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On being a woman with ambition.

2020 was the year I realised it's okay to be ambitious.

Throughout my life, I have considered ambition to be a quality to be ashamed of - something that meant you were a cold or greedy person ready to step on anyone to get your way.

This perception meant I never fully cultivated my own ambitions. I've always looked to challenge myself and achieve throughout my education, but since entering the workplace I've found myself hiding my desire to succeed and the heights to which my dreams reach.

Ambition would push through in small bursts that led to me making career changes or pushing for a little more in my role but I never gave it the breathing room needed for it to consistently flourish.

Restraining this aspect of myself has frequently left me feeling lost during my journey of personal and professional development and has made it harder to access meaningful help from managers and mentors.

But no longer!

I am a caring, empathetic, passionate individual who burns with an energy to achieve, thrive and lead and from here on out, I will stop hiding or apologising for my ambition.

  1. 6

    Bring on the ambition!

    I think for me, I'm ambitious, but I have to do things my way, very much leading in a way that traditionally isn't the way. It took me a while to become truly comfortable with that.

    1. 1

      That's awesome to hear Rosie!

      What is your preferred style of leadership? I've just started to dip into "Radical Candor" and it's really resonating 🤔

      1. 2

        Honestly, it's the leadership that is ethical and feels right all the way. I'm no expert on leadership styles, the only one I know is the rosie way. 😋

  2. 3

    What do you want to achieve?

    1. 1

      Right now the hard and fast goal is start my own company!

      In the long term, I want to bring new perspective to the world and use my voice and my actions to help open up space to help nature and diversity flourish.

  3. 2

    One of the best parts of ambition in business is that success requires empathy.

    If you aren't empathetic, you'll never understand how to make other people's lives better. If you don't understand how to make other people's lives better, you'll never make something they value. If you don't make something people value, your business will never make any money.

    It's more than just okay to be an ambitious indie hacker. If you channel your ambition correctly, it means doing good both for yourself and the people you reach.

    1. 1

      Wow, this is so true! Thank you for sharing this thought, I'd never considered it from that perspective, it's a very empowering and exciting angle 🤔

  4. 2

    Welcome to the team!

  5. 2

    Good for you Claire. Whenever you think that "cold or greedy person ready to step on anyone to get your way., think of it instead as "a person who will not let others get in your way of your dreams, ambitions and goal in life". You are not really stepping on anyone. You are just making sure no one steps on YOU while you are going about your goals. Now go crush that thing!!

    1. 2

      100%! What great motivation 🎉 Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts!

  6. 2

    Smash those doors down!

    1. 1

      🚪⬇️

      It's going down! 💪🏻

  7. 2

    Welcome, Claire!

    Just be you. Honest, transparent, real.

    It works.

    1. 1

      Thank you!

      I have always tried to be authentically myself whether it's professional or personal, but I've only recently realised that this was one part of my personality I've been afraid to be open about and to give breathing space.

      The time to change that is now and I'm super motivated to be hella real! 🚀

  8. 1

    I love hanging out with my wife and her female NASA engineer friends. It shows me that there are organizations that value smart and ambitious women.

    There's absolutely nothing wrong with being male, female, or whatever gender you are and being ambitious.

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