Return on Ambition Summary

Ambition drives us, but have you ever stopped to ask: Is your ambition working for you or leading you astray?

1. Define What Ambition Means to You

Ambition, like money, is a means to an end. It's not inherently bad or good, but its impact depends on how you use it. Without clarity on what you aim to achieve, your efforts can feel hollow or unfulfilling. Understanding your goals is the first step to aligning your ambition with your values and shaping a meaningful life.

While some people, like Jacinda Ardern, pursue ambition with precision and direction, others take flexible paths, exploring various roles until they find their calling. A clear goal can provide focus, but equally important is staying realistic about what you want. Overly steep ambitions might set you up to constantly feel inadequate, no matter how much you achieve.

By defining your ambition, you can establish how much energy to dedicate to different aspects of life, whether it's a thriving career, spending time with loved ones, or personal improvement. When ambition aligns with your deeper purposes, the path forward becomes more rewarding.

Examples

• Jacinda Ardern, who envisioned becoming a leader from an early age, pursued politics with laser focus.
• Trevor Noah meandered across roles—from computer repair to comedy—before becoming a household name.
• Rihanna continuously reinvents herself while balancing work and personal life.

2. Balance Growth, Well-Being, and Achievement

One-dimensional focus on career progression can sabotage overall well-being. Sustainable ambition requires balancing growth, health, and accomplishments. Imagine these factors as a tripod—when one leg collapses, the structure falters.

Take Sadaffe Abid, a CEO who paused her career to study entrepreneurship at Harvard. This decision reignited her passion and allowed her to tackle work challenges with greater resilience. By prioritizing well-being, Abid leveled up her personal and professional life.

Ignoring personal well-being, whether through frazzled relationships or health neglect, often leads to burnout. Similarly, stagnation—repeating unchallenging tasks without growth—can breed dissatisfaction. A holistic approach values achievements, personal development, and maintaining health on equal footing.

Examples

• Sadaffe Abid stepped back from her role to rekindle her purpose at Harvard.
• Overwork led figures like Arianna Huffington to exhaustion—highlighting the need for boundaries.
• Jamie Oliver builds space for family, proving success doesn’t need to overwhelm life.

3. Harness Strengths Without Falling into Their Pitfalls

The attributes that fuel ambition—independence, boldness, and perseverance—can transform into double-edged swords if unchecked. These traits push individuals forward but may also create blind spots and interpersonal conflicts.

Take the example of swimmer Pernille Blume, who overcame self-doubt and achieved an Olympic gold by taking control of her training with renewed focus. On the other hand, snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis allowed overconfidence to cost her an Olympic victory.

Recognizing how ambition manifests in your personality lets you leverage its strengths while avoiding its drawbacks. Successful people learn to temper their boldness with thoughtfulness, independence with collaboration, and perseverance with self-care.

Examples

• Pernille Blume persisted by rediscovering her passion and winning at the Olympics.
• Lindsey Jacobellis let her ambition push her into a needless mistake during a competition.
• Facebook’s motto of “move fast and break things” taught them that boldness without caution has limits.

4. Don’t Let Speed Compromise Your Direction

Moving too quickly can blind you to potential risks and cause poor decisions. Ambition often tempts people to act before gathering enough information or mastering necessary skills. The real danger lies in losing sight of your values or goals altogether.

Boldness often leads to short-lived successes followed by mistakes, as illustrated in the movie Top Gun when Maverick's ambition outweighs his preparation, causing a tragic crash. Similarly, overly independent people might alienate supporters, weakening their progress.

Ambitious individuals must acknowledge where slowing down and collaborating create better outcomes. Avoid making comparisons or racing toward the next milestone—long-term rewards require pacing, patience, and thoughtful decision-making.

Examples

• Maverick in Top Gun illustrates how unchecked speed undermines ambition's outcomes.
• Elon Musk admitted years of 100-hour workweeks adversely affected his mental health.
• Tour de France winners depend on supportive teams—proving interdependence yields wins.

5. Too Much Drive Can Lead to Burnout

Overcommitment fueled by ambition can create stress and exhaustion. Even the most capable individuals struggle when they prioritize work at the expense of rest, connection, and perspective. Ambition mismanaged in this way leads to diminishing returns.

