnout impacts female entrepreneurs, and what they discovered is that women entrepreneurs are 5 times more likely to experience anxiety and depression.
• There is also 60% of female business owners
• feel guilt when they take time off, and this is, according to entrepreneurial magazine
• worth. They did a work, life, balance, statistics, study.
• So there we could go on and on with so many different statistics, including one that I hear so often from the clients that I work with.
• And this is what we quote unquote, call the super mom syndrome. So 48% of working women feel pressured to excel as both mothers and entrepreneurs. So this was a survey done on working moms
• and entrepreneurship in a magazine called Motherly, and this is huge, because the long term
• affects the long term effect, like the long term effects of this
• affect both our health and our business. So
• the fact is is that entrepreneurs experience
• burnout
• 5 times more than
• anyone else that is in the same type of role. So when you suffer from burnout, you are then 4 times more likely to have to close your business, and this is according to the journal of business and business ventures. So, as you can see.
• there are so many facts and statistics supporting why, we need to hustle us
• so that we can, you know, achieve more of what's in alignment
• for our true sense of purpose
• and really be empowered to reach the level of
• personal fulfillment and satisfaction. So what what we want to talk about is.
• let's set the stage for discussing how purpose driven success
• is actually their true key to sustainable growth.
• your personal fulfillment and true business success. So
• you might ask yourself, like, what is business culture? You know we we hear often that
• do more, do more. You're not enough
• do it again. You know that kind of stuff we we kind of take all these clues and messages in. But what really is hustle culture.
• and to find to define what hustle culture means, and how it sort of glorifies this
• need to overwork, and, you know, put yourself at risk for burnout.
• hustle. Culture refu refers to a mindset that prioritizes
• restlessness
• and
• continually working and striving for success at the expense of personal well-being.
• Essentially it glorifies overworking and sees this overworking as a badge of honor.
• and I'm I don't know about you personally, but I will tell you that I wore this badge
• for years, and I wore it proud like I didn't hide it. I I thought that was what we were supposed to do.
• and oftentimes this will lead to burnout by encouraging individuals to constantly push themselves beyond reasonable limits without adequate, like adequate rest or self care. This can manifest through working
• even longer hours, neglecting your personal life, feeling pressured to constantly be productive even when off work, and this creates a never ending cycle of exhaustion and stress. So this is
• what this sort of hustle culture glorifies, and
• I think it's kind of what we were fed for a long time that you know. If you want to be successful. You have to work harder work, harder work, harder. Oh, it must be
• that you're not achieving what you really desire, or what your dreams are for your business. It must be that you're not doing enough that you're not working hard enough, and this really leads to
• the burnout rates. So some of the burnout rates when I I was looking up different things. That highlight
• sort of the mental health, the mental health and personal
• life of you know what happens during this burnout, and
• what I found
• absolutely astonishing was
• 92% of small business owners and entrepreneurs
• report being directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues. And why that's so high is because this could be because as a business owner, you often know more people, you employ a lot of people you, just have more
• people in your world. So this still is staggering. 92% is a lot for
• business owners to be of, you know, to have someone within their circle that is struggling with mental health issues.
• Then then the rest of the study went on to say, 72% of entrepreneurs, and
• especially of of entrepreneurs, reported that they
• directly, at some point in their lifetime
• were affected by mental health issues, and that oftentimes
• was
• something that stemmed from burnout. So this is
• it. It is just so overdue. It is time to really
• look at
• all of the
• hustle, culture, myths, and misconceptions that we have been dealt for far too long. Right? More hours does not mean more success.
• There actually is something called the
• productivity the productivity paradox, and the statistic states that after 50 h of work productivity drops
• like it drops
• really like like it drops hard, and then, after 55 h of work, it becomes negligible like you could take the most high performance
• performer, and if you are pushing yourself to work over 55 h.
