Cal Newport’s books titled Slow Productivity and Deep Work resonate with your note. Can’t have enough of these reminders in today’s world. Most of us “elders” grew up in a slower world and we have a nostalgic “home” to retreat to. Now your generation is faced with the challenge of creating your “home” despite the deluge of insignificant noise you must sort through. I wish you well because this is an incredibly important concept and task. Maybe even a duty.
A good starting point is asking oneself "what does success mean to me?". For most, the answer is having money. Yet, that is not the right answer. Or rather, it is an incomplete thought.
Thank you for sharing your words with us. I've been trying to be more intentional with the life I want to live and your post came to me when I needed it.
"soft ambition isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing things differently. it’s about trusting that slow growth is still growth. it’s about redefining success so that it doesn’t leave you burnt out and miserable by the time you get there."
This is such a key point. Define what success means for you and live by that. For some just having basic financial needs met may be enough. Other people may require more. Bottom line is, success is meaningless if you can't enjoy it. I've been thinking about this a lot recently. Thank you for articulating it so beautifully.
I love this conceptually, but I think in practice it's pretty difficult! Jane Austen didn't have to work 40 hours a week. I want to pursue writing, but right now it doesn't pay the bills so in order to write and sustain myself I have to hustle pretty hard. I totally agree that we shouldn't aspire to or glorify hustle -- I actually am working hard now bc I aspire to a life like Jane Austen where I can just focus on creation, but I'm just not there yet.
This! Left a job at a great company because I was feeling so burned out! You life's work should be enjoyable, challenging at times yes, but not absolute torture. I'm now at a company with a slower culture and I'm quite content!
This made me think about Elizabeth Gilbert who made a deal with the muse/the universe that she would do what it took to be a writer because it was the only thing she wanted and that she would never abandon the muse. What it took was lots of table waiting and bar work for years so that she could remain fully committed to her writing rather than using all her energy and attention dealing with corporate culture. Your writing here reminds of her book Big Magic - a really wonderful guide for creatives. I tried really hard to not use capital letters in my response but I’m a hard wired comms manager 🤣🤣🥴
this post has come to me at the perfect time. i’m dissatisfied with my corporate job, how it makes me feel and the impact it has on the planet. i’m thinking of taking some time and potentially take a step down on that metaphorical ladder of success for the sake of nurturing a life that i can be content in and still succeed. so, thank you for this x
this made me cry. in my culture, the generations ahead of us made this “at this age, you should’ve been this or that” mindset and i’m so happy we’re finally rising against that. i think that each of us has our own pace and destiny, that we don’t need to lose ourselves in the process to achieve the dreams we want most <3
Cal Newport’s books titled Slow Productivity and Deep Work resonate with your note. Can’t have enough of these reminders in today’s world. Most of us “elders” grew up in a slower world and we have a nostalgic “home” to retreat to. Now your generation is faced with the challenge of creating your “home” despite the deluge of insignificant noise you must sort through. I wish you well because this is an incredibly important concept and task. Maybe even a duty.
A good starting point is asking oneself "what does success mean to me?". For most, the answer is having money. Yet, that is not the right answer. Or rather, it is an incomplete thought.
Money for what? To do what?
To feel what?
There is your answer. Go towards that!
Thank you for sharing your words with us. I've been trying to be more intentional with the life I want to live and your post came to me when I needed it.
I wish i lived in an environment where people understood that and didn't force me to suffer to be considered someone worthy of success
"soft ambition isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing things differently. it’s about trusting that slow growth is still growth. it’s about redefining success so that it doesn’t leave you burnt out and miserable by the time you get there."
This is such a key point. Define what success means for you and live by that. For some just having basic financial needs met may be enough. Other people may require more. Bottom line is, success is meaningless if you can't enjoy it. I've been thinking about this a lot recently. Thank you for articulating it so beautifully.
I love this conceptually, but I think in practice it's pretty difficult! Jane Austen didn't have to work 40 hours a week. I want to pursue writing, but right now it doesn't pay the bills so in order to write and sustain myself I have to hustle pretty hard. I totally agree that we shouldn't aspire to or glorify hustle -- I actually am working hard now bc I aspire to a life like Jane Austen where I can just focus on creation, but I'm just not there yet.
This! Left a job at a great company because I was feeling so burned out! You life's work should be enjoyable, challenging at times yes, but not absolute torture. I'm now at a company with a slower culture and I'm quite content!
This made me think about Elizabeth Gilbert who made a deal with the muse/the universe that she would do what it took to be a writer because it was the only thing she wanted and that she would never abandon the muse. What it took was lots of table waiting and bar work for years so that she could remain fully committed to her writing rather than using all her energy and attention dealing with corporate culture. Your writing here reminds of her book Big Magic - a really wonderful guide for creatives. I tried really hard to not use capital letters in my response but I’m a hard wired comms manager 🤣🤣🥴
"but what if success didn’t have to feel like a war? what if ambition could be… soft?" Loved this line
This encapsulates perfectly how I want to rebuild my career.
I think romanticising your every day is a great way to feel more present and the enjoy the life we currently have.
I have never heard the term or the words put together. “soft ambition “. I am going to ponder this further.
Love this so much. It doesn't have to feel like a war. <3
❤️
this post has come to me at the perfect time. i’m dissatisfied with my corporate job, how it makes me feel and the impact it has on the planet. i’m thinking of taking some time and potentially take a step down on that metaphorical ladder of success for the sake of nurturing a life that i can be content in and still succeed. so, thank you for this x
this made me cry. in my culture, the generations ahead of us made this “at this age, you should’ve been this or that” mindset and i’m so happy we’re finally rising against that. i think that each of us has our own pace and destiny, that we don’t need to lose ourselves in the process to achieve the dreams we want most <3
I love this. I felt so at peace reading the entire thing.