Before they took off as an ironic format, hustle culture memes were completely serious. We have no idea how people could ever take these seriously, and yet many people would post them to show how deep and devoted to the grindset they were. Or maybe to make themselves look more interesting. Here's a life pro tip: if you find yourself posting one of these to gain the approval of others, you've clearly made some mistakes that have brought you to this point, so please do us all a favor and stop making these things with genuine intentions.

Instagram pages like @MalesSoul posted deeply moving infographics that evoked the alpha in all men. Riddled with typos and stock images, these posts also inspired much laughter. Honestly, a lot more people probably laughed at these than the number of people who hung these up in their personal gyms or repeated them like a mantra. Enjoy 14 "motivationals" from this golden age of posting.