Do you feel guilty if you don't post or engage on social media for a week? Do you feel like you did something WRONG if you just spent an hour scrolling instead of being productive?

I recently asked this question about social media guilt on LinkedIn, asking people to share their experience with this no-win guilt phenomenon, and the comments and solidarity totally surprised me! Lots of people felt equally guilty posting as they did NOT posting! People felt just as bad being ON it as they did NOT being on it.

Something sparked in me well beyond social media guilt... I think businesses feel guilt in a whole lot of other ways, too. Even if they didn't do anything "wrong"!

Making too much money, not enough money, saying no to clients, taking a break, working too much, the list goes on...

Let's unpack the TRUTH about guilt and talk about how to overcome it to get us back on track with how we want to feel and be:

Inside the episode:

Guilt vs. shame: Which is which, and do they really motivate us to change?
False guilt vs. real guilt
The guilt inventory: Oh, the things we can inflict upon ourselves!
Should you feel guilty marketing your business when the world is falling apart?
Why guilt isn't a productive emotion and how to turn it into beneficial thoughts and behaviors

Resources, Links & Key Takeaways:

👋🏼 Welcome to our new listener, Richard, of Groove Fitness, who said hello to me from Belgium!! Follow him on Instagram HERE 🪩💃🏻

Guilt isn't always bad: It can signal misalignment and show you where you need to course-correct

A lot of entrepreneurial guilt is false guilt or borrowed guilt: Who's telling you that what you're doing is WRONG? Is that your voice or someone else's expectations?

Guilt implies there's a right way and a wrong way and you're not doing it RIGHT. Usually, there's no right/wrong, you're doing it your way.

People who make you feel guilty for XYZ: Might be on a guilt trip of their own. Don't take on their guilt. Don't borrow anyone else's moral compass.

Tangible Steps to Unpacking Guilt:

1. Specifically name the guilt

2. Ask where the voice of guilt is coming from

3. Check it against YOUR values (not that external voice's values)

4. Give yourself permission to do things your way

5. Reframe the action: i.e., "I feel guilty for resting." → "Rested and recharged is how I do my best work."

About Me & Let's Connect

Emily Aborn | Small Business Copywriter & host of Small Business Casual. 12+ years of copywriting experience in 121+ industries. I help you step into becoming (and sharing) the real YOU. For fun/downtime, I love reading, writing, hiking with friends, and moments of uninterrupted silence.

Got a Question for the Show? Email Me! emily@emilyaborn.com

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Business Owner Guilt Trip: Overcoming False Guilt