100. Looking Back, Looking Forward: Sustainable Ambition Turns 100
Overview
During the pandemic, the cultural tides around work ambition turned. People were over their ambitions.
Consider these stats: In 2022, Gartner found that more than 50% of surveyed workers said they were questioning the purpose of their jobs and the role work should play in their lives. Also in 2022, the Mckinsey Health Institute found that one in four employees experienced burnout symptoms. And in mid-2022, 29% of employees who resigned from their jobs said they did so for better work-life balance, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
Maybe you recognize yourself in one of those numbers.
And yet as we move away from the pandemic, there is a thawing and a movement with people wanting to reclaim their ambition.
I’ve been exploring ambition on the podcast for the last two years, and so for the 100th episode, I’m going to look back and reflect on conversations with guests, and how their insights and my research have sharpened my thinking about the three core pillars of Sustainable Ambition: Right Ambition, Right Time, and Right Effort.
Listen below or on your favorite podcast player.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
How our cultural view of ambition and what we want is evolving post-pandemic
Why we should embrace conscious ambition as a beneficial part of being human
The four key focus areas for tapping into the meaning and motivation behind your personal ambition
Five questions to ask yourself about your ambitions for the year
Why you should plan your life before your work
How our ambitions change and evolve over time, especially at major life transitions
How personalization, pace, and periodization impact our resilience to sustain us while we stretch for our ambitions
Inquiries to help you focus your Right Effort
Resources Mentioned
51. On Becoming Superhuman & Avoiding Reckless Ambition with Dr. Sahar Yousef
54: On Following Your Own Path & Success for the 99% with Dominic DeMarco
55. On Being Ambitious with Strategic In/Action with Jinny Uppal
60. On The Success Factor: A Blueprint for High Performance with Ruth Gotian
62. On Finding Motivation in Loving the Journey with Ultra-marathoner Jack Hsueh
66. On Smart Strategies to be Fulfilled at Work with Art Markman
68. Part 1: On Intentionally Living & Working with Pace with Kathy Oneto & Wade Brill
69. Part 2: On Intentionally Living & Working with Pace with Kathy Oneto & Wade Brill
77. On the Big, Bold Choice of The Self-Employed Life with Jeffrey Shaw
81. On the Novel Bit Flip and Ambition in Silicon Valley with Mike Trigg
82. On Living and Working with Ordinary Resilience with Luis Velasquez
85. On Ditching Hustle Culture & Thriving Again with Jennie Blumenthal
90. On Ambition, Optimism, and Holiday Cheer with my Bestie Carol Best