It’s Time to Replace Ambition with Adaptation

There is a... relief... in admitting that your ambition is no longer that useful. I’ve wasted a lot of energy on personal ambition. But achievement never assuaged a feeling that my work isn’t necessary. The world may not need another thing, but it does need another person who derives value from elevating others. I’ve learned that I’d rather be forg... See more

We’re always trying to keep up in a world of work that seems to constantly get faster and expect more of us, leaving us too burned out and apathetic to deal with anything that doesn’t directly affect us or our families.

Adaptation may look different for different people, but I think it starts with facing this disconnect head-on: Our individualized, highly specialized career ambition is no longer a suitable match for the world we’re living in. Hastened by the pandemic, many knowledge-economy workers are, as British broadcaster and journalist Bidisha wrote in the Gu... See more