ambition
sari and
ambition
But while the stereotype of ambition is indeed someone like Elon Musk (or Steve Jobs, before that), I don't think you literally need to aim for Mars to stir the heart of sailors. Nor do I think you need to be as abrasive or demanding, as the stereotype implies. That's the balance we've been trying to find at 37signals since its inception: The... See more
David Heinemeier Hansson (dhh@hey.com) • The Gift of Ambition
People love to ask what you do for work and understand your professional trajectory. Often, it’s a surface question. Or, used to quickly categorize people in familiar boxes. But beneath this lies a far more interesting story.
I don’t think you can truly answer questions about work without exploring ambition and identity. Looking back over the last... See more
Sam Sager • Work, Ambition, and Identity
The High-Return Activity of Raising Others' Aspirations - Marginal REVOLUTION
marginalrevolution.commarginalrevolution.com
There’s a phrase making the rounds online: “The more I heal, the less ambitious I become.” I’ve been wondering if its resonance reveals a quiet fatigue with the constant push for more and a longing for lives that are simpler, quieter, and more self-directed. Not smaller in value, but in volume. To me, that’s not regression. That’s freedom.
In Defense of Thinking Small
Episode #188 Achievement Society and the rise of narcissism depression and anxiety - Byung-Chul Han
youtube.comThis was illuminating. My notes:
Negative power is the way people have been control for most of human history.
Negative power means being controlled by prohibition or limitation, telling people you can’t do this or that. Today, people are controlled through positive power. Positive power tells you you can be whatever you want, you’re in charge, so you have no limitations. As long as you can put your head down, focus, grind, achieve your short term goals, set new ones and achieve those.
Authenticity is an ad campaign of neo-liberalism. It's a self absorbed nightmare. People now have to define themselves through themselves without any sort of help from the outside. Everyone is their own little personal project. Everything we learn is not just learning anymore. It's an investment in ourselves. Everything is about mentally optimizing yourself working, producing more efficiently with your mind.
People who do great work are not necessarily happier than everyone else, but they're happier than they'd be if they didn't. In fact, if you're smart and ambitious, it's dangerous
not
to be productive. People who are smart and ambitious but don't achieve much tend to become bitter.
not
to be productive. People who are smart and ambitious but don't achieve much tend to become bitter.
Paul Graham • How to Do Great Work
