Conscious Ambition Tips: September 2026
Conscious Ambition Tips: To help become more consciously ambitious and thrive in life and work.
Right Ambition: Know yourself.
“Know Thyself, and Nothing in Excess.” Two pieces of advice from Plato that were inscribed on the temple at Delphi, by way of Richard Donkin.
Aligning our work for satisfaction starts with knowing ourselves. Dolly Parton, who we lost last week, said it well: “Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”
I think of this as your You Brief: 1) the vision you have for your life and work, 2) how you like to give and contribute, 3) what you value, 4) what you love, and 5) the talents and strengths you want to cultivate.
For this fall: identify one way you can honor your You Brief through your work.
Right Time: Know what you want from work at this stage of your life.
“The [work] ethic should not be viewed as a permanent feature of life. It waxes and wanes.” — Richard Donkin
At every stage, it’s worth asking: what is the role of my work in my life now? I think of this as your Work Brief: 1) who you want to become and be in the world now, 2) how you want to give and contribute now, 3) what community fits you best and supports your vision, 4) where you’ll find resonance and congruence—your values meeting the external world in a way that feels fair, and 5) how your work needs to sustain you, your family, and your life, economically and day to day.
For this fall: consider who you want to be this season. How do you want to show up, at work and in your personal life?
Right Effort: Know your Sustaining Plan.
“Work is fascinating when you look at it. But we shouldn’t become obsessed with it. We shouldn’t become slaves to work.” — Richard Donkin
Managing our effort and our energy is what keeps work from becoming exhausting. Having a sustaining plan you actually calendar and track can turn resilience from an intention into a practice.
For this fall, a few questions:
What deserves your effort this season?
What goes on the calendar first?
What’s the minimum you need to do for yourself to show up at your best—your minimum viable sustaining plan?
All Richard Donkin quotes sourced from: Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work.
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Sustainable Ambition offers a strategic approach for pursuing our professional and personal goals in a way that is motivating, meaningful, and manageable from stage to stage, rather than be all consuming in a way that compromises other important aspects of our lives or sacrifices our well-being.