There’s plenty of LOs out there who want to succeed, but ambition goes further than just wanting success. It’s an internal motivation that can give us the push we need to get there. If you feel that drive to strive and achieve, it’s important to tune-in to it. Think of your ambition like a tool. The better you learn how to use it, the more you’ll be able to do with it. So, how can motivated professionals use it to supercharge their success? Here are a few ideas to harness your ambition:
Focus
Ambition doesn’t always start out focused, but if we want to get the most from it, we need to put in the effort to get there. What is it that you want to achieve? The more you can narrow your scope, define your goals, and visualize the success you want, the better your chances of achieving it. This can certainly change over time, and it should. Your ambition can fuel different projects and goals as you progress. The key is knowing when to concentrate on what. Whether it’s a skill you want to strengthen or a goal you want to hit, defining that for yourself is a powerful first step.
Design a Schedule
The best way to protect your ambition from the day-to-day stresses of work is to create a schedule for yourself. Some days we’re going to feel inspired and motivated while others we might feel frustrated and exhausted. While some ebb and flow in our own attitude is normal, consistency is better for our success. A clear schedule can be a great tool to support that regular effort. On those days where you’re feeling less inspired, having a window of time already carved into your schedule to work towards your goal can help you stay accountable and committed.
Small Victories
Often, the more ambitious you are, the bigger your goals. It’s great to be highly ambitious, but it also comes with some risks. When all the goals we set for ourselves are really challenging, there can start to be a drain on our ambition. We’re not seeing regular achievement because the process is much longer. Progress towards challenging goals is often slower. None of this is a reason to turn down your ambition. Instead, creating smaller milestones worth celebrating along the way can keep you motivated. These little victories help prevent ambition from dissipating and remind you that you’re making progress. The rush of positivity from reaching even a small milestone can propel you forward to the next one.
Recharge and Reset
One of the biggest risks for highly ambitious professionals is burnout (more on avoiding burnout as an LO, here). They are so motivated and so driven that they don’t take the time they need to allow their bodies and minds to recharge. While this might look like hard work and commitment, it’s often self-sabotage. It’s important to view breaks, days off, and vacations as things that support your ambition, not things that take away from it.
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