I always used to say “I’m not ambitious”
And, I meant it!
Now, it’s not true…..because now ambition means something totally different to me.
Here’s what ambition used to mean to me;
👎 Climbing the greasy corporate ladder
👎 Being cut-throat
👎 Being willing to tread on people on my way to the top
👎 Chasing the money, the next promotion, the next salary increase
👎 Working towards someone else’s goals
👎 Working in line with someone else’s values, not my own
👎 Being a cog in a machine, not feeling I actually make any real difference
👎 Having the job title, company car, pension contributions and bonus payments
👎 Making ‘strategic’ moves
👎 Knowing the right people and keeping them on side
👎 Going to work each day because I have to (but I don’t really want to)
👎 Having the house, the car, the lifestyle and the possessions that ‘prove’ I’m ambitious and doing well
👎 Sacrificing more important things while I dedicate my life to the job, and the money
I always said I wasn’t ambitious because none of those things truly mattered to me.
That version of ambition didn’t fulfil me.
It didn’t make me happy.
It didn’t align with who I am, my values, or what’s important to me.
Ironically, I did well in my corporate jobs, despite not being ambitious, because I cared about people and about helping people.
I always said that I’d succeeded by accident because of that, not because I was ambitious!
The typical indicators of ambition never motivated me, the original version of ambition didn’t work for me.
I spent 25 years working in the corporate world, with a definition of ambition that just didn’t work for me…..
It’s been nearly 4 years since I left the corporate world behind and a lot has changed……
Now, I succeed on purpose, because I have redefined what ambition means to me, including;
👍 Spending time doing what I enjoy, not just for the money
👍 Prioritising family time, not sacrificing it, and working flexibly in a way that allows me to do that
👍 Doing work that aligns with my values
👍 Doing work that helps people (and animals)
👍 Working on projects that I care about and that matter to me, because they make a difference
👍 Choosing the people I work with, because I like and respect them
👍 Doing work that I’m proud of
👍 Going to work each day because I want to, not just because I have to
👍 Setting a positive example to my daughter about what ambition is
👍 Setting my own schedule, not working to someone else’s schedule
👍 Creating a lifestyle that allows me to enjoy life now, instead of hoping I enjoy it sometime in the future
I’ll be forever grateful that I was able to redefine what ambition meant to me, so I could work towards my version of success, not someone else’s.
Now I’m working towards my own goals, not someone else’s, and I get out of bed each day with a spring in my step, eager to succeed – eager with ambition!
The right kind of ambition for me!
The kind of ambition that makes me happy!
What does ambition mean to you?
And is that working for you?
Karolyn 💜💛
