July 28, 2026 • 20 mins
Ambition has a reputation for making people restless, intense, and never satisfied, but that version of ambition is only one story. We talk about the difference between chasing achievements to fill an emotional void and pursuing growth from a grounded place of gratitude. When “enoughness” is the real target, every milestone wears off fast. When values are the target, you can feel fulfilled right now and still build a bigger life with purpose.
We also dig into what it means to be multipassionate without becoming addicted to novelty. If you love learning across fields, your interests can compound into deeper impact rather than distract you. The trap is letting excitement decide your commitments. The moment progress slows and the work turns repetitive, a shiny new goal starts calling your name. We share a simple way to tell the difference between a genuine shift in priorities and an escape from the discomfort of sustained effort, plus why finishing what you start is a cornerstone of mastery.
Finally, we reframe “productive” ambition by focusing on emotional fuel. Instead of using stress, self-punishment, and burnout as the engine, we walk through healthier fuels you can generate before any results show up: enthusiasm, inspiration, vitality, courage, audacity, exploration, joy, certainty, gratitude, and generosity. The goal is to stay wildly ambitious while becoming emotionally healthier, so discipline and peace can coexist.
If this resonated, subscribe for more tools, share this with a friend who feels stuck in the start-and-stop cycle, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What emotional fuel do you want to lead with this week?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Welcome to Islamic Life Coach School Podcast.
Apply tools that you learn inthis podcast and your life will
be unrecognizably successful.
Now your host, Dr.
Kamal Asser.
SPEAKER_01 (00:16):
Hello, hello, hello everyone.
Peace and blessings be upon allof you.
Today's podcast is aboutambition.
And I think one of the biggestmisunderstandings about this is
the idea that ambitious peopleare never satisfied.
There's certainly a version ofambition that looks like that,
where no accomplishment feelsenough because every achievement
is being used to fill anemotional void.
(00:38):
Whatever you achieve next, thepromotion, the degree, the
business goal, the nextmilestone provides this relief
before the mind immediatelyshifts to the next target.
In these cases, satisfaction ispostponed because achievement is
never the true objective.
The objective is the personsearching for a feeling of
enoughness that no externalaccomplishment can permanently
(01:00):
provide.
And on top of all of this, Idon't believe this is what
healthy ambition looks like.
Healthy ambition allows you tobe deeply fulfilled by where you
are while you're remaininggenuinely excited about where
you're going.
Fulfillment and a desire forgrowth don't have to exist as
opposites.
You can feel immense gratitudefor the life Allah subhanahu wa
(01:23):
ta'ala has given you while alsofeeling inspired to create
further opportunities and takingon more and more
responsibilities if you want.
I think there are type of peoplein the world who Allah created
with unusually broad interests.
They're energized by learning,creating, building, discovering,
(01:44):
teaching, connecting ideasacross different fields.
These human beings arefascinated by a variety of
subjects, both scientific andabstract.
They're interested in history,agriculture, writing,
architecture, languages, design,technology, and they don't
experience these interests ascompeting with one another.
(02:06):
If you are one of these humanbeings, for you each discipline
will enrich the other, becauseknowledge does not exist in
isolated compartments.
A student who studies Islamicscholarship also studies
communication will become a muchmore effective teacher.
A physician who loves psychologywill become a much more
(02:26):
effective coach, inshallah.
In these cases your curiosity isexpansive and it's not
necessarily scattered.
The differences in your passiongradually come together in such
a coherent way that it servesthe world and you much more
exponentially.
At the same time, I think thereis a need for you to be careful
(02:47):
not to confuse genuinemultipassion with modern
tendency towards noveltyseeking.
You live in an environment thatis constantly rewarding the new.
Every day you'll come acrossanother course to buy, another
productivity system, anotherhobby to explore.
And the brain naturally enjoysnovelty because it captures your
(03:08):
attention and it feels exciting.
The danger comes when excitementbecomes the primary criteria for
deciding whether somethingdeserves your commitment or not.
If every time the initialexcitement fades, you conclude
that you must have chosen thewrong pursuit, you will spend
your entire life become anexpert beginner.
Every meaningful pursuiteventually asks something
(03:30):
different of you thanexcitement.
In the beginning, almosteverything will feel
exhilarating because your brainis exploring the unfamiliar
territory, which is a highlysought after feeling in
ambitious people.
If you're learning the rules ofTajwid, it will be deeply
inspiring when you begin.
