Let’s dispel the myth that women, especially young mothers, need to refrain from ambition or feel guilty if they are ambitious. If you ever feel you might be doing something wrong because you believe you have business or creative potential and want to do something about it, read on. Time to kick those limiting beliefs to the curb!
“Ambition” seems to be a loaded word for women. Does ambition collide with feminine virtues of motherhood? Let's take a look: The dictionary defines ambition as “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.” That sure sounds admirable to me!
There is room for “ambition” in every area of our lives. You can be ambitious about raising kind, contributing humans. There’s nothing that takes more effort over the course of decades than raising kids. You can be ambitious about improving your marriage, a serious effort for the committed of heart! You can be ambitious about improving your health, which requires you to make changes in your day-to-day nutrition and exercise habits. All of these meaningful efforts require determination and hard work.
At The Mama Ladder®, we empower women at the intersection of mamahood and entrepreneurship. Believe this: You are absolutely allowed to be ambitious about growing your company, creating more opportunities, and making more money. Be as ambitious as you want!
I’ve had to work through my own limiting beliefs about being ambitious in my career. For years, I hid my ambition from different people in my life, trying to gauge how they would react. I would be quiet about exciting achievements because I was afraid of others’ responses. Looking back I think, “What a waste of energy!”
I’ve learned I don’t need to to waste my precious time and mind power worrying about what other people think. Being out of the corporate ladder really helps because I’m not constantly surrounded by others’ limiting beliefs. I “create my own ladder” as a business owner and it’s incredibly liberating to set BIG, beautiful goals, and climb after them boldly without needing to hold back due to other people’s fragile egos.
If you find yourself thinking you need to rein in your ambition, here are some truths to keep in mind:
Progressing, growing, and learning are your innate right and potential.
This ability to move towards your goals has many names, like “the pursuit of happiness” in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Nature shows us examples of this: Fruit trees are always seeking to grow and create as much fruit as they can. Do they hold back for fear the other fruit trees will feel inadequate? No! They are naturally created to seek sunshine, nutrients, and every possible resource to help them progress. The same goes for you. Progress, grow, and feel good about striving towards your potential!
The desires and wild dreams you hold in your heart are there for a reason.
Whatever your belief system (God, the Universe, Muse, etc.), know that the quiet whisperings of your heart are there to guide you towards what you can become and who you can help. If you have a deep desire to do something good or meaningful, listen to it. This could be finally writing that book you’ve always want to write, or collaborating with other brands for a big campaign, or launching new services that will make a real difference in people’s lives.
See your ambition as a clue to the good you (and only you) can do for the world.
Doing good is not limited to non-profit organizations or church groups. There are countless ways to be big-hearted as a for-profit business. It’s the reason we give $5,000 to a promising mom entrepreneur in our HIGH FIVE grant program twice a year. It’s our dream to truly empower mom entrepreneurs, and we’re happy to put money behind that dream!
When you allow yourself to dream and ACT big, you give others permission to do so as well.
This includes your child(ren). By showing your kids you believe you are worthy of greatness and your dreams deserve your attention, you teach them they can believe the same for themselves. What an incredible gift to give your children, friends, community, and anyone who your life touches!
If you feel ambitious about growing your business, congratulations. That’s a sign you deeply care, and have the ability to do and BE more than you currently are. Listen to that desire, and allow it to motivate you to take bold action. You’ll be happily surprised to see what you can create, thanks to your ambition and hard work to back it up.
Want help to climb after your ambitious business goals? Let’s do it, Mama! We specialize in working with women of action who are committed to their babies and their business. Join us and other like-minded mamapreneurs in our membership community, Mama Power.
