Don’t love your work? Relax. You’re normal

Some people double the burden on themselves: They hate their jobs, and feel guilty because they think they should like their work. Nonsense, says this expert.

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Do you love your work? In some circles, this is the expectation—that you should love your work and if you don’t, there is something wrong with you. But I’m telling you: If you don’t love your work, relax. You are normal.

This is true for developed countries (less than 50% of employees in the U.S. report enjoying their jobs) but also for the vast majority of workers around the world (more than 1 billion people earn $1.25 a day or less). Historically, the vast majority have worked and lived just to survive.

It is a privilege and a blessing to enjoy your work.

Some data to support this:

Ask yourself: Of all the places I worked, in how many of them and for how long did I love what I was doing?

The purpose and nature of work

Work requires activity that someone else wants you to do and to do it in the way they want. When I coach people about careers, we start with what is wanted, not with what they want to do. Almost everyone, when starting his or her career, does work that has some unpleasantness.

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