Created Ambition vs. Inherited Ambition
If you’re someone who has chosen to have accomplishment and achievement be important, then it translates that you’re someone with ambition. I propose, for someone with ambition, it’s important to make a distinction between inherited ambition and created ambition.
What is “Inherited Ambtion?”
Inherited ambition includes the commitments and goals that you think you “should” have.
It includes the commitments and goals that the unquestioned, “everyone knows this,” “it’s just the way it is” business world tells you are the right commitments and goals to have.
Inherited ambition also includes commitments and values we’ve inherited from our family or culture, e.g. “My mom/dad always said don’t work for someone else, start your own business.” Or, “My mom was a doctor, so now I’m a doctor.” Or, “My dad was an investment banker, so now I’m a financial advisor,” and so on.
How does “Inherited Ambition” impact us?
Living, working, and operating inside of inherited ambition will frequently create anxiety, burnout, thoughts, and actions that are short-sighted and oriented around “making a living.”
Moreover, inherited ambition often leads to incoherence. This is because if your ambitions are inherited, one or more will inevitably be incoherent or misalign with others. This will lead to a number of thoughts, actions, offers, strategies, relationships, conversations, and partnerships that at the very minimum will not be aligned and will fail to fulfill your ultimate intentions including your Calling.
When people lack created ambition, and instead rely on inherited ambition for purpose and direction, they will often lack the kind of grit, vision, and focus that is required for meaningful accomplishment.
They do not notice how internal or psychological barriers are setting them up for future breakdowns.
Lastly, living, working and operating from inherited ambition is a guaranteed setup for future disappointment and disillusionment. This results from the realization that I was living someone else’s life and accomplishing someone else’s goals and I was disconnected from my own, unique vision.
Created Ambition
“Created ambition” is a specific type of ambition. It is necessary for having autonomy, dignity, and fulfillment in one’s life. Maturity and competence with creating your own ambitions (vs. someone else’s) constitutes a significant part of one’s dignity, integrity and self-worth.
Created ambitions produce a direction for thought and action. It produces destinations for your journeys through time and situation.
Creating ambitions begins with asking the question, “Why?”
Why does our company exist?
Why do I want to grow the company?
Why am I doing quarterly performance reviews?
Why do we do a Monday morning sales meeting? Etc, etc.
I find answering the question, “Why?” is often not quick and sometimes a bit anxious as you end up confronting that which is often existential in nature.
It requires being honest with yourself about what the inherited answers to “why?” have been, so that you can reinvent, actually create, a sourceful, authentic and empowering answer to, “why?” Moreover, your answer to “why?” must somehow be connected to or sourced by your ultimate why – i.e. your Calling, your Dharma, your ikigai, your raison d'etre.
I propose this is how you end up with a company (and a life) that is filled with your own ambition, and not someone else’s.