• you are working at a rate that is
• negligible like it's dangerous to, you know. Obviously, this is, gonna depend on your industry. But it's definitely dangerous to you and your long term health. This was a study done by Stanford University
• on the study of productivity, of work hours so very trusted resources and
• so crazy. So it's like, okay, so why is hustle culture so harmful like the negative effects is that when you're operating from this place of being on it, and really in your groove, and you're energetically aligned. Yeah, you're moving and grooving, and things are happening. But when you are pushing it over those limits
• it drops so quickly. So we must
• build in time for rest, time for fun, time for creativity. Because
• then some of the things that
• that hustle culture really really is so harmful. For is
• it really can erode
• your mental and emotional health and wellbeing. It negatively affects relationships right? Because you are not really as actively involved in relationships, and I can speak from this firsthand
• when I
• had, you know, been in the thick, in the thick of this, that you know it's just you don't make time for nurturing all of your relationships, and sometimes you just don't make time for nurturing your own like health and well-being. So self care was not on my list back then. I know I talk about it all the time now, because it's so so important. So when
• you know when I was suffering from overwork and burnout I had completely like lived in a world of disillusionment. Right? It's like I I thought that that was the only way. I thought there was something wrong with me that I was not able to hit the goals I had set for myself, and personally and professionally in my business.
• unless I was operating at this capacity.
• and then, when it felt like too much, I really started like this sort of self sabotage and imposter syndrome of really feeling like something was wrong with me, so
• so much of this
• hustle culture that we see on social media. It just sort of disconnects who we are as human beings, you know, from our actual higher purpose. And you know the goal, the way I mean the way that I see it. You know. I see that
• now
• is the best time, right? It's like, if you haven't done it already, then today is the best time to shift to a purpose driven idea of what success can look like, because
• the purpose driven model of business it it contrasts
• and and sort of highlights, a lot of what's wrong with hustle culture.
• And the idea of this is that you know, we can look at business as I. I like to look at it. As you know, it's a
• it's sort of like a spiritual game, because
• being in business and pushing yourself to achieve any goal is going to reveal things about yourself. And that was part of my lesson like I needed to know about myself that wow, when when it's time to keep pushing like, I'm gonna sacrifice myself for
• the business. And that became dangerous. And that is where you know, thinking about shifting to
• to like purpose. Driven. Success is very different. So
• the shift from hustle culture to per purpose driven success. It marks a significant change to me, and how business owners
• approach their work.
• how you would approach your goals and your overall lifestyle, so, instead of chasing endless productivity and overworking to achieve short term, gains you as an entrepreneur and business owner.
• are increasingly focusing on aligning your business with your deeper sense of purpose.
• like, what is the purpose of your business like? This? Is what I ask myself often, what is the purpose of your business? What do you really value?
• And what does your long term vision look like? When I started asking myself these questions, and I take this approach. This emphasizes on how to balance
• both your professional and personal life. It focuses on intentionality and sustainability over the grind and exhaustion that often, you know, a company like the hustle culture. And this is true for thousands and thousands of small business owners that
• that I've worked with, and it is something that so many people are unconscious of. That's why it was really important for me to to share this episode and really bring it into our awareness. Because what is what is a purpose? Driven business? Right? So what is a purpose?
• What is a purpose? Driven business? And to me it is one that is founded on an operating with a clear mission that goes beyond profit.
• You know. It focuses on making a positive impact in the lives of your customers, your community, and even the world at large.
• Small business owners and entrepreneurs who run purpose. Driven businesses are deeply aligned with their values and their work.
• And then this reflects a commitment to a greater cause, whether it's helping others, fostering well-being or creating meaningful change in the world.
• I know that the more I dive into really aligning things with my purpose I am able to help more people. So this very much. This is a strong contrast to what we were told and and what's been sold right in sort of the hustle culture, and that is like.
• you know.
• from from the standpoint of hustle culture centers on the idea that success comes from this constant, hard work. I thought I was successful. The more I was pushing, the more I was grinding the more I would like achieve some next level. But I was constantly pushing myself to the sense that it like it didn't feel good even when I achieved a goal, and when I missed a goal
• I was severely depressed and severely living in a state of imposter syndrome that
• then pushed me to work harder, not allowing myself to take breaks, I would strive for more and more and more, and
• at that time in my life that my mindset was work harder, work, faster, work longer. You're not enough. You must do more like. The only thing is
• for you to be successful is, if you do more
• in that
• contrast
• very strongly with
• a purpose driven business which to me focuses on working smarter and not harder. And it's really interesting, because the more I started doing this in every business that I've ever had, this.
