Hustle vs. Alignment: The Biggest Lesson I Learned After Moving Provinces

For the longest time, I thought success was something you had to chase. I opened a business when I was a 19-year-old girl without formal training or education on “how to be an entrepreneur”. There wasn’t an example in my family history to reference either. Success to that unfamiliar, young, and naive little girl was curated through her lens of what society told her. In Ontario, I treated my career like a race—constantly grinding, pushing, and moving so fast that I barely had time to breathe. And by the grace of God, the results came. I built something real. But when I finally reached the milestones I had been working so hard for… I didn’t feel how I thought I would.

Instead of fulfillment, I found myself caught in an unhealthy reward system—one where I barely acknowledged my wins before setting the next goal, convinced I had to keep pushing to prove myself. I had everything I thought I wanted, but no peace. I found myself living in the burnout phase. I just didn’t know it. I thought I didn’t work hard enough, not realizing I had no more fuel to work from.

Then, I moved to Alberta. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this shift in location would shift my entire mindset.

In Edmonton, the pace is different. People still work hard, but they don’t run themselves into the ground doing it. From my perspective, it looks like they don’t have to prove anything to anyone either. I can’t say the same for Ontario living, lol! I learned that success doesn’t come from chasing—it comes from alignment. I still show up, I still put in the effort, but I trust that my work and my goals will meet when they’re meant to, not because I burned myself out trying to force it.

This was a gradual mindset shift that I had to learn to embrace. Imagine moving from a place where burnout was the norm, only to realize that all that’s truly required is to show up as your authentic self—with peace, self-awareness, and the grace to grow at your own pace. It was like trying to fit into a pair of shoes that were never my size. I came wearing the hustle, but this place required alignment.

Slowing down gave me clarity. It made me stop and be still in the presence. It showed me that true success isn’t just about achieving things—it’s about recognizing their value. Because what’s the point of harvesting if you never stop to appreciate what you’ve grown?

This is when I learned that most people aren’t living; they’re reacting. That’s exactly what hustle culture does—it keeps you in a reactive state, chasing, grinding, moving from one thing to the next without ever fully being in the moment.

Experiencing both sides of the relentless grind and the ease of alignment has given me a deeper understanding of success. I needed the fast pace to appreciate the stillness and the chase to understand trust. Now, I get to move with intention, knowing that success isn’t about how fast you run but how well you align.

This shift is also shaping how I teach. As a lash educator, I don’t just want to teach techniques—I want to teach sustainability. I know what it’s like to grind so hard that you lose sight of why you started. And I also know what it’s like to step out of that cycle.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly chasing something, like success is always just out of reach, this is your reminder to pause. To create space. To trust your timing. You don’t have to catch success. You just have to align with it.

Both were a privilege to experience. Maybe this is the blues, the wisdom, and the lessons that come with being a 20-something entrepreneur. As deeply as some things may feel, they also move quickly, and there is beauty to be seen in those moments. I don’t regret being in hustle mode when I was younger because Lord knows I was working from places of passion and excitement. I gave my all—to my clients, my family, my friends—pouring into everyone around me. But I understand now that this shift into alignment requires me to pour into myself as well.

As I get older (and hopefully wiser), I’m more than ready to see where alignment takes me. I don’t want balance because that would mean constantly negotiating between two mindsets. I want alignment because alignment will take me exactly where I’m meant to go.

That same 19-year-old girl, who built a business with nothing but ambition and a dream, now understands that true success isn’t just about doing more but it’s about doing what serves you and how you can serve it. Now, I see that success isn’t something you have to catch—it’s something you meet when you’re moving in the right direction. And the best part is that I get to rewrite what success means for me, not based on what I was told but on what I’ve lived.