You imagine yourself recitingthe Quran beautifully, you
(03:50):
purchase the materials, youorganize your study schedule,
you anticipate your progress.
But while you're doing thisprocess for several months, this
whole experience will change.
You will still need to bepracticing the same fundamental
rules, correcting the samerecurring mistakes, moving
through the pronunciations,through the slow, repetitive
(04:10):
process.
This is what mastery requires.
And through this phase of theprocess, the emotional
experience becomes much moresubdued, and it is during this
stage of your multipassionpursuits that another interest
suddenly appears moreattractive.
Maybe in this phase, Arabiccalligraphy is going to look
more exciting, or maybe learninganother language, or pursuing
(04:33):
another certification.
The question here is not ifthese are worthwhile interests.
Of course they are.
The question is if the newinterest represents a genuine
shift in your priorities, or ifyour mind has simply become
uncomfortable with the ordinaryrhythm of the long term
commitment.
For you to know the difference,you have to finish your first
(04:55):
commitment in order for you topursue another priority.
I have come to believepersonally that one of the
defining characteristics of ahealthy ambition is the ability
to remain devoted to somethinglong after the novelty has
disappeared.
Excitement is wonderful becauseit helps you begin, but
commitment is what allows you tobecome excellent.
(05:15):
You will reach every worthwhilegoal only after it has reached a
point where progress has becomeslower, and you've gotten over
that point.
And this level of expertiserequires sustained repetition.
There is not going to beconstant inspiration in those
moments.
And for ambitious people who arejust looking for the high of
(05:36):
novelty, this stage is much lessemotionally stimulating.
And this stage is exactly whatyou need to develop your skill.
You need the discipline, it willgive you confidence, and this is
where mastery is built.
People who consistentlyaccomplish extraordinary things
are not the one who remainexcited every day.
They're the ones who havelearned to continue acting in
(05:58):
alignment with their values evenwhen the emotional intensity is
not present.
I also think that it's veryhelpful for you to recognize
that not every ambition deservesthe same proportion of your
attention.
We very often speak aboutfollowing your passion as though
every interest should receiveequal amount of time, and that's
simply just not realistic.
(06:20):
The amount of commitment you'regoing to give to one thing is
going to depend on the level ofmastery you hope to achieve in
that area.
Becoming a neuroscientist isfundamentally different from
learning enough neuroscience tobetter understand your own
habits.
Become a professional chefrequires a completely different
investment than learning to mealprep your nutritious meals.
(06:41):
Becoming a Quran scholarrequires a different level of
dedication than improving yourown recitation.
Every worthwhile ambition asks adifferent price of you, and
wisdom is in you decidinghonestly how much of yourself
are you willing to invest.
So being multipassionate doesnot mean giving every interest
(07:01):
equal priority.
It means recognizing that youmay have several lifelong
ambitions unfoldingsimultaneously, while
understanding that each seasonof life may also naturally place
one or two of them at theforefront.
There may be years where yourcareer requires the majority of
your intellectual energy.
(07:22):
During that time your otherpassions are remaining in the
background.
In those times you'reconsciously and intentionally
deciding that you're pursuingyour career with more of your
attention.
For other people, raising youngchildren may become the central
investment for the season oftheir life, while writing a book
may be another investment thatrequires attention in another
(07:44):
season of life.
None of these ambitions havenecessarily disappeared just
because they're temporarilyreceiving a different proportion
of your attention.
They remain a part of the largervision of your life.
One of the most useful questionsI think you can ask yourself as
a multi passionate person iswhenever a new opportunity
(08:04):
appears, is asking yourselfwhether you're moving towards
something meaningful or simplymoving away from the discomfort
of sustained effort.
If this new interest becomesmore attractive precisely when
your current one startsrequiring patience and
resilience, there's a goodchance that this pursuit is
being directed by the search ofnovelty rather than by deeply
(08:26):
held values.
The issue is rarely the presenceof multiple passions.
The issue is whether yourpassions are mature enough to
survive beyond the honeymoonphase.
And ultimately I don't think theevidence of a healthy ambition
is found in the number ofinterests you have.
It is found in the legacy youcreate.
(08:47):
Because over time you willaccumulate completed projects
that are giving you meaningfulcontributions and you've
developed multiple expertise.
You've learned how to graduallytransform your enthusiasm into
devotion, and that devotion isthe force that carries you
through the ordinary days wheninspiration is less intense.
And you've mastered that skillover time.
