Good Work : Reclaiming Your Inner Ambition

You just need to sit down and write. If you struggle, just notice what is coming up. Don’t tell yourself you should be better at this. Ask yourself questions instead. Get curious about it. Try again the next day. Don’t take it so seriously.

Good work: activities that give me energy and fuel my journey “Good enough” work: tasks I enjoy to some degree, which often help pay the bills, but are not my core good work Supporting activities: complementary work that supports my good work, but is sometimes a distraction “Bad” work: work I seek to avoid. Anything that drains my energy, but somet

So the only reasonable answer I can give to the question of “How can I do what you are doing?” is this: fully commit to the journey, challenges and all. Once you do, don’t give up. Keep going. Take the search for good work seriously.

“That is partly why ambition has become something of a dirty word. We assume that being ambitious means following a pre-written script and climbing a never-ending ladder, sometimes at the expense of other people… But ambition isn’t broken. It is still what it has always been: the innate human desire for growth, a desire that is both universal and h

I do miss telling people about my impressive achievements and watching their eyes light up with instant respect. It was so simple and the lack of that kind of reaction is still clearly noticeable on my current path. Now, instead of igniting admiration, I often trigger people’s deepest fears.

“why not consider the savings a gift from your former self?” Hmm. That was interesting. I could be grateful to “achiever Paul” for making this money and giving me the chance to reinvent myself.

But when you stop doing it, good work seduces you back. It is something you must do. Once you discover your good work, take it seriously and protect it, as it can be one of the most powerful ways to show up in the world, contribute, and feel useful.

I was afraid of ending up back where I started: dissatisfied, lost, and stuck in a job I wanted to escape.

"I don't know where I'm going, but I know exactly how to get there."⁠2 BOYD VARTY