Here’s a hot take in the world of “fake it till you make it”: It’s OK to try.
And it’s OK to let people know that actually, you’re trying really, really hard.
A few weeks ago in San Francisco, I went to a show for a band called Smut. They’re a DIY noise pop band from Cincinnati (and if that’s not the hippest sentence I’ve ever typed I’ll eat my vintage jean jacket).
After the show, I complimented the band on their set and — instead of responding with “cool” or “awesome” or “wanna buy a T-shirt?” — all the guitarist said was, “Thanks, we’re trying really hard.”
It wasn’t sad or apologetic; it wasn’t a complaint; it was just honest. And it was maybe the coolest thing he could’ve said.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot.
I’m not saying we should all be whining about how hard our lives are to anyone who’ll listen.
I’m just saying that “effort” doesn’t have to be a dirty word; that we shouldn’t have to pretend that we were born charming and successful and knowledgeable for others to respect us; and that showing a human amount of perspiration during the race doesn’t lessen the victory.
This is just to say, we didn’t just walk out of the womb writing business news at The Hustle, we actually tried pretty hard — and we’re putting our backs into it again this week, just like all the others before it.
It might only be Monday, but between you and me, I’m already sweaty.
— Lindsey Quinn, Managing Editor of The Hustle