RESPONSE — Hello Tracy,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply.

I want to start off by saying that I don’t think you should give up on your goals (not unless you want to).

What I am suggesting is that you give up on the idea that you might succeed, and instead, focus on achieving your goals for their own sake in a sustainable way.

In activism, there is a saying: “This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

It generally means that you cannot just resist all the time, but also need to focus on your wellbeing. I see a lot of people (both in and out of the activist space ) mortgaging their health to achieve goals, and then quickly burning out because they no longer have the physical or mental energy to engage.

This unsustainability is what I hate about hustling.

I am suggesting that you have to be comfortable with the reality that you might not succeed in the short-term or ever, and that’s okay.

Whether you are an activist trying to dismantle the patriarchy or a scientist working on nuclear fusion, some people devote their lives to things that simply won’t be achieved in their lifetimes.

It doesn’t mean that they should give up. It just means that all of us need to adjust our expectations of success.

The fact that you are devoting yourself to something lofty is a good thing, just don’t get disappointed by your inability to meet that lofty goal. Focus on your health, and keep living your life.

It’s the growth we experience from such struggles that makes everything worth it.