Why do I feel guilty about my job? (a rant + discussion)

AD – This is a paid advertorial with Femme Luxe but all thoughts are my own

The last time I did a sort of, random thought piece like this, it went down reaaaaally well. I wrote about how I’m trying to figure out who I am in the blogging world and I was absolutely over the moon with how that post was received and the comments I got on it.

A lot of people shared how they felt the same as me and whilst I wouldn’t WANT anyone to feel the same negative and confusing feelings as me, it just shows that these feelings are so very normal. And I’m very glad I wrote that post so other bloggers can see that they’re not alone in how they feel.

Whilst spur of the moment thought pieces won’t commandeer my blog, I would like to start using my online space to write more pieces like this and express honestly and openly about how I’M feeling. In the hope that it might help someone else.

Which is why today for this collaboration, I wanted to continue on with that theme of posts and write about something else which has been playing on my mind recently and that’s the topic of feeling guilty about my job as a blogger and content creator.

Before we get into the meat of this post, I just want to share the next two pieces I picked out from Femme Luxe. The first being this Stone Ribbed V Neck Midi Jumper Dress, which is the same style as the one in my previous post, just a different colour. I also went for a size down as the other one was ever so slightly too big.

I really like this dress and I think it’s the absolute perfect style and shape for the Winter months. Pair it with a pair of tights and boots (knee highs would look FANTASTIC) and a beautiful coat and you’ve got yourself a super stylish Winter outfit! White dresses are obviously very popular this time of year and there’s certainly a reason for that!

Considering I felt as sick as a dog when I took these pictures, I’m pleasantly surprised and how happy I am with them and how this dress looks. I think I prefer the stone colour to the red and the fit of this one is much better too. This will be a real staple for my Autumn and Winter wardrobe!

The second piece I picked out was this Teal Oversized Split Side Knitted Jumper. It’s definitely oversized and baggy – plenty of room for a cozy day at home – however the sleeves (particularly around the wrists) are a big off. Despite this jumper being so big (and in a large size) the sleeves around the wrists were really tight. And I have really small wrists. So that was a bit weird.

Other than that, this is a nice jumper for the Winter season. However you could also keep it on hand for Spring to pair with some denim shorts and ankle boots, which would look really nice! They do this in a few colours so if teal isn’t your cup of tea, there’s others to choose from.

Why do I feel guilty about my job? A rant and discussion…

So let’s get into this then. I found myself thinking more deeply about this topic a few weeks ago, when I was posting some Instagram stories. I can’t remember for the life of me what I was talking about but it was something to do with blogging and something that I had to do for work. I said how much I was dreading it or not looking forward to it.

Immediately followed by “But don’t worry, I love my job and I’m not complaining and I’m very grateful every day and I don’t mean to complain, sorry, sorry, sorry!” or something along those lines. I mean yeah, it was ridiculous. I’m almost pre-empting non-existent backlash for what most people probably do understand.

So here are some reasons why and talking points about how I feel guilty about my job:

I’m in general, a very guilty person

By nature, I’m a very guilty person. I feel guilty for basically everything I do (or don’t do) and it’s something I need to continue working on in my own personal development journey. Others in my position might not be naturally like this, so might not struggle with this feeling of guilty. But just wanted to mention first that this is very much a ME problem.

The comments that other people make

Any full-time blogger will understand how freaking irritating and awkward it is when people make comments about our work who have no idea what they’re talking about. All these comments add to that feeling of guilt, that sense of feeling like I have to apologise for literally EVERYTHING I do or complain about.

I’ve had, “so you just stay in bed on your laptop all day?” and “it might be nice not to have to work for a living!” which were two that really got under my skin. If you had any idea of the amount of work that goes into running a blog full-time (or part-time, or as a hobby, or at ALL!) then you certainly wouldn’t be making those comments.

The perks of the job make me feel like I can’t complain

There are a LOT of perks to this job. And they’re amazing. I still pinch myself that I’ve been sent on press trips to places like the Brooklands Hotel and Spa and The Ferry House Inn. Been invited to Paradise Wildlife Park, where I grew up visiting with my parents on a press basis and been able to work with a huge variety of amazing brands and receive incredible products.

For this reason, there’s always a small voice inside my head saying that I’m not allowed to complain about ANYTHING because the other side of the coin is so good. You know, like why am I complaining when I’ve got a job so many people would want? I struggle to get past that feeling.

People might think I’m ungrateful

Gratitude is a big part of my own life, which might also come into play as to why I struggle with this. I’m worried that if people see me complaining, they might think I’m ungrateful. I never want to be seen as ungrateful because I rarely, rarely am. Gratitude is a practice I introduced into my life back in 2015 and haven’t looked back on since.

Gratitude and learning how to express gratitude in a way that works for you can be utter magic; I’d never want people to read what I’m saying and think I’m going back on all this stuff I preach about gratitude by being ungrateful for the platform and the job that allows me to write about it in the first place.

Things to remember going forward

For my sake and for anyone else’s sake who feels similarly to how I do, I want to lay out a few things you should (and I should) remember going forward, whenever we start to feel guilty for doing our jobs:

People care less than what you think

You might worry that what you’ve just said on your Instagram stories is going to be taken wrongly or out of context by others but actually, there’s a 99.9999% chance it won’t. People really do care less than what you think they do. They’re not looking at you saying, “OH SHE’S SO UNGRATEFUL”, they’ve probably just read your story and moved on.

Everyone complains about certain elements of their job – EVERYONE

I don’t think there is a job or a career under the sun that people like every single element of. Unless perhaps that career is being Beyoncé but we’ll gloss over that. EVERYONE moans about their job sometimes, absolutely everyone. You are allowed to feel how you’re feeling about your work – whatever that may be.

Most people don’t know how hard you worked to get to where you are

And the reason you’re allowed to feel those things? Is because only you – and the people you choose to share it with – know how hard you worked to get to where you are. You weren’t handed it on a plate. And even if you were one of the lucky few that grows rapidly in a short space of time, it takes a lot to maintain this career and a lot of hard work is involved.

Would YOU think it was ungrateful if someone else did the same thing?

If you read something from a blogger who said something negative about their job, would you think they were being ungrateful? Probably not. So it’s likely that you’re pre-empting them feeling that way about you. When you’re the type of person who worries what other people think – it can be hard to shake.

If you’re a blogger – either full or part time – I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Do you often feel guilty about your job? Are you worried about complaining and what people might think?