Can Ambition Lead to Your Downfall?

Ambition is an ingredient in success, as it can serve as a force that drives us to excel. However, we should evaluate how our ambition is affecting our lives, as it can lead to problematic behaviors.

Overfixation

We know that we need both desire and determination to accomplish challenging goals, but what happens when our desire and determination affect us negatively? We need to focus on our goals, but when does focus turn into over fixation? One potential side effect of excessive ambition is that it can damage our relationships. When our goals are not shared with people with whom we share a life, our ambition may cause us to fail to convey empathy or put our needs above the needs of people we love, damaging relationships. Also, if we are spending too much focus on tasks (such as if we are working 70 hours per week to increase our chance of getting a promotion), we will be spending less time with our families. We also may take less care of ourselves, getting less sleep and exercise, and having a poor diet. Also, excessive focus on one task can prevent us from focusing on other healthy behaviors. For example, if we are not spending time with friends and having leisure time, our stress can affect both our physical health and mental health. Finally, if we do not accomplish our end goal, if we have not set multiple goals and prioritize multiple healthy objectives, we could be left feeling utterly defeated and inept.

Pay Attention to Our Thinking

When we tell ourselves that we “must” accomplish something, this can be damaging in multiple ways. For one, it implies that we absolutely cannot accept coming up short of our goal, and that mindset can lead us to feel depressed, resentful, ashamed, weak, etc. if we do not accomplish the goal. We also need to make sure that we are not exhibiting cutoff thinking, which occurs when we experience a setback and feel like giving up. This thinking can lead us to not only cause us to stop working on our task, but it can also lead us to view ourselves as unworthy or incapable of success in other life areas.

Seeking Balance

Being aware of our ambition and when we may be taking it too far can help us to put everything in perspective. When ambition affects our relationships, mental health, physical health, and overall quality of life, it may be time to restructure our time and energy. Also, having short-term goals that we can accomplish along the way, and allowing ourselves to appreciate these achievements, can help us to set balance and avoid the black-and-white thinking that can get us into trouble.