Curbing Ambition

LeadershipAccurate ThinkingHonoring TimeSelf ConfidenceMorning Momentum

Feb 27

Confidence and ambition is not delusional ego it’s a framework of perspective to try. Dreaming and strategizing and their execution – it’s important. -Gary Vee

Happy Monday!

The word ambition can either send you heading for cover or get you excited about what’s ahead. Combine it with confidence and what comes to mind for you?

I remember a Christmas about 15 years ago now that turned out to be my mom’s last one spent with us here on earth. We were fortunate enough to come together as a family with some living in other parts of the country.

On the back of everyone’s name card for Christmas dinner at my house, I had asked Mom to write one word that described each family member from her perspective.

Well, she did a lovely job and in her beautiful handwriting wrote their name on the front of the cards and the one word that she felt described them best on the back. Everyone was given the instructions not to turn the cards until asked to do so during that evening’s dinner.

That Christmas meal became one that none of us will ever forget as each family member one by one flipped their card over. As they said their word out loud my mom shared why she had chosen that word for them.

Then each person lit the candle sitting next to the card from the previous person’s candle. By the time we were done with the 15 or so of us around the table, the room was glowing. But more importantly, each of us was glowing on the inside.

The word that my mother gave me was ambitious. As I looked at it, I didn’t quite know what to think. This is how my mother summed me up? The definition of the word being a strong desire to achieve something with determination and hard work. Well, that did sum me up, didn’t it? After all I was growing a business and 2 kids at the same time. I had to be.

All these years later I have that table card with the word ambitious on it sitting here in my office to remind me of the importance of the fuel ambition gives to us. And that my mom was proud of me for being ambitious.

Heck, I am proud of me for being ambitious because for me, ambition and confidence are not based in ego but getting the job done to the best of my ability...and then some.

As I look towards the road ahead of me with my current business growing into year 23, the kids fully grown and living ambitious lives of their own (so proud of both of them), my ambition remains.

While many friends, colleagues and even my husband have now embraced retirement, my ambition to continue to do the work that I love stays strong.

Last summer and through most of the fall and winter of 2022, I thought long and hard about what I wanted the years ahead to look like. And now I am making the commitment to keep my company, Business Victories, going strong for at least 5 more years.

To continue to inspire as many entrepreneurs and small business owners as possible to put their most ambitious foot forward.

My choice is not to curb my ambition (which we can tend to think we have to do) but to give it the time and commitment that it deserves. Will I find time to play, travel, spend time with those I love, and garden as I need and want to in between my work? Most definitely!

So how about you? Let me ask you the question again, what comes to mind for you with the word ambition in your life?

With March arriving this week and the beautiful season of Spring just 3 short weeks away I would say there is plenty to feel ambitious about! Lots of new growth about to come to life.

Let’s go do it!