(09:10):
It does not mean that somebodywho's engaging in three passions
and pursuits has a more healthyambition compared to somebody
who has twenty three passions.
If they can coordinate that, ifthey can multitask through that,
and they have learned the art oftransforming inspiration into
devotion, then maybe the womanwho's pursuing twenty three
(09:31):
goals is the one with the morehealthy ambition.
I also do think that ambitiongets a bad rep because of the
right reasons.
If you are somebody who'soverachieving and it is sort of
a given for you that you have torely on stress to be able to do
what you're doing, this isexactly what gets ambition a bad
rep.
And collectively, everyonestarts to think that this is the
(09:53):
only way to accomplish somethingthat is difficult through
extreme self sacrifice, stressand unrest and self punishment.
I think this is veryunfortunate.
This is a very unfortunatebelief system that every one of
you has been fed into and basedon this presumption it is
accurate to think thatachievement and ambition is not
(10:13):
a good thing.
When ambition costs you yourmental health, then of course
it's not good.
I talk about it in episode onehundred ninety about stress
addiction and episode onehundred and eighty nine, rat
race or fulfillment.
But what if you could haveambition, be a multi passionate
woman, achieve your wildestdesires, and be accomplishing
(10:35):
your most lofty goals and youdon't feel burnt out or stressed
out.
You actually feel relaxed andenjoy the process.
And of course all of this ispossible, but nobody tells you
that because nobody's an expertin doing that themselves.
Which is why ambition becomesassociated with greed,
selfishness, ego, stepping overother people and never being
(10:57):
satisfied and constantly chasingthe next accomplishment.
So it's natural that when youhear the word ambitious, you
picture somebody who neglectstheir family, who works eighty
hours a week and sacrificestheir health.
Then of course it's natural forus to assume that ambition is
synonymous with obsession, withoverworking.
Ambition itself as your value ismorally neutral.
(11:20):
Ambition is simply your capacityto see the future that does not
yet exist and your willingnessto move towards it.
And this willingness tocultivate that future is
something that Allah subhanahuwa ta'ala has already placed
inside of you, because nothinghappens without Allah's
permission, even your futurevisions.
Ambition is the refusal to buryyour talents.
(11:42):
It is believing that yourcontribution matters.
Ambition can become unhealthyjust like wealth can become
unhealthy.
Marriage can become unhealthy.
Parenting, obsession withtravel, obsession with
socializing.
Anything that comes at the costof your mental health can become
unhealthy.
At the same time, we don'tcondemn marriages, we don't
(12:05):
condemn parenting.
In the same way don't condemnambition just because some
people pursue it in destructiveways.
I would argue that a healthyambition is one of the greatest
forms of gratitude.
When Allah gives youintelligence, creativity,
compassion, leadership, abilityto teach, ability to heal,
(12:25):
build, invent, inspire.
Choosing not to develop thesegifts is not necessarily
humility, and you might findthat you describe yourself as
being content when in realityyou're just terrified of
failing.
If you pursue these ambitions ina healthy way, you're practicing
the highest form of gratitude.
Healthy ambition tells you thatif Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
(12:48):
trusted you with something,you're going to honor that.
This is a completely differentemotional experience than
chasing an achievement becauseyou're trying to earn your worth
or you've fallen victim to theshiny object syndrome.
This error in the emotionalexperience while you're trying
to remain excited constantly andnot able to enjoy the journey
(13:08):
that seems repetitive, this isbased on a mistake we all make
very frequently, and that isthat we assume that the emotions
are something that we experienceafter we've accomplished a goal.
What you're taught is to thinkthat once you work hard and then
you become enthusiastic and thenyou become confident as a result
(13:30):
of that hard work, then you canbecome grateful or joyful.
But what I'm here to tell you isthat these emotions can be
generated now, before youraccomplishment.
If you reverse the order of whatis otherwise a commonly held
belief that you will experiencejoy, fulfillment, vitality after
the accomplishment of your goal,if you set aside that lie and
(13:53):
you generate all of theseemotions now, before you
accomplish your goal, beforeyour ambition produces any
tangible results, you are boundto enjoy the process of
accomplishing these goals muchmore.
And this is so important becausethe emotional state you've
repeatedly generate determinesnot only how much work you can
(14:14):
sustain, but also what the workfeels like in your body.
The same eight hours of work isgoing to feel expansive and
productive or exhausting anddepleting, depending on the
emotional engine driving thework during those hours.
I love exploring healthyemotional fuels, especially on
(14:34):
this podcast, and I've given youenough material on it.
