Valiant Ambition

Choose your ambitions wisely

Surrender of General Burgoyne by John Trumbull, 1821 (public domain - Wikipedia)

“Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem.” — Abraham Lincoln, 1832

Ambition is strangely double-sided. Show too much of it, and you’re considered overly aggressive. Show too little and you’re weak.

And if you’re a woman, it’s even worse.

Ambition is viewed as healthy in men, a sign of competition and aspiration. But women are scrutinized and criticized for having ambition, being unfairly judged as pushy or unlikeable and suffering social consequences for it.

Aspiration and ambition are natural human traits — something we all have.

In a 2023 Forbes survey, 81% of women and 82% of men wanted to be promoted;…