November 6
Exposing the Myth of Hustle in Real Estate
If real estate feels like both blessing and burden, this episode is your invitation to slow down.
The truth? The industry glorifies hustle — but it rarely leads to peace.
In this episode, Garrett unpacks what it means to trade exhaustion for obedience and to build a business rooted in faith instead of fear.
You’ll hear how the world’s version of “success” praises endless activity, but God calls us to something better — rest, trust, and stewardship. Garrett shares personal stories of burnout, biblical wisdom on provision, and practical ways to realign your business with what matters most.
You’ll Learn
Why hustle culture is really a fear response disguised as ambition
The difference between outworking others and outthinking with wisdom
What scripture says about provision and trusting God with the results
How to identify when “hustle” has become an idol in your life
Practical rhythms to replace striving with peace and obedience
Next Steps
Pause for reflection: Take 15 minutes this week to pray through this question — “Lord, am I building this my way or Yours?”
Recommit to rest: Protect a Sabbath day, unplug, and let God provide while you rest.
Share this episode: Encourage another agent who’s been stuck in the grind — remind them there’s a better way.
Transcript & Highlights
Garrett shares his journey from burnout to balance, exploring the myth that harder work guarantees success. He contrasts the world’s definition of hustle with God’s design for faithfulness, walking through scriptures like Ecclesiastes 2:22–23, Psalm 127:1–2, and Matthew 11:28–30. The episode ends with a challenge to evaluate where hustle has replaced trust — and an invitation to build a business anchored in obedience and peace.
Garrett Maroon:
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of The Faithful Agent Podcast. I'm your host, Garrett Maroon, and today I want to speak to the agent who's been told that hustle is the only way to win.
You know, I’ve been in this industry for eleven and a half years. Those of you who’ve been listening to the show and following along know that I’ve been fortunate to sell over 650 homes. But I remember early on believing and being taught by industry leaders that if I just worked harder, stayed up later, and answered more calls, I’d finally feel successful. But truthfully, all it did was burn me out.
You might feel that same way. And so I started to ask myself a question — because yes, I was selling homes. It was working. But I was exhausted. I never felt like I could step away from my phone. I remember waking up early, checking my phone, and thinking, I’m not going to work yet, but then seeing an email at 5:30 a.m. and answering it anyway. I remember answering calls at 10 p.m. on a Friday night for questions that could have easily waited until Monday.
So I had to start asking myself: What if hustle isn’t the answer? What if harder isn’t better, but obedience is?
Garrett:
The world gives us a very clear definition of success. We’re praised for being busy — for doing more, for always being available, open 24/7.
I remember early in my career working with one of the top agents in our office. He called me multiple times on a Sunday. I wasn’t working — I had started setting some boundaries. On Monday morning, I listened to his voicemails, and he was furious, cursing me out, saying, “You’ve got to be available 24/7! I have important information for you!”
So I called him back and said, “Mike, I respect what you’re saying, but you don’t get to determine my hours for me. I’ll run my business how I run my business. Now, how can I help?”
He said, “I needed to let you know the termite inspection came back clear.”
I thought, You needed to tell me that on Sunday? Just because you’re anxious doesn’t mean I need to be.
The world idolizes activity — it idolizes volume and production. The people who get celebrated at the end of the year might be going home to empty houses. Hustle is glorified, but it rarely leads to peace.
Garrett:
Ecclesiastes 2:22–23 says:
“What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest.”
As believers, we’re called to pursue something different.
I realized I had two options: I could outwork others, or I could outthink them. And if I could outthink them, I wouldn’t have to outwork them.
So I started setting boundaries and intentionally spent an hour a day reading business books. That’s 250 hours a year learning, growing, and sharpening my mind. Maybe my competition wasn’t doing that — maybe they were just working longer. But I was learning to think differently.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
There’s a difference between hustle and being faithful in business. Hustle is about control and striving. Faithfulness is about trust and peace.
Hustle says, “It’s all on me.”
Faithfulness says, “I’ll do my part and trust God with the rest.”
Garrett:
Scripture reminds us over and over again that the Lord provides.
Think of the Israelites — trapped at the Red Sea, complaining to Moses, thinking they were doomed. Then God parts the waters. Later, when they’re hungry, He literally rains down manna from heaven. Yet they still say, “What have you done for us lately?”
The reality is this: the Lord is the one who provides.
Our job is not provision — our job is obedience.
There’s provision and there’s action. God controls the output; we control the input.
So when you do your part, you can trust God to provide exactly what you need.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the best cold-caller or social media expert in the world — if the Lord hasn’t willed that result, it’s not going to happen. That’s not an excuse for laziness; it’s an invitation to peace.
Matthew 11:28–30 says:
“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
That’s Jesus’ call — not to strive endlessly, but to rest in His provision.
Garrett:
Sometimes hustle is a disguise for fear.
We overwork not because we’re ambitious, but because we’re afraid — afraid of slowing down, afraid of missing out, afraid of not being enough.
Maybe hustle has even become an identity. Maybe it’s become an idol.
I’m convicted just saying that, because I’ve been there. Even when I stop working physically, my mind keeps running. I’m with my wife or my kids, but mentally I’m still at the office, thinking about deals and growth.
Why? Because I’m afraid that if I stop thinking, stop striving, someone else will get ahead of me.
Psalm 127:1–2 says:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for He grants sleep to those He loves.”
Friend, you don’t have to earn what God already promised to provide.
Garrett:
Let’s talk about the fruit of obedience over effort.
Have you ever noticed how business seems to flood in right before you go on vacation? I don’t know why, but it happens. Maybe it’s God’s way of reminding us He’s the one holding it together.
When we rest, when we stop striving, God still provides. That’s how His economy works — it’s upside down. He honors rest. He multiplies what we surrender.
So if you’re in that season where you’re hustling nonstop, maybe your first prayer needs to be, “Lord, help me rest.”
Because when we rest in Him, we find peace that hustle can’t give.
Garrett:
At the end of the day, this is about obedience.
It doesn’t mean we don’t work hard — it means we work differently. Like a kid in a soccer game — you tell them, “Hustle, hustle, hustle!” But when the whistle blows, they stop. The game’s over.
We do our part, we give our best, but when the day ends, we rest knowing that God is in control of the outcome.
So here’s my challenge to you:
Where are you hustling instead of trusting?
Where have you started striving instead of obeying?
Maybe it’s time to choose faithfulness this week.
Because when the industry looks around and sees Christian agents who take rest seriously — who don’t work Sundays, who unplug on vacation, who trust God to build their business — they’ll start to ask questions. And that’s when we get to tell them why.
We can say, “Because I believe in a God who builds the house. He builds when I rest.”
And that’s the kind of testimony this industry desperately needs.
Garrett:
I love you, faithful agents. I hope this conversation encouraged you and challenged you to rethink hustle culture and embrace obedience.
If you want to go deeper, grab my free eBook The Faithful Agent at faithfulagent.com. It’ll walk you through ten days of scripture and action steps to help you realign your business with your faith.
Where in your business have you started chasing hustle instead of choosing obedience?
Let’s be marked as people who rest, who trust, and who let God build what lasts.
I’ll see you next week.