It’s safe to say that everything in life is pretty uncertain – and our career is one of the most critical things that can change, for the good or bad, throughout our life.

We have our highs and lows, our ebbs and flows, and we can never quite be sure where work is going to lead us.

And since we never know how things are going to go, being true to yourself while navigating through your career can be the only light at the end of the tunnel – but sometimes, people-pleasing can get in the way of that.

Whether it’s doing things outside of your job description to keep your boss happy or taking on work for less money, it’s easy to fall into those people-pleasing habits as we shuffle from one working day to the next – but at the drop of a hat, anything can change so it’s important to carve out the life and career you want.

But how do we truly identify how people-pleasing is affecting us and our careers?

Well, therapist Abby Rawlinson is here to help.

In a recent Instagram post, Rawlinson shared 10 ways people-pleasing can affect your career for those who are both employed and self-employed – and it’s pretty eye-opening.

“People-pleasers can be super skilled at keeping other people happy and de-escalating situations,” writes Rawlinson.

“But in order to do this, they have often abandoned their own needs and boundaries and shut down their gut instincts and preferences, which is why they can end up feeling as though they don’t have their own identity.

“People-pleasers can also end up overextending themselves by saying ‘yes’ to everything, which often leads to burnout.”

For those who are employed, Rawlinson identified five key signs that people-pleasing could be hindering their career – starting with taking on additional work to win favour and volunteering for unpopular projects to maintain harmony.

“You run your decisions past everyone to make sure nobody disapproves of your choices [and] you remain quiet in meetings to avoid conflict,” she says.

Lastly, Rawlinson adds that employed people-pleasers often mirror other people’s opinions to “keep the peace”.

For people who are self-employed, their people-pleasing habits manifest in different ways.

Rawlinson says they tend to do “too much work for free”, offer discounts without being asked and take on more than they can comfortably manage to avoid “disappointing people”.

“You hide your true voice because you fear being criticised or judged [and] you agree to meet unrealistic deadlines and undercharge for your time,” she adds.

Below the post, many people commented how pleasing-people had negatively impacted their careers.

“I’ve definitely done this both as a freelancer and employee,” commented one user. “It feels easier to keep your head down and avoid confrontation but it also means you’re taking a backseat to your own career and beliefs. It’s something I’m working on changing.”

“I’ve mirrored other people’s opinions to keep the peace in the name of office politics and it backfired,” said another. “It’s always better to go with your gut and take charge of your career – after all, no one else is going to.” Wise words indeed.

Image: Getty