The Worst Boss I've Ever Had

For the WORK issue of The Nib, I made a 4-panel comic about the worst boss I’ve ever worked for: myself.

My guess is that most of us who work for ourselves quickly come to terms with how self-critical we are. For me, the high expectations I have of myself were always a gift. They motivated me to work harder, aim higher, and to persevere when nothing seemed to be working out. i saw my self-criticism as free mentorship towards self-improvement, and my ability to tolerate the rougher, unfiltered, and downright mean-spirited parts of myself as a strength.

It’s only within the last couple of years that I began to recognize my boss-self for what it actually is: a bully—with zero boundaries, and an ever-changing meter of success that is not only impossible to meet, but leaves me feeling ridiculous for even attempting to try.

This comic recognizes the moment when I realized that the person who hurts me the most….is me—along with my (ongoing) attempt to reconcile the divided parts of myself.

Many thanks to Eleri Harris and Matt Bors for their thoughtful edits and feedback—and for giving me a chance to contribute to this issue of The Nib. The WORK issue is available for purchase at The Nib.