A is for... Ambition

“a strong desire to do or achieve something”

Such a simple definition, but such a loaded word for so many of us. To be ‘ambitious’ is rarely seen as a desirable trait in a woman in the way it would be in a man. Instead of proudly declaring our desire to do or achieve something, and seeking input and advice on our journey from A to B, we hedge around it and attribute any success we have along the way to ‘luck’ or ‘accident’; heaven forbid anyone might think it was part of a plan all along.

The few situations in which we are given a free pass for ambition are when our ambitions are seen as altruistic. We can be ambitious in our desire to help others, or put our platform, money or position to service, but appearing materialistic, selfish or frivolous is a big fat no.

But it's ok to want things just for the sake of them. It's ok to set your sights on a future that feels exciting, challenging or fun without knowing upfront exactly how it’s going to make the world a better place. The vast majority of us are good people, and, given the opportunity, we will find many new and exciting ways to lift as we climb (HT Viv Groskop there!), but you absolutely don’t need the lift to justify the climb in the first place. If you are constantly thinking about what you’ll do when you get there, you risk missing out on a bunch of good stuff that happens along the way.

We need to become much, much better at owning our ambition; thinking it, saying it and going out and getting it. Being ambitious doesn’t equate to wanting to be a power hungry, helmet haired dragon lady in an 80s suit. It simply means having a clear goal that motivates and helps you move forward.

They say ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. Well, I think we need to see a lot more women who will happily stand up and talk about their ambitions - big, small, frivolous, virtuous and everything in between.

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