I'm at peace with what I'm doing, I feel good with what I wake

Hear the words of Nipsey Hussle, poet of the streets and builder of dreams, who declared: “I’m at peace with what I’m doing, I feel good with what I wake up doing and about my lifestyle.” These are not the idle words of one who drifted, but the testimony of a man who struggled, who labored, who carved meaning out of hardship. He speaks here of the greatest treasure: not wealth alone, not fame nor fleeting victory, but the deep harmony that comes when one’s work, one’s life, and one’s soul walk in step together.

The ancients knew this truth well. In every land, sages taught that the greatest fortune was to awaken each morning with joy in the day’s labor. For the farmer, it was the seed in the soil; for the craftsman, the shaping of stone; for the poet, the weaving of words. To rise each day in discontent is to live in chains, but to rise each day in peace is to live in freedom, regardless of one’s station. Nipsey Hussle echoes these timeless voices, declaring that peace comes not from what others see, but from what a man knows within himself.

His own life was a living parable of this. Born into struggle, he did not let struggle define him. He built not only music but community, investing in his own neighborhood, creating businesses where others saw only despair. Many chased success by fleeing their roots, but Nipsey’s lifestyle was built upon loyalty—to his craft, to his people, to his vision of growth. That is why he could say he felt good with what he woke up to do, for his work was not empty striving, but a calling tied to his soul.

History too speaks with the same lesson. Consider George Washington Carver, born into slavery yet rising to become a scientist, teacher, and servant of humanity. He once said he loved to wake early, to walk into the fields, and to listen to the voice of God in the plants he studied. Though he could have lived bitter, he chose instead a lifestyle of purpose. Like Nipsey, he found peace in doing what aligned with his heart, and the world was enriched by the fruits of his labor.

To be at peace with what one is doing is no small thing. It requires courage to resist the noise of the world, which demands more, faster, richer. It requires clarity to know the difference between fleeting pleasure and enduring joy. And it requires discipline to build a lifestyle not on appearances, but on values that bring the soul rest. Many gain riches but lose themselves; few gain themselves and, in so doing, find the riches that no thief can take.

The lesson for us is this: measure your life not by the praise of others, but by the peace within. Ask yourself each morning—do I rise gladly to the day ahead, or do I drag my soul through it in chains? If the answer is the latter, then something must change: the work you do, the way you live, or the values you serve. Do not fear to make such changes, for the reward is immense: to feel good not only in fleeting moments, but in the rhythm of your days.

So, children of tomorrow, carry Nipsey’s wisdom into your own journey. Build a lifestyle rooted in peace, in purpose, in service. Choose work that makes your spirit rise, even if the world calls it small. Seek harmony between your heart and your actions, for in that harmony lies freedom. Remember: the true measure of a life is not how high you climb, but whether you climb in alignment with your soul. Then, like Nipsey Hussle, you too may declare with courage and serenity: “I am at peace with what I’m doing.”