Big ambitions
I’m ambitious.
I’m ambitious about my work — about the people I want to help, the skillfulness + impact I want to have, and yes, the income I want to make, too.
But perhaps even more so, I’m ambitious about my life:
I want plenty of time, on a daily basis, to journal and take walks and read romance novels.
I want to be a well-nourished introvert and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). This requires a lot of alone time and down time — especially when you are also a working mother with young children (including a special needs child).
I want to freaking enjoy motherhood (note: this is not the same as “experience” or “survive”) — and I don’t want to feel that all I did for these 18+ years was parent and work. I want to be a mom that takes dance classes and cultivates deep friendships and takes solo trips.
In a funny way, I think my life ambitions might be the more radical of the two. I don’t see so many working moms, who say this kind of thing openly, and who seem to seek it out.
Do I achieve all of these ambitions all the time?
Absolutely not.
I’m still a work-in-progress, both professionally and personally.
But I know that my ambitions get me far closer than I’d otherwise be.
…
Of course, privilege plays a role here. I have certain financial and support privileges that I would never deny.
But also: I know folks with as much — or more — privileges than me, who don’t seem to be quite so personally ambitious.
And I know many others — who might not have as many privileges as me, but also who are leaving a ton on the table, and who don’t take advantage of the possibilities they do have.
…
So this week, I will ask: What would you want, if you let yourself be more ambitious?
As always, I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this.
Katie
p.s. Want me to be your coach and help you (1) identify thoughts that aren’t serving you + (2) show you how to shift them? Learn more here about what it’s like to work with me.
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