Why So Many People Hate Their Job

How often do you ask a friend, “How’s work going?” just to be met with, “I hate my job.” It’s true, there are a lot of people out there who hate their jobs and aren’t afraid to say it.

In fact, more than 70 percent of working Americans say they hate their job, according to Inc, and we spend nearly a third of our lives there.

So, why do so many people hate their job?

For one, it could be a lack of creativity in the workplace. Or, perhaps it’s a poor work environment caused by disgruntled and difficult to work with coworkers.

But mainly it has to do with praise addiction.

In life we are taught at a young age to look for praise to be the end-all-be-all affirmation that we are doing something right. As J.T O’Donnell says, we look for praise in everything and know we’ve done well by the trophies we get, gold stickers we’re given, and pats on the back for a job well done.

But in the adult world we don’t get these things anymore, and we end up having a hard time finding happiness in what we do when we aren’t praised for it. Why? Because we equate praise with happiness.

We want to feel impressive. We want to be the one who has the “cool job” at the social function. We don’t want to be judged for our career path, so we learn to hate the path we’re on.

But people who love their job share something in common. They all love their job because they get personal fulfillment from it, and they are passionate about what they do.

Satisfaction in a job turns into motivation, and motivation leads to happiness and a sense of accomplishment. But these factors will only reveal themselves once we learn to stop judging ourselves for our choices and our jobs.

Granted there are other reasons why someone might hate their job. Low pay, toxic work culture or no room for advancement also contribute to reasons why people decide to quit the job they hate.

So, what should you do if you hate your job? Take a look at what bothers you about it. If it comes down to a toxic environment, start sending out resumes to get yourself out of a situation that will only add more stress to your life.

But if it has to do with your mindset, try to focus on the areas you enjoy about your work and see if you can springboard it into an opportunity or job advancement.

But overall, don’t forget to tell yourself “Good job” every once in a while, and don’t judge yourself for being a hard worker who is contributing to society and standing on their own two feet.