Heart Over Hustle

I am a massive fan of Gary Vee. I bought the Hustle shirt when he first released it. I used to pride myself on the fact I could outwork any of my friends.

I lived hustle.

I breathed hustle.

Some days I felt like I was hustle.

I started telling people I poured heart and soul into my work but for the longest time it just meant I worked more hours than they did and hustled harder, sometimes up to 20 hours in a day just to get the “job” done.

And for a while, that worked.

Until it didn’t.

I was crushing it on the outside but was getting crushed on the inside. I was losing my way, losing friends who were tired of my prideful ego, and I was setting a bar that couldn’t be reached for all of my employees.

Moral of this story? You can win in business and still feel like you’re losing in life.

Gary Vee realized the narrative was setting a bad standard and shifted his message to patience, kindness, and emotional awareness.

Why?

Because even he learned that hustle is empty when it’s disconnected from heart.

And HEART is everything.

I was burning out, feeling empty, and even though I seemed successful on the outside, I had created a hustle-driven work ethic that was far from sustainable.

Not to mention, if I was truly a man on a mission that wanted to influence people and help change their lives for the better, I needed to realize that hard work without heart work just leads to complete and utter burnout.

Not a place where anyone wants to be led.

It’s not that hard work is wrong. It’s that direction matters more. Gary Vee eventually realized it and said it like this for those of you still on the fence about starting something:

Love that so much — Opportunity that’s in your heart.

For me the heart work started with realizing who I was becoming (someone I wasn’t proud of) and changing that to become who I wanted to be (someone putting his faith and family first, including being more loving, kind, purposeful, diligent, respectable, passionate, trustworthy and generous).

In fact, I really just want my life to reflect ALL the fruits listed out in Scripture:

I think we can all agree this world would be such a better place if everyone sought a faith-driven framework like this instead of self-serving ones.

Reflecting on these fruits was the process that led me to launch a new chapter dedicated to men on the move like yourself, with Soulfire.

I doubled down on who I am as a human first: someone loved by God that loves others and wants them to know Him and succeed in life.

Then I started to listen to the voices around me and the ever increasing burdens on my heart: to help men activate their faith, lead their families and build great businesses.

I hadn’t realized how deep that dream went until I audited my life’s trajectory and asked my closest friends to tell me why they appreciated my friendship. The clarity this process gave me was like an explosion of joy in my soul.

And thus, Soulfire was born as my next chapter.

I believe that call for us as men is what I call Follow Your Soulheart: Stop Chasing Your Dreams and Start Building Them. No matter where you are in the chase, the build, or the legacy… there’s room to grow at the core of who you are.

And it all starts with your heart, not your hustle.

Take the next 10 minutes and audit your life.

Here was mine this week:

I unplugged from work, immersed myself into building memories with my son Clay on his elk hunt, and while he slept tonight I wrote this newsletter to remind you that this world needs your HEART before it needs your hustle.

If you want to go even further, choose 3-5 of your closest friends and ask them, Why do value our friendship? or What parts of your friendship with me do you appreciate the most? This was incredibly eye-opening for me, and my prayer is that it’s the same for you this week!

Special Thanks to my good friend, Kyle Moule. Kyle is founder of Light Post Industries (LPi), a movement of grace and purpose. A ministry that exists to help people rediscover their light in the midst of darkness. It calls individuals to rise from pain, walk in love, and reflect the light of Jesus so others may find their way too. LPi is more than words or content; it’s a living reminder that when one person shines, the whole world gets brighter. Listen in to Kyle’s encouraging word to the men of Soulfire and be sure to show Kyle some support!

You guys are the best.

See you next week,
Joshua Brown, Chief Firestarter at Soulfire

PS: I’m currently filming content for a 21-day program that’s designed to take all these steps and frameworks further. If you’d like to get a glimpse before it’s fully released then reply “HEART OVER HUSTLE” to this email and I’ll make sure you’re included!