Arianna Huffington learned this the hard way when she collapsed from sleep deprivation two years after the Huffington Post's launch. Similarly, in his relentless pursuit, Elon Musk described battling insomnia induced by extreme work hours.

To avoid this pitfall, it's important to differentiate between working hard and achieving meaningful progress. Overextending yourself or saying "yes" to everything leads to inefficiency and feelings of inadequacy.

Examples

• Arianna Huffington's collapse emphasized the value of sufficient rest and sustainable work habits.
• Elon Musk openly discussed how insomnia and stress affected his health.
• Zen teachings remind us that rushing hard often doubles the time needed to reach our goals.

6. A Personal Philosophy Keeps You Grounded

Ambition's purpose becomes clearer when guided by your personal principles. Without understanding the “why” behind your goals, even major milestones can leave you feeling empty. Principles provide an ethical and emotional compass to evaluate success.

Vivienne Ming turned down a lucrative role at Amazon because it didn’t align with her mission—helping others. Instead, she took on work that resonated with her vision, even if it offered fewer immediate rewards. Her story highlights how principles keep us aligned with what matters.

Crafting your philosophy starts with reflecting on what excites and energizes you. Identifying a purpose bigger than achievement can provide the fulfillment many ambitious people unknowingly crave.

Examples

• Vivienne Ming built her career on making a difference, not profits.
• Use reflection techniques to uncover deeper ambitions beyond surface-level goals.
• Guiding truths help recalibrate ambition’s impact over time, ensuring purpose-driven work.

7. Turn Comparisons Into Intrinsic Motivation

Social comparisons and envy can quickly derail ambitious efforts. When others' success feels like a threat, it’s often a sign that ambition is becoming unhealthy or overly competitive. Instead of fueling insecurities, competition should inspire self-improvement.

Ambitious people are prone to measuring their worth against peers, but this mindset increases stress and erodes satisfaction. Consciously focus on your growth journey instead by comparing yourself to past personal achievements.

Even stars like Rihanna manage envy and competition by evaluating their own goals rather than external pressures. Use comparison only to gauge how far you’ve come—not as a metric defining your worth.

Examples

• Rihanna focuses on outperforming herself rather than bowing to peer pressures.
• Social media’s overnight success stories often exclude unseen struggles—avoid reading too far into them.
• Focus on year-over-year personal development metrics rather than stacking against others.

8. Reflection Fuels Progress

Periodic self-reflection ensures ambition aligns with both your goals and happiness. Regularly evaluate whether your actions fit your broader values and adjust as needed. Reflection enables learning, recalibration, and growth.

Take time to ask yourself what keeps you happy and how far you’ve grown. Writing down principles or journaling helps refine what you want long term. Like pruning a tree, deliberate thought creates space for better outcomes without carrying unnecessary baggage.

Self-aware individuals can pinpoint not just their goals but also how they’ve uniquely evolved to approach them in smarter, healthier ways. Reflection ensures clarity through all phases of life—adjusting focus to match values as they evolve.

Examples

• Keep a journal outlining key realizations or changes in goals.
• Reflecting on gratitude might reveal new ways ambition helps sustain happiness.
• New challenges at different life stages call for reevaluating ambitions periodically.

9. Focus on Immediate Priorities

Rather than juggling endless tasks, narrowing focus amplifies effectiveness. Immediate priorities make it easier to channel energy in the next three months, improving results without obsession over every ambition at once.

This approach helps create stepping stones for long-term gains. Focusing doesn’t limit ambition—it refines it. By doing one thing well, momentum builds toward future victories, turning small wins into lasting habits.

Simplify your ambitions each quarter by choosing one impactful target. Once conquered, reset your sights. The compounded focus builds far-reaching outcomes.

Examples

• Setting one high-impact plan for three months boosts skill development.
• Master's-level athletes achieve breakthroughs through singular focus areas.
• A “one priority at a time” rule prevents burnout while enabling victories.

Takeaways

1. Take one hour to write down guiding principles for your ambition. Revisit these regularly to ensure alignment with your values.
2. Choose the one most impactful goal you’ll focus on for the next three months—track progress weekly.
3. Prioritize rest as much as work. Schedule breaks, enjoy hobbies, and let your ambition play the long game for sustained success.