π benna ππ©
@benna
why i stopped being ambitious: i grew up *incredibly* ambitious to the point where i would put overwhelming amounts of pressure on myself to 'succeed', success for me at that time meaning Forbes 30 Under 30 and millionaire by late 20s / early 30s. I grew up in the era of Girl Boss feminism so it felt possible in the 2010s. ofc, life happened and none of that panned out the way i planned. that's fine! but unsurprisingly, the pressure made me miserable. after a period of intense burn out that actually prompted my move to Paris, i also totally abandoned the idea of 'ambitious' as being my primary and most attractive trait; i also no longer think that it is important in other people. 'ambition' as an attractive trait (to potential partners, to employers) is a product of capitalism. the fact that one's motivation to work, one's means of production, one's 'grit', is today considered one of the most important characteristics for the human condition, is perhaps one of the greatest psyops of the modern era.
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tiny
@tinyrainboot
100000000%, thank you for sharing this. it's so hard to unlearn some of these behaviors. i still catch myself feeling good when i'm "busy" or "productive" sometimes and i think that's gross.
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π benna ππ©
@benna
on the flip side i think it's totally important to feel fulfilled and have a sense of accomplishment in one's work! and making progress on work that feels aligned with you feels amazing - that's great. but yeah glorifying the state of busyness itself is a quick recipe for burnout lol
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