On 2/2/22, Blue Island Oracle launched a pilot program and love project for young people in the Cayman Islands. It was designed very loosely to be a place young adults could come to grow into their visions, create in real life the ideas that live in their minds, and build a support system around their dreams. We called it the House of Hustle.
Coaching is not a directive practice, but a method of support that works to draw out the gifts of the clients and have them create momentum toward their goals. The House of Hustle was designed to do this in a group setting and the gifts that showed up in our first cohort did not disappoint.
Every week for the past two months, a group of young people have met in person or on zoom to work on their hustles. One of the first themes we bumped into was the conversation around passion. “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life” is a quote that each and every one of the hustlers have heard. And while the sentiment has been an attractive and romantic one (Mark Twain was an artist after all!) it has become the cause of analysis paralysis in a whole generation.
“Do what you love…” okay, so which of the things I love should I focus on? What do I love? What if I don’t love anything? What should I do then? What’s wrong with me if I don’t love anything I do? What if I only love watching Netflix in bed with take out? Am I lazy? Will I never be successful? What should I do?
The noise in the mind of a young person who has not found their passion can lead to a failure to launch into the world. The pressure to do things ‘right’ has left many young people paralyzed. In addition, the constant and conflicting information thrown at them through memes and social media channels like Instagram and Reddit has caused their feet to stay glued to the ground at the start of life. Then comes the judgement from parents, employers, and even peers around their paralysis, an inaction mistaken for a lack of ambition or laziness.
Over the past two months, the Hustlers have worked on dismantling this disempowering context. We have worked on the source of these beliefs, reframing the self ‘judgements’ and putting the feet in motion toward something more empowering than passion. We have had a guest speaker share on hustling with purpose and excel without passion. We have covered several elements of a successful hustle, and have built a squad of support that will outlast this program, hopefully for years to come.
As we roll into the final month of this pilot, we look forward with excitement to what our Hustlers will be unleashing into our community. I am also really excited about what the House of Hustle is poised to become. Watch this space!
