This week, I’ve been reflecting on a phrase that struck me during a particularly challenging time in my entrepreneurial journey: “Ambition is a curse.” This notion prompted me to reassess my ambitions at a critical crossroads, influenced by recent conversations with exhausted entrepreneurs.
The Curse of Ambition: The idea that ambition can be a curse is linked to its unhealthier aspects, which can severely disrupt personal lives and work-life balance. Symptoms some of us might experience include:
- Being perpetually “switched on”
- Lacking time for oneself or others
- Heading towards burnout
- Frequent excuses like “I have no time,” or “Sorry I couldn’t make it”
- Bragging about minimal sleep and excessive work hours
- A focus so narrow it blinds you to everything but your vision
Time for Personal Reflection: I found myself on this exact roller coaster, until, urged by my daughter, Hannah Power, (a performance coach for business people who seek to build their personal brand), I shifted from being an ‘Achiever’ to a ‘Performer.’
How habits are formed in each of us: Aged 33, I became an entrepreneur for the first time. I called myself an ‘accidental entrepreneur’ and found myself, ‘accidentally’ building a global community of over 650,000 members with Thomas, I had to learn the journey of an entrepreneur.
The risks, time for family and friends, misaligned with my desired mindset and needs. It was fraught with financial strain, and fear, leading to illness and loneliness for Thomas and myself.
Being alone as Business Owners, going through tough times is a very painful experience, not knowing who to trust or turn to. Many of us become lone wolves, defending our territory and failing to look after our own needs. The painful part is that these changes in yourself creep up on you and over time, others see you change, but you are so focused, you can’t see this in yourself.
Creating A Moment of Change: In 2012, a business coach challenged me with three words to prioritise: Income, Asset, Control. At that time, my life was disproportionately skewed towards ‘Asset,’ sacrificing income and control. This unsustainable pressure needed reevaluation.
and then the Transformation:Faced with the need for change, Thomas and I undertook a significant shift. It required therapy, deep self-awareness, and hard decisions about our lives. We recalibrated our personal costs and routines and launched a new business aligned with our values, reducing risk and fear. We shifted from running a machine to nurturing a business that felt more like a family.
Our New Focus: Our priorities shifted to:
- Income: Allowing for abundance and love, not fear.
- Control: Enabling us to steer our life and business.
- Asset: Building reserve cash for our future cautiously.
The Beauty of Ambition: Ambition is not inherently detrimental; it can be a powerful catalyst. It fuels growth, learning, and altruism, driving advances in technology, science, and medicine. When powered by purpose and sustained through the love of our work and clients, ambition is a beautiful thing.
As you reflect on your own ambitions, consider whether they align with your true desires and the life you wish to lead. As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to plan and make the necessary changes to fulfil your purpose without compromising your well-being, time and happiness.
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