3 Reasons to Stop Feeling Guilty About Doing Work You Love

Joshua Rosenthal, Founder, Director, and Primary Teacher of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition shares his wisdom about creating a healthy and happy life that helps transform the world.

Career can be one of the most dysfunctional areas of adult live. Many people resign themselves to doing tedious work in jobs, offices, and corporations that are diametrically opposed to who they are. Even when you know you need to make a change in this area, a lot of resistance and guilt can come up. 

A lot of people are scared that if they do something they love, they won’t be able to make money to support themselves, or in many cases, their families. So many people feel selfish, especially in the corporate world, for wanting to leave their job to pursue their passion. 

The truth is that doing work you love is the most selfless thing you can do, because when you’re happy and nourished in the area of career, you have so much more energy to give to other people – your friends, family, and even strangers. 

You might not realize it, but your energy has a huge impact on everyone around you – even just people on the train with you. Have you ever experienced that yourself? That negative energy you can feel from someone else simply sitting near you? 

Think about it – when you sit at a job you hate all day and force yourself to be there while also feeling guilty about daydreaming about your dream job, that totally sucks your energy, and you leave at 5 or 6pm feeling drained and lifeless. 

That’s bad energy.

Think about how you feel after working on a passion project, even if you’re up until 11pm working on it. If it’s something you truly love, you should feel energized and full of life. Doing work you love changes everything. It’s pretty amazing.

That’s the energy your friends, family, and even the strangers around you deserve and need to make the world a happy place. 

These are the three major ways working at a job you hate impacts your health and your life: 

It stunts your creativity. When you’re working away at the computer all day on projects you don’t like, it drains your creative energy and the only thing you’re able to do when you get home is crash on the couch and watch TV. Do work you love and you’ll be able to tap into a limitless supply of inspiration and energy. 

It reduces your earning potential. If you hate your job, you’re less likely to be inspired to work harder and get raises and promotions.

It may lead to depression. This is a no-brainer. If you’re doing something you hate all day, you’re going to feel unhappy. When you feel unhappy, that affects everyone around you. See that? A big reason you shouldn’t feel guilty for transitioning to a job you love. 

So, once you move past the guilt, what’s the solution? 

Learn to love the work you have. Depending on your level of dissatisfaction in your job, you may be able to make changes so that you can start to love your work. Speak to your manager about your passions and see how they can be integrated into your work.

Your environment also has a huge impact on your happiness. Keep your workspace clean and decorate it with photos of your loved ones, flowers, art, or anything else that makes you feel fantastic.

Find new work that you love. If there is no room for change in your job, it might be time to make a transition. Take it step by step. If you’re looking to start your own business, one suggestion is to go part-time at your job while you start to see clients or work on your product, then leave your job and go full-time when the time is right and it’s financially sustainable. 

If everyone did work they love, the world would be such a happier, healthier place. I know you know this is so true. 

You deserve to do work you love. You might have to face the fear and do it anyway, but it’s one of the most important things you can do for yourself and everyone you come into contact with. 

So, how are you doing in the area of career? How can you learn to love the work you have or find work that you love? 

Share in the comments below. 

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