By: Ryan P., 24, Freelance Photographer

I used to believe that success meant waking up at 5 AM, grinding all day, and hustling until you collapsed. Instagram told me that. So did YouTube. And I believed them—until I burned out at 23.

I was juggling three jobs, skipping meals, sacrificing sleep. My anxiety was through the roof, but I kept telling myself, “This is what winners do.” Then one day, I blacked out at a wedding gig. Woke up in an ER, IV in my arm, the doctor shaking his head at me. “You need to slow down, kid.”

Slowing down felt like failure. But I didn’t have a choice. So, I started small. I set real work hours. I stopped checking emails at midnight. I scheduled breaks—actual, intentional breaks.

Then I did the hardest thing—I stopped comparing. No more doom-scrolling through millionaire morning routines. No more thinking I was falling behind just because I wasn’t crushing it 24/7.

Now? I work smarter, not harder. I still hustle, but on my terms. And funny enough, I’m actually making more money and producing better work. Turns out, success isn’t about how early you wake up—it’s about how well you use the hours you’re awake.