Ambition and how we define it

Ambition, to most people, means putting career above everything else. At least, that’s been my observation in my own peer groups.

We’ve made it synonymous with career and underneath that, money, the title, the salary. That’s the version we celebrate.

But I know people who are raising kids with intention while holding down a career, showing up for ageing parents, staying consistent at the gym and upskilling themselves. And still eking out some time for themselves.

That’s not lack of ambition but a full, demanding life chosen deliberately.

Yet, we seem to award the word “ambitious” only to people climbing a corporate ladder, those who ace performance reviews.

Maybe it’s time we expanded the definition, don’t you think? ;)

Wanting all facets of life, and actually doing the work to hold them together, is ambitious too.

I came across this tweet, which inspired me to think further about how we define ambition:

Daniel Vassallo @dvassallo

If you’re truly ambitious you should want to have it all: lifestyle, family, work, health, hobbies. It’s not a pick one or two out of five. Pick all five.