• this sort of like
• trans, this transformation of
• moving, moving into an area where you could start to work harder. I mean, you would work smarter instead of harder. This infus like when I would emphasize this on the intention and aligning my actions
• and values rather than just. I have to work more hours. I have to. I have to show that I'm doing more. I mean this for me. This started when I 1st worked for other people. I did it this way, but then, when I had my
• you know my my own businesses, I did this by, you know, thinking I was showing my team that I was really supportive of them by me, working myself into the ground, which
• does not make sense right, it does not make sense rationally. This was all coming from an irrational belief of thinking. I had to do more. And this is why I'm so passionate about this, and why it's really important to
• think of how
• what
• you're doing. If if you align it with
• what's most important to you. What do you pre? You know, what priorities do you have? This will create a meaningful and like more of a meaningful impact.
• over the quantity of work or thinking you have to constantly be outputting.
• So the more I don't, you know, have dug into understanding that success from create like success, truly comes from creating value for others. So the more value that I'm able to create for our customers, for our clients, for our students. This is how
• we can have
• more long term sustainable growth. So when you look at the key, you know some of the key benefits for
• purpose-driven success.
• I think it boils down to 4. So to me it's sustainability, clarity, alignment, and fulfillment. So let's dig into sustainability. So unlike hustle culture which often leads to burnout a purpose. Driven. Business is built to last. So it's not just trying to, you know, do the very best today
• it's built by prioritizing intentional actions and focusing on long term goals, business owners and entrepreneurs
• can create a sustainable work life balance that promotes both professional and personal well-being. So
• this is
• like important like. Why it matters is when entrepreneurs and business owners burn out from overworking. It leads to health issues, failed, businesses missed opportunities.
• It negatively affects
• your your team, your clients, your community at large.
• you know it's a ripple effect. So by operating with purpose, business owners can maintain energy and enthusiasm over the long haul, ensuring their long term. Business ventures have
• that longevity of sustainability and align with your own personal fulfillment.
• So clarity clarity is about having a purpose that helps you stay focused on what truly matters. Instead of being distracted by every new trend or opportunity, or every problem or every you know. Sometimes I I've worked with a lot of
• business owners that just they're constantly, always putting out fires, and the more that you can stay purpose driven as a business owner. You can assess whether an action or decision
• that you're about to make
• aligns with your mission, the more it aligns with your mission. This clarity helps you avoid, you know, burnout from chasing unnecessary goals or projects. That may be a good idea in the moment, but they're not in alignment with
• your goals. Your long term success.
• So why this matters is, you know.
• when you're living in hustle culture, entrepreneurs and business owners often feel pooled in multiple directions. They get caught up in the busyness of just doing things. And that's what what you know they wear
• as a badge of honor. And this is doing things without a real, clear reason why it's just constantly taking action. You're just like in motion. So when purpose is the anchor, you know, it's like that when clarity is the anchor. The purpose provides the clarity, making it easier to say no to distractions and yes to the things that genuinely drive long term success.
• So we're moving on to number 3 alignment. So purpose driven success means that every part of your business is in alignment with your personal values, goals and mission. Now I used to have this all backwards. I used to think that
• I, as a human, had to serve my business, and then, if I was lucky enough then I could achieve my values, goals, and mission. I had this all backwards. So
• this sort of
• being in alignment is about really aligning your personal values, goals, and mission with what you want to do in your business. This creates a sense of harmony between who you are as a human and what you do, making it feel less like a chore.
• and more like an extension of your passions. This is originally why I wrote my very 1st book beyond common the 12 essentials for success in life in the workplace. It really stems from the fact that
• if you're out of alignment it is a wake up call, do the work to get in alignment where you are, so that you can start
• coming at your life and business from this place of aligned purpose and focus.
• or that it's a it's a yellow alert that you need to change gears shift and do something different, because this is no longer what you're being called to do so. This is very important to me, and if you want to dive even deeper into this, I strongly urge you to grab beyond common the 12 essentials for success in life in the workplace. If you want an autograph
• copy, you can get it on our website, Tracy, what sereno.com, or you can get it from Amazon anytime, and it's available on audio.