I give you enough language foryou to experience that on your
own and practice it.
And I'm gonna do the same now asit relates to this subject of
ambition.
And these are in no particularorder, adopt whatever speaks to
you the most.
So first emotional fuel isenthusiasm.
(14:56):
It's the most underestimatedforms of productivity because it
naturally directs your attentiontowards the possibility instead
of doing things out ofobligation.
When you're enthusiastic, yourmind looks for opportunities and
solutions.
Then there's inspiration.
This feels amazing in your body.
So generate it ahead of time.
(15:17):
Feel inspired by your dreams,knowing why the work you're
doing matters, inspired by thenext evolved version of you,
inspired by the next small stepyou're going to take.
Then there's vitality.
This is your emotionalexperience of physically feeling
alive and you get to generate itnow.
(15:38):
This is going to offset yourexhaustion that you've become
accustomed to.
So adopt vitality now.
Create that with your thoughtsnow instead of stress.
Courage is an amazing emotion tocreate now.
It allows you to continue takingthoughtful action while being
fully aware that something mightnot go the way you want it to,
(15:58):
that you might get rejected,that you might not see the fruit
of your labor immediately.
One of the more creativeemotions that you get to create
now before you start achievingyour goals is audacity.
And don't misunderstand me,because you might have the
tendency to confuse it witharrogance.
I mean to say it in a way whereit's simply your willingness to
(16:21):
stop making yourself small.
It is allowing yourself theaudacity to believe in the gifts
that Allah placed within you,the gifts that are meant to be
developed.
You having the audacity to dreambeyond what feels familiar,
without believing that you'resuperior to anyone else.
Exploration is another amazingemotion that you get to create
(16:42):
ahead of time.
Allow amazement, wonderment, andallow your ambitions to evolve
intelligently because you arewilling to gather new
information and you'rechallenging your old
assumptions.
Another amazing emotion tocreate now in the pursuit of
your goals is joy.
This is one of the mostsustainable emotional fuels
(17:04):
because it changes ambition intosomething that you're actively
participating in.
Joy does not necessarilyeliminate the difficulty of the
process, it just changes yourrelationship with that
difficulty.
Be grounded in certainty.
That's another emotion.
Not that certainty of every planwill succeed, but certainty that
(17:25):
you can rely on yourself,certainty that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala's help and mercy iswith you, certainty in your
ability to get up and keeptrying.
Another very powerful emotionthat we need to create ahead of
time is gratitude.
You appreciate your family whileyou're continuing to build
stronger relationships, whileyou're learning emotional
(17:46):
intelligence.
You appreciate your currentlevel of knowledge while
continuing to study more.
You appreciate your businesswhile continuing to improve it.
Gratitude is what protectsambition from becoming a
restless, never ending pursuit.
And this happens because you'regenerating intentional
(18:07):
appreciation and gratitude forwhat you have now.
Generosity is another one ofthose great emotions.
When you work because this isyour opportunity to benefit
others, a lot of your internalpressure begins to disappear.
Every patient you care for,every customer you service,
every child you nurture, anykind of entrepreneurship
(18:28):
endeavor you pursue is all inservice of others.
Your sense of service createsextraordinary endurance because
giving meaningfully to others isone of the deepest sources of
human fulfillment.
When these emotional statesbecome the primary fuel behind
your ambitions, yourrelationship with achievement
(18:48):
changes entirely.
Instead of constantly extractingenergy from your future in the
hope that success willeventually make you feel alive
at some point, you begingenerating that success and
aliveness right now, and thework itself becomes nourishing.
The goal here is to becomeemotionally healthier while
(19:09):
remaining wildly ambitious.
I pray that you stop apologizingfor the size of your dreams and
your curiosity.
I hope you become a kind ofperson that can pursue
extraordinary goals withoutsacrificing your peace, someone
who understands that disciplineand joy can always coexist.
With that I pray to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, O Allah,
(19:31):
fill our hearts with purpose andour efforts with sincerity.
Grant us the courage to pursuethe gifts that you have placed
within us.
Give us the discipline to remaincommitted and make our ambition
a means of serving you.
Ya Allah, bless us with thesuccess that only brings us
closer to you.
Amin Ya Rabul Al Amin.
(19:53):
Please keep me in your drawz.
I will talk to you guys nexttime.
Welcome to Islamic Life Coach School Podcast.
Apply tools that you learn inthis podcast and your life will
be unrecognizably successful.
Now your host, Dr.
