Over the past month or so, as I've been navigating this big career/business transition, I've noticed something unexpected has happened to my ambition.
It hasn't disappeared, but it's been completely dismantled and has re-rooted itself somewhere completely different.
And it wasn't conscious. It just seemed to happen as I journeyed through the ring of fire I talked about in last week's episode.
Looking back, I can see that much of the ambition I've carried throughout my career over the past 20 years was more ego-driven than I realised.
That underneath my genuine desire to help people and do meaningful work, was a hidden desire that was lurking in the shadows that craved recognition, achievement and external validation.
And as everything has felt like it's been falling apart over the past few months, those ambitions seem to have burned away.
What's emerged in their place feels simpler. Calmer. More nourishing.
My ambition is suddenly for something very different.
And it feels incredibly liberating. And frankly, a huge relief!
And it's really made me reflect on the difference between healthy ambition and unhealthy ambition.
How unhealthy ambition can keep us trapped on a treadmill of constant striving, always chasing the next milestone, the next achievement, the next thing that will finally make us feel successful enough.
And how healthy ambition might have less to do with proving ourselves and more to do with creating, contributing, growing and mastering the things that genuinely matter to us.
Listen in as I explore this topic and let me know what you think.
I'd love to hear: has your ambition changed over the years? And do you think it's helping you grow or holding you back?
x Selina
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