Sustainable Ambition Forum - 11.10.20
Hello all,
I hope everyone is doing okay a week past election day regardless of the outcome you wanted. My hope is that we can all now turn towards some positivity, good, and progress.
To that point, I’m focusing this newsletter on Purpose and helping you to find yours for your professional and personal lives.
Along these lines, some have asked me, “You talk about Purpose and rant against Passion. What’s the difference? Which should I focus on and why?” So, that’s the focus of my article to start this month. You can read more here.
Then, if you want specific exercises to help you identify your purpose, please look at what I wrote here.
The other article I wanted to share is “How to Live in Not Knowing,” which I shared on Thrive Global. I was talking with a wonderful mentor of mine, and we have been talking a lot about “living in not knowing.” She knows that I’ve lived in this liminal space for quite some time and suggested that I’d likely have insights to share with you and others. Given the times we are living in, we really don’t know what’s going to come at us next. I hope you’ll find some insights that are helpful. If you have a moment, let me know what you think about this time of living in not knowing. What have you found helps you?
This is the start of the month of giving thanks. I’m so thankful for all of you for joining me on this journey of Sustainable Ambition! Thank you for being a part of my community.
Wishing you well this month,
Kathy
We’d love to hear what would be helpful to you on your Sustainable Ambition journey.
The Round-Up
Right Success: This article is worth a read. It’s the last article from The Guardian’s Oliver Burkeman who wrote advice for over 10 years. He summarizes the principles he learned over that time that impact human happiness and fulfillment.
Right Aspiration: While written in the summer and on a broader topic, I appreciated this advice from Richard Friedman, professor of clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College to address boredom. He shares, “What things might we change to make life—and ourselves—more interesting?” If you’re bored or wondering what’s next, perhaps ask this question. In doing so, it puts us back in control.
Right Effort: As someone working on my own work-life integration, I appreciate this summary of tips from a recovered work-a-holic psychotherapist.
Reading: “Great at Work: The Hidden Habits of Top Performers” by Morten T. Hansen - I’m digging back into this book as I deepen my writing on Sustainable Ambition. There are many aspects of Hansen’s theories that apply to Sustainable Ambition like “work smart” practices and aligning with purpose, not just passion. It’s worth a read if you’d like to learn and put his teaching into practice to increase your work performance. You can read the first chapter here.
Listening: I refer to this podcast in my article for this month, and it’s a great one from Adam Grant on Work Life: “The Perils of Following Your Career Passion.”
Watching: This isn’t the usual thing I watch, but I was intrigued for some reason by David Foster: Off the Record, the documentary on the man himself. What I appreciate about it — seeing people who are driven by both purpose, passion, and talent. People who know their ambition and go after it. It’s all there, from Foster himself to Whitney Houston to Michael Buble.
Smiling: Who could use a laugh about now? Check out these scene remakes from classic movies by a family in Australia.
Time Well Spent: Pie Chart Template
From Harvest and Creative Mornings, this is a wonderful creative exercise to visualize and inspire what “time well spent” means for you. Or, perhaps consider visualizing what it would mean to apply your time towards your purpose. Get the templates and see a few examples as inspiration.
An Inquiry to Guide You Towards Purpose:
What is a goal you want to pursue? What is a problem you want to solve? Where do you want to make an impact? What do you want to contribute?
Find Your Guide:
Find the perfect guide to match your journey.
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
— Maya Angelou
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SUSTAINABLE AMBITION™ IS ABOUT CRAFTING A FULFILLING CAREER TO SUPPORT YOUR LIFE FROM DECADE TO DECADE.
It is centered around articulating your personal definition of success and achieving that without burnout while honoring your personal aspirations and ambitions as they ebb and flow over time. The end game—more fulfillment and ease in your professional and personal life, while still being ambitious.
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