Kamal Asser.
SPEAKER_01 (00:16):
Hello, hello, hello everyone.
Peace and blessings be upon allof you.
Today's podcast is aboutambition.
And I think one of the biggestmisunderstandings about this is
the idea that ambitious peopleare never satisfied.
There's certainly a version ofambition that looks like that,
where no accomplishment feelsenough because every achievement
is being used to fill anemotional void.
(00:38):
Whatever you achieve next, thepromotion, the degree, the
business goal, the nextmilestone provides this relief
before the mind immediatelyshifts to the next target.
In these cases, satisfaction ispostponed because achievement is
never the true objective.
The objective is the personsearching for a feeling of
enoughness that no externalaccomplishment can permanently
(01:00):
provide.
And on top of all of this, Idon't believe this is what
healthy ambition looks like.
Healthy ambition allows you tobe deeply fulfilled by where you
are while you're remaininggenuinely excited about where
you're going.
Fulfillment and a desire forgrowth don't have to exist as
opposites.
You can feel immense gratitudefor the life Allah subhanahu wa
(01:23):
ta'ala has given you while alsofeeling inspired to create
further opportunities and takingon more and more
responsibilities if you want.
I think there are type of peoplein the world who Allah created
with unusually broad interests.
They're energized by learning,creating, building, discovering,
(01:44):
teaching, connecting ideasacross different fields.
These human beings arefascinated by a variety of
subjects, both scientific andabstract.
They're interested in history,agriculture, writing,
architecture, languages, design,technology, and they don't
experience these interests ascompeting with one another.
(02:06):
If you are one of these humanbeings, for you each discipline
will enrich the other, becauseknowledge does not exist in
isolated compartments.
A student who studies Islamicscholarship also studies
communication will become a muchmore effective teacher.
A physician who loves psychologywill become a much more
(02:26):
effective coach, inshallah.
In these cases your curiosity isexpansive and it's not
necessarily scattered.
The differences in your passiongradually come together in such
a coherent way that it servesthe world and you much more
exponentially.
At the same time, I think thereis a need for you to be careful
(02:47):
not to confuse genuinemultipassion with modern
tendency towards noveltyseeking.
You live in an environment thatis constantly rewarding the new.
Every day you'll come acrossanother course to buy, another
productivity system, anotherhobby to explore.
And the brain naturally enjoysnovelty because it captures your
(03:08):
attention and it feels exciting.
The danger comes when excitementbecomes the primary criteria for
deciding whether somethingdeserves your commitment or not.
If every time the initialexcitement fades, you conclude
that you must have chosen thewrong pursuit, you will spend
your entire life become anexpert beginner.
Every meaningful pursuiteventually asks something
(03:30):
different of you thanexcitement.
In the beginning, almosteverything will feel
exhilarating because your brainis exploring the unfamiliar
territory, which is a highlysought after feeling in
ambitious people.
If you're learning the rules ofTajwid, it will be deeply
inspiring when you begin.
You imagine yourself recitingthe Quran beautifully, you
(03:50):
purchase the materials, youorganize your study schedule,
you anticipate your progress.
But while you're doing thisprocess for several months, this
whole experience will change.
You will still need to bepracticing the same fundamental
rules, correcting the samerecurring mistakes, moving
through the pronunciations,through the slow, repetitive
(04:10):
process.
This is what mastery requires.
And through this phase of theprocess, the emotional
experience becomes much moresubdued, and it is during this
stage of your multipassionpursuits that another interest
suddenly appears moreattractive.
Maybe in this phase, Arabiccalligraphy is going to look
more exciting, or maybe learninganother language, or pursuing
(04:33):
another certification.
The question here is not ifthese are worthwhile interests.
Of course they are.
The question is if the newinterest represents a genuine
shift in your priorities, or ifyour mind has simply become
uncomfortable with the ordinaryrhythm of the long term
commitment.
For you to know the difference,you have to finish your first
(04:55):
commitment in order for you topursue another priority.
I have come to believepersonally that one of the
defining characteristics of ahealthy ambition is the ability
to remain devoted to somethinglong after the novelty has
disappeared.
Excitement is wonderful becauseit helps you begin, but
commitment is what allows you tobecome excellent.
(05:15):
You will reach every worthwhilegoal only after it has reached a
point where progress has becomeslower, and you've gotten over
that point.
And this level of expertiserequires sustained repetition.
There is not going to beconstant inspiration in those
moments.