• So why it matters is this hustle. Culture will often lead us to disconnect. It's a disconnect. It's almost like an internal war right between your personal life and your professional ambitions. When you're working from a place of true alignment. Every action feels intentional, and you experience a greater sense of flow and joy in your work. Even as problems arise, you're able to
• look at it like, oh, we, this, we need to
• just focus a little attention here, and this will all smooth itself out.
• You're able to get to get a look at it from what I call like the eagles view like that big eagle bird's eye view. This
• helps it
• really, really
• allow you to experience that
• greater sense of joy in a way that really is in alignment with with what your like heart's mission is, you know, and that is so so important.
• So I will tell you, though personally like this is the 4th time in my life that I've made these types of huge changes and transformations in my in my business structures, and I will say, it's not easy. I'm not sugar coating this in any way.
• It's not easy. What? Especially when you look at it like. Okay. Now, I'm making less than half of what I used to make. So I know firsthand that this is not easy, easy at all.
• I know it's not easy, and
• it's in, and it's sort of like
• takes an incredible amount of clarity
• right to help you through this. But when you are in alignment
• to take those moments of pause. And we actually, we have, like a really good guide for this, called the self care like. It's like the self, love and care guide. So I will make sure that's included in the show notes as well, because that's something that if you're in this state and you're not sure where to go. Just incorporating some of the practices within the self love and Care guide can just help you start
• to ask more of these
• important questions that will help you through this. So, as I was saying, it takes an incredible amount of clarity to have the courage to make these changes and speak about them with conviction.
• But I promise you, my friend, it will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
• and that leads us to for fulfillment.
• So purpose driven success is deeply fulfilling. Knowing that your work is making a meaningful difference in the world and not just paying the bills. Right
• gives you a sense of accomplishment that goes far beyond financial rewards. Fulfillment leads to greater happiness.
• better mental health, stronger emotional resilience.
• and
• deeper meaningful relationships and more
• prosperous creativity.
• So why does this matter?
• We, I like to put in this frame again for you in hustle culture. Success is often measured solely by external markers like revenue sales or hours worked, and oftentimes one of the 1st things I do with my business owner clients is, I will have them take the big revenue amount that they're making, because if they're coming to me feeling like a bit burnt out unhappy, they need help. They need the right strategy. They need their marketing efforts to be working.
• maybe that their branding and marketing message needs to be clarified.
• One of the 1st things I have them look at is taking their revenue and dividing it by their actual real hours worked.
• and oftentimes entrepreneurs and business owners don't know what their hours work because
• their business sucked so many extra hours out of them. They didn't track it. So this starts by 1st tracking it, and then oftentimes we might even figure out that
• once you add up all your hours and your revenue, you're making less than you would if you worked for someone.
• This gives us tremendous clarity on what is worth it.
• and what is not
• so
• like, no matter which way we look at these metrics like these external markers, revenue sales. Hours worked. I understand. I I live in the real world where these are tangible, measuring things, and we absolutely need to measure them. But they are not the only way. So it's like, however, these metrics
• only will rarely lead to lasting, lasting, long-term success and happiness. So fulfillment through purpose is the key to feeling satisfied in both life and business, making the journey itself as rewarding as the destination. If you've ever had a goal
• and worked your tushy off to get there and then got there and said, Omg.
• I thought this would be different.
• Is this it?
• I was expecting more?
• Maybe I didn't do it right.
• If you've had that moment of absolute and utter like, it's like defeating and devastating. That's when you know
• that you're out of alignment, and you need to do some things that will bring you back into alignment.
• So it's really important to bring more awareness
• and really come at this from a conscious business owner standpoint. So as we step into being more consciously aware, as business owners that we are gonna
• prioritize purpose over profit. Right? I believe you can have both purpose, prosperity, and profit. But if you're sacrificing one for the other, we need to focus on purpose, because that will actually lead you to
• sustainability and lasting profits. So
• how do you make this shift? So what we've identified as the
• best actionable steps
• for you to take to move from hustle culture to really coming from a place of conscious purpose. Driven
• entrepreneurship. Business owner is number one. Identify your core purpose.
• It's so important to know why you want to do this because those moments of where you start going.
• oh, crazy and going in the wrong direction. Your why is the guiding light, your north star that will bring you back. So you must.
