"Ambition is a trauma response"

For a while I’ve been feeling like I’ve lost my drive and desire to be aggressive with my goals (compared to before). For a while I thought this was a trauma response because of some L’s I took in the pursuit of said goals. But then this week I was listening to a podcast and they said “Once you’re healed you lose ambition. Ambition is usually a trauma response”. It was like the biggest lightbulb moment ever. This year I’ve prioritised my relationship with God, my relationships with loved ones and learning. My priorities have changed and I’m finally letting it happen.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very ambitious. Dreaming is fun for me, and so is working towards my dreams. I also think the statement “ambition is a trauma response” is overly simplified, but for me at least it rings true. My ambition initially was a trauma response. And without realising this, you might end up fighting to keep it when you’ve healed and the level or nature of your ambition changes. You’ll know if it resonates or not, so just some food for thought.

Also please remember growth isn’t linear, and can’t always be measured with numbers.

Hope you’re enjoying the last bit (scraps if you’re in London) of summer ❤️

‘Aha’ moments of the week:

1.) I decided to not choose my goals based on statistics a while ago. My coach always says “Use it, don’t let it use you” and it can truly apply to everything that is potentially holding you back. Statistics can be a blocker, but it can definitely be a tool. A tool to find statistically what works best to get you to where you want to go. But I always leave room for God to do something new or unusual, give me a new idea or way of doing something, that beats the odds. This is how I built my faith and freedom. Also remember, people often remind you of statistics as a form of projection, because this might be what they used to justify not achieving it. One thing the human brain is not so great at doing, is accepting we’ve been believing a lie.

ACTION: Identify the times when you’ve beaten statistics. Think about your family history, where you live, what milestones you’ve reached, what you’ve overcome. You now need to reprogram your subconscious mind. Watch this video and follow the steps, using these real life experiences you’ve identified. 

2.) For business/career goals, the art of doing the bare minimum and still being successful isn’t what most people think. It isn’t doing less than other people. It’s actually about looking at what everyone else is unwilling to do, and doing a little bit more than them. For example, I read the book ‘Deep Work’ and realised everyone is overstimulated and confused and not many people are willing to slow down and master having blocks of focussed, deep work. So I decided to do it, and now I “outwork” people even though really and truly, I spend a lot of time faffing around. This is also the same reason why I decided to master chatGPT. This is my version of living a soft life 😊 

ACTION: Identify what everyone else is not doing but it’s something you’re able to, and do a little bit more than them. Just a little. Do this until the end of the 2023 and see how much things change.

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