Being a hard worker should not mean being taken advantage of. In this Daily Dose of Dawn at dawn, Dawn Super speaks directly to people pleasers and overperformers who keep getting stuck doing more work, staying later, and carrying responsibilities that aren’t theirs. This dose helps you recognize subtle workplace manipulation and protect your time, energy, and self-respect—without underperforming or burning bridges.

Watch the Video Here or Read the Script below

At work, we need to be Clark Kent. This is the Daily Dose of Dawn at dawn, number 92—videos designed to expand your thinking.

This video is not for bosses who like to bleed their employees, or coworkers who enjoy taking advantage of people with a strong work ethic. Just saying.

This is for the people who get stuck with group projects, stay longer than everyone else without getting paid, or think that doing extra is somehow good for them.

Hello people pleasers and overperformers. Welcome back to the Happy Matters Collective. If you’re new here, thanks for joining us.

Why do we want to learn this? Because the only thing worse than being taken advantage of is not realizing you’re being taken advantage of in 2026. Start saving the best of you for you.

If, for whatever reason, you feel like you need to be Superman at your job and people know that about you, they will use it to manipulate you into doing more. That is not a good thing.

Just like the frog-in-the-pot scenario, you can end up in this situation without even realizing how it happened.

As a reformed people pleaser, I can sniff this out in about a hundred heartbeats. I’m kidding. Sort of. But it is something I still have to remind myself of. Don’t be a doormat.

Some of the scenarios that took me way too long to recognize were things like being the only one who “can” do the task because no one else knows how. That’s learned helplessness. Look it up if you’ve never heard the term. They can learn just like you did.

Being the only one who stays late because you don’t have kids at home. Doing someone else’s work because you know they won’t do it as well and you’ll just have to redo it anyway. They can learn.

Picking up the slack because someone quit. Because a manager is lazy. Because a coworker is hiding in the supply closet. Yes. For real.

If you’re a people pleaser, work on it. Because it feeds into every part of your life, and you end up working a lot more than if you simply did your job. Keep the hours you’re supposed to work. If everyone is staying late, fine. But don’t be the office sucker. There is no reward for it, and your coworkers do not admire you for it.

One of the things that reduced my stress the most was learning to clock out when I leave. Not just physically—but mentally. I stopped thinking about work problems. I stopped solving work issues in my free time.

I’m not saying underperform. I’m not saying shirk responsibilities. I have an extremely strong work ethic—like the work ethic of three people. What I am saying is this: even if you’re Superman, you work with Clark Kent’s equals. Save the superhero energy for yourself.

If you’re still working on people pleasing, see Dose 74: People please yourself, below.

🧲 Get my Handmade-with-Love Reminder Magnet:

Don’t Be a Doormat

https://happymatters.guru/product-details/product/doormat

Wanna go deeper? Check this one out:

Sign up for Dose delivery and get my handmade-with-love How to Live Happy Matters magnet in the mail. A foundational tool for emotional mastery to help you live ‘happy matters’ (USA addresses only)

CLICK TO GET YOURS:

https://dailydoseofdawn.com

🌻 Daily Dose of Dawn at dawn ☀️

Perfect for mornings, rough patches, or any time you crave feeling normal in a world designed to make you doubt yourself.

Whether you Read or Watch, I got you covered!