Former First Lady Michelle Obama once said, “There’s an age-old maxim in the Black community: You’ve got to be twice as good to get half as far.”
Today, ambition is celebrated as the antidote to historic adversity. From a young age, many are often taught that success requires relentless hustle. This cultural mantra speaks to perseverance and excellence, but it also carries a dangerous subtext that career triumph must come at the cost of one’s health and well-being, according to Black Physicians and Healthcare Network.
As Black achievers excel across various industries, a critical question arises: Does ambition inevitably lead to exhaustion? Analyzing research on burnout, overwork and racial inequities reveals that the answer should be a resounding no. Success need not demand self-sacrifice, and challenging this assumption is key to sustaining both professional progress and personal wellness.
The high cost of hustle culture
Hard work is part of the American ethos. Still, simultaneously, workplace burnout has become a widespread phenomenon, so much so that in 2019, the World Health Organization officially classified burnout as an occupational syndrome caused by chronic, unmanaged stress.
Per Bankrate, more side hustlers than ever are taking on extra jobs to fund discretionary expenses, with 41% of side hustlers using their side gig to finance voluntary purchases, outpacing financing living expenses, paying down debt and boosting savings. Gen Z-ers (ages 18 to 28) have the most side hustles, with 34% supplementing their income with a side job, surpassing millennials by 31%, Gen X-ers by 23% and boomers by 22%.
The grind is often glamorized, but overwork has dire health consequences. A medical study conducted by Current Cardiology in 2018 reported that people who worked more than 50 hours per week significantly raised the risk of heart disease and strokes and contributed to high blood pressure due to prolonged stress.
In other words, the body keeps score: Long hours and constant pressure erode physical health. Mental health fares no better: Chronic stress diminishes productivity and can lead to anxiety, insomnia and depression.
The culture of “rise and grind” promises eventual rewards, but often delivers burnout and breakdown instead.
Racial disparities
A Pew Research Center chart shows that about 51% of Black workers say being Black makes it harder to succeed at work, compared to 18% of White workers, highlighting pressures Black professionals face.
Black professionals often feel they must outperform simply to be seen as equals. This sentiment isn’t mere paranoia – it reflects lived experiences and systemic bias. In the 2023 Pew survey, four-in-ten Black workers (41%) reported experiencing discrimination in hiring, pay, or promotions due to their race.
Career advancement data underscores the uphill climb. According to a McKinsey survey “Race in the workplace”, Black employees make up 12% of entry-level positions in large companies, their representation of the workforce declines to 7% at the managerial level. Across the senior manager, vice president and senior vice president levels, Black representation is at 4% to 5%, the report found.
Challenging the norm
The idea of “Black excellence,” or excelling to make one’s family and community proud, is a powerful motivator, but it can morph into Black exhaustion.
As Yasmine Jameelah, an African and Native American entrepreneur, journalist and wellness advocate, wrote of her achievements, “…I don’t know if, as a culture, we’ve had enough honest dialogue around the fatigue of Black excellence. No matter your industry, as a Black person, you feel the pressure to succeed at all costs. We were all taught those famous words uttered on Scandal by Rowan Pope: “You have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.” I don’t know if we ever stopped to think about what it would feel like on the other side of achieving; we just wanted to get there, to make our people proud. To show them that their sacrifices were worth it.”
“Ambition does not mean exhaustion” is more than a catchy phrase. It’s a call to action. It challenges a long-held assumption that to be Black and successful, one must accept perpetual fatigue as the price of admission.
