Sustainable Ambition Forum - 10.26.23
It is a difficult time in our world, and for many of us our attention is pulled and strained.
I’ve struggled with how to live and be joyful in life with all the suffering and challenges that exist, especially given events over the last few years. One concept that has spoken to me is agathism, which I learned from the author Cheryl Strayed. Agathism is the theory that all things tend toward ultimate good, and I try to follow Strayed’s guidance to search for the beauty and good and move away from the darkness. It’s not easy, but the doctrine offers a bright spot for me to latch on to and pull me forward.
During such times, it’s also a reminder that for many of us it can be a privilege to consider being ambitious and going after what we want in life. That’s what came up in a recent podcast interview with Rainesford Stauffer, featured below. We talked about this and a lot more, including how we can benefit from expanding our view of what we can be ambitious about. Ambition isn’t just for work. We can be ambitious about other aspects of our lives that give us fulfillment and joy, like investing time in relationships with our family and communities. This more expansive view can contribute to our building more resilience and making our lives more sustainable.
It’s also a helpful to remember that world events add load and stress to our lives, on top of other demands we face. I believe it’s important to be thoughtful about how we build resilience and sustain ourselves. Having had a full summer, I did a podcast episode that focused on how I was agile, adjusted my plans, and invested in sustaining activities to keep me afloat. My hope is that by sharing my experience it might give you some ideas on how you can put in place sustaining practices that can help you during busy times, especially as we go into the busy holiday season and end of year.
Wishing you peace and comfort during this time and a seeking of the bright spots of good and beauty in our world that can help keep us all moving forward.
Warmly,
Kathy Oneto
Founder of Sustainable Ambition
The Monthly Round-Up: You+Life+Work
Work needs work. I was encouraged to see that a CEO (of HP) wrote this article and is raising the issue of how work isn’t working for most workers today. According to a study by HP, only 27% of knowledge workers say they have a healthy relationship with work and only 29% say they consistently feel like their work offers purpose and connection. While companies need to do better, my hope is that we can get more clear on what we want and need from our work to be our best so we can ask and shape what will work best for us. An upcoming podcast episode will touch on this.
But jobs can still be a good thing. Companies and jobs get such a bad wrap these days, and as the prior article suggests it’s for good reason. Yet, going out on one’s own comes with its own challenges. Working for a company can offer benefits. I think it’s a matter of figuring out what works best for us at a particular time in our lives.
Build social capital while working remote. With hybrid work now more the norm (and I’m all for it), I fear people aren’t thoughtful enough about maintaining networks. I’m an introvert, so I know this isn’t easy. Yet, I’ve always known that I need to foster relationships, primarily for personal happiness. What I’ve learned over time and in doing work with Sustainable Ambition is that relationships are critical for happiness at work (people with best friends at work are happier) and for career success. Investing in relationships and building social capital is a must that shouldn’t be overlooked even if working apart.
Build trust while working remote. I think one of the things workers get wrong about trust between themselves and employers is that they believe it should be assumed. We can forget that we aren’t given trust, we earn trust. I don’t hear this discussed enough in the literature around remote work. Again, I’m supportive of remote work, but I don’t think employees should assume that they should be trusted. Rather, I think employees would do themselves good by recognizing they need to earn trust. This article offers some tips on managing one’s relationship with your boss when working remote.
📚 Reading: Featured Books from our Guests
All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive, by Rainesford Stauffer: Rainesford shares her own experience with ambition and what she learned through her reporting and interviews. What I appreciate about what Rainesford brings forward is a championing of a more expansive and inclusive view of ambition vs. ambition being viewed with traditional, narrow, and limiting societal scripts. Rainesford advocates a concept of ambition that is more collective, imaginative, and rooted in caring for ourselves and each other.
How to sustain ourselves. Another good listen from Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast on how to better use vacation time (space breaks out over time) and recharge (it’s not always about resting, but can also be about what you want to master or what energizes you). Good insight as you think about how you want to craft your time over the next few months.
17 Wisdoms from Marginalian. #2. Do nothing for prestige or status or money or approval alone. #4. Build pockets of stillness into your life. #6. Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. #7. “Expect anything worthwhile to take a long time.” #12. There are infinitely many kinds of beautiful lives. #15. Outgrow yourself. Read the full list.
The Sustainable Ambition Podcast
Join me for conversations with experts, authors, and friends on what it means to live with Sustainable Ambition.
🎙️ E116: Sustaining Ourselves and Our Ambitions Through Busy Times Overwhelm can happen to anyone, even me.
As we enter the often especially busy season of the fourth quarter, with holidays and end of year pressures, I share a few thoughts on sustaining ourselves through these particularly full periods. We can set goals and priorities, and they can be the right ambitions, but managing a packed schedule takes intention and thought if we want to avoid burnout.
Listen on your favorite player here or on our website here
🎙️ E117: An Imaginative and Expansive View of Ambition with Rainesford Stauffer
Ambition can guide us toward the things we want in life. But constant striving can take away from those things that contribute to our overall fulfillment.
In this episode, I’m joined by author and journalist Rainesford Stuaffer. We discuss her new book, All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive, what happens when ambition defines us, the conversations we should be having about ambition, and getting curious about ambition with a more expansive, holistic view.
Listen on your favorite player here or on our website here
You can also find the podcast, subscribe, and listen on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, and more. Get it here.
The Monthly Progress Practice
At the beginning of each year, we share our Monthly Progress Practice. Progress is made through small, consistent action. We offer a monthly practice of small actions or inquiries to inspire positive change this year. Practice makes progress.
Our guidance for October — Pace. Trust that there will be time. Rather than grind, push action items off. Allow the right moment, space, or energy to present itself.
“People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.”
— Haruki Murakami