You have a job but you’re a freelancer, blogger or Youtuber on the side. Your creative work isn’t affecting your day (or night) job but your boss makes slick remarks and does things to try to get at you. So, what’s the deal?

This post was inspired by my conversations with a YouTuber but it’s relevant to all types of content creators who are still holding down jobs.

This guy was 17 at the time and working at a burger joint. His manager would make comments about how much time YouTube must take or how he must stay up all night to make those videos. She would cut his hours back and say things like, I’m sure you need more time to focus on your YouTube channel.

In his senior year of high school, he told her he could only work three days a week because of school. She believed the real reason was his YouTube channel.

So, she played more scheduling games—either putting him on to work nearly every day and to close or scheduling him little, if any. It was like she was saying, I’m either going to work you to death so you don’t have time for anything else. Or, I’m going to make sure you don’t have any money.

Meanwhile, she was constantly running her mouth about him pursuing YouTube and all of that must go into it.

If you’re dealing with a situation like this, it doesn’t matter how old you are or what type of job you have. I’ll tell you like I told him…

It’s about control and disappointment

Look at your boss’s life. Not the picture that she wants you to see but the real deal.

In this guy’s case, the manager was a 22-year-old who dropped out of college to manage that restaurant full-time.

She, like a lot of people, started out aiming for something bigger. In her case, a college degree.

But instead of going for it, she chose a shorter route to a smaller outcome: being a restaurant manager.

When people make long-term sacrifices for short-term gain, it hurts. I don’t care what they tell you or what type of front they put on. No one feels good about deciding that want they want is out of their league and then settling for less.

For a twenty-something to drop out of college to manage a burger joint in a town of less than 2,000 people—that’s not just a small outcome, it’s a sad one.

But of course, she’s going to try to make her sacrifices measure up.

To say you’re a manager at 22 holds a little clout. You’re going to have a few more coins than your peers, especially in a small town. And you have an ounce of control. You can play around with people’s schedules, write them up, and even fire them.

But that lead she has will dwindle fast. People with bigger ideas and more ambition are going to pass her by. And she knows it. So, she has to act like the big dog while she has the chance.

And possibly, if she’s successful, she can get other people, like this YouTuber to give up on pursuing bigger ventures like she did.

Quitters like to see others quit too.

Another reason people like this burger bitch get so bitter is because their story is dull and no one really cares.

How many people do you think walk into that burger joint that give a shit about the restaurant manager or her being 22? Who would you be more interested in chatting with, her or the  prank-pulling YouTuber working on the grill?

The burger bitch is a common scenario.

There are people everywhere saw themselves doing more than what they’re doing today. Yeah, maybe they’re supervisors or managers or even owners of the family business. But they’re living with regret. They are a daily disappointment to themselves.

And you shake up their demons when you talk about plans, and goals, and ambitions. They gave all of that up and they resent people like you. Not because of who you are but because of who they failed to be.

Don’t let these people bring their demons into your day. Keep it pushing.

Also Read: Are You Using Your Personal Life to Procrastinate?