• You must identify your core purpose. You want to set intentional goals. So
• setting clear purpose based goals can eliminate overwhelm. So it may want to be that you want to impact
• your community. You want to give people an opportunity to experience
• business in a way that they've never experienced before. So your your purpose could your your intentional goal here and your purpose could be really on the customer, experience being different than anyone else has ever had, it could be around helping your clients get a different amount of clarity. So there are so many different things it can be, but the more clear you are
• on making sure
• that your goals are purpose-based.
• This will eliminate overwhelm.
• and then number 3. You want to create a balance for work and rest. So I'm not talking about chasing this like
• this, this
• this illicit balance. I I like to look at it more through the lens of harmony. So there are going to be times when you're in a launch phase that you maybe are working harder. But you want to make sure your
• putting in some time for rest, some time for joy. It's not all or nothing
• creating that harmony so
• ways that you can create more harmony and put rest in there. We actually have a guide. It is called the
• 5
• Time Saving Strategies checklists. This will walk you through the 1st places to start creating this harmony. And then that brings us to Number 4, delegate and automate the
• 5 time saving strategies checklist will also help you with delegating and automation. So if you focus on the import like importance of like.
• what tool could I use that would reduce this workload? Who has the skills that would do this better than I can do it.
• When you ask yourself these kind of questions, it's much easier to delegate and automate parts of your business so that you're not having, you know, so much burnout. So and then
• the last actionable stuff I have for you is 5 is focus on impact, not activity, so I encourage you to measure success by the value you bring, not the amount of hours you worked right like. How many times have you said, Oh, my goodness, I worked 40 whole hours this week, and I feel like I didn't get anything done. But then maybe one day you decided to blow off work and go to the beach, and
• you ran into somebody that that led to your biggest client that you've ever had. Whether it was that person themselves, or a connection that they referred you to somebody.
• We are not
• measured by the amount of hours we worked. It's by the value that you bring. So allow yourself to be open to
• creating
• more value
• by doing things that
• actually light you up.
• So
• by doing this, you'll have more and more benefits of
• that come from having a purpose, you know, driven business that is truly successful. So
• again.
• when you're in the thick of the change and transformation. It may not feel like that. You might start saying, Oh, I liked. I liked a few of those
• tangible goals I had over there.
• but I promise you, if you stick it out and keep going through it, you will get more and more of the benefits of purpose driven success. So
• a
• The the best things to remember about all of this is that when you are coming from a purpose driven approach, you are going to be able to
• avoid burnout
• right? Because you're gonna be able to stay motivated when it counts. Because that's intentional. That's part of that mission.
• When you align your work with your personal values.
• It makes it so much easier for you to show up in integrity, right? Show up in integrity. Your your people are using authenticity, as if it's a new buzzword. But
• it's the essence of who you are, so the more that your work aligns with your personal values, you're living out your own true authenticity. Right? We're not
• putting on an act to be something that we're not. So you'll also attract clients and opportunities that resonate with your mission. So you're gonna be serving clients that you'd rather work with because it aligns for you.
• You are also going to create long, lasting success
• and more joy.
• happiness, and I always have to throw in laughter in both your business and personal life. So to to recap this in conclusion,
• hustle, culture is detrimental, right? It's detrimental, and we want to get rid of it and transition to purpose driven success and the benefits of this. We've gone through all of those. I hope that you found tremendous value in our episode today, and
• I invite you to join the conversation. Inside our beyond common business secrets, community on Facebook like, join the conversation. What else would you add? You know, what discoveries have you made? Where are you at in your
• journey?
• 4
• being on your road to purpose. Driven success, you know, share with us. So I, if you want to dive deeper and you need help in this area.
• I encourage you to take the next step, reach out and book a deep dive, strategy, session with me. I would love to help you get your life and business in alignment so that you can be achieving purpose, driven success.
• And do not forget to download your 5 time saving strategies checklist, so you can create more space in your calendar to start to transition to a more purposeful and aligned business model.
• I am excited to work with you on this, and, as always.
• please leave us a review and comment wherever you are tuning in to listen to this episode. I hope that you are having a beyond amazing day, and I will see you on the next one. Take care