And for ambitious people who arejust looking for the high of
(05:36):
novelty, this stage is much lessemotionally stimulating.
And this stage is exactly whatyou need to develop your skill.
You need the discipline, it willgive you confidence, and this is
where mastery is built.
People who consistentlyaccomplish extraordinary things
are not the one who remainexcited every day.
They're the ones who havelearned to continue acting in
(05:58):
alignment with their values evenwhen the emotional intensity is
not present.
I also think that it's veryhelpful for you to recognize
that not every ambition deservesthe same proportion of your
attention.
We very often speak aboutfollowing your passion as though
every interest should receiveequal amount of time, and that's
simply just not realistic.
(06:20):
The amount of commitment you'regoing to give to one thing is
going to depend on the level ofmastery you hope to achieve in
that area.
Becoming a neuroscientist isfundamentally different from
learning enough neuroscience tobetter understand your own
habits.
Become a professional chefrequires a completely different
investment than learning to mealprep your nutritious meals.
(06:41):
Becoming a Quran scholarrequires a different level of
dedication than improving yourown recitation.
Every worthwhile ambition asks adifferent price of you, and
wisdom is in you decidinghonestly how much of yourself
are you willing to invest.
So being multipassionate doesnot mean giving every interest
(07:01):
equal priority.
It means recognizing that youmay have several lifelong
ambitions unfoldingsimultaneously, while
understanding that each seasonof life may also naturally place
one or two of them at theforefront.
There may be years where yourcareer requires the majority of
your intellectual energy.
(07:22):
During that time your otherpassions are remaining in the
background.
In those times you'reconsciously and intentionally
deciding that you're pursuingyour career with more of your
attention.
For other people, raising youngchildren may become the central
investment for the season oftheir life, while writing a book
may be another investment thatrequires attention in another
(07:44):
season of life.
None of these ambitions havenecessarily disappeared just
because they're temporarilyreceiving a different proportion
of your attention.
They remain a part of the largervision of your life.
One of the most useful questionsI think you can ask yourself as
a multi passionate person iswhenever a new opportunity
(08:04):
appears, is asking yourselfwhether you're moving towards
something meaningful or simplymoving away from the discomfort
of sustained effort.
If this new interest becomesmore attractive precisely when
your current one startsrequiring patience and
resilience, there's a goodchance that this pursuit is
being directed by the search ofnovelty rather than by deeply
(08:26):
held values.
The issue is rarely the presenceof multiple passions.
The issue is whether yourpassions are mature enough to
survive beyond the honeymoonphase.
And ultimately I don't think theevidence of a healthy ambition
is found in the number ofinterests you have.
It is found in the legacy youcreate.
(08:47):
Because over time you willaccumulate completed projects
that are giving you meaningfulcontributions and you've
developed multiple expertise.
You've learned how to graduallytransform your enthusiasm into
devotion, and that devotion isthe force that carries you
through the ordinary days wheninspiration is less intense.
And you've mastered that skillover time.
(09:10):
It does not mean that somebodywho's engaging in three passions
and pursuits has a more healthyambition compared to somebody
who has twenty three passions.
If they can coordinate that, ifthey can multitask through that,
and they have learned the art oftransforming inspiration into
devotion, then maybe the womanwho's pursuing twenty three
(09:31):
goals is the one with the morehealthy ambition.
I also do think that ambitiongets a bad rep because of the
right reasons.
If you are somebody who'soverachieving and it is sort of
a given for you that you have torely on stress to be able to do
what you're doing, this isexactly what gets ambition a bad
rep.
And collectively, everyonestarts to think that this is the
(09:53):
only way to accomplish somethingthat is difficult through
extreme self sacrifice, stressand unrest and self punishment.
I think this is veryunfortunate.
This is a very unfortunatebelief system that every one of
you has been fed into and basedon this presumption it is
accurate to think thatachievement and ambition is not
(10:13):
a good thing.
When ambition costs you yourmental health, then of course
it's not good.
I talk about it in episode onehundred ninety about stress
addiction and episode onehundred and eighty nine, rat
race or fulfillment.
But what if you could haveambition, be a multi passionate
woman, achieve your wildestdesires, and be accomplishing
(10:35):
your most lofty goals and youdon't feel burnt out or stressed
out.
You actually feel relaxed andenjoy the process.
And of course all of this ispossible, but nobody tells you
that because nobody's an expertin doing that themselves.
Which is why ambition becomesassociated with greed,
selfishness, ego, stepping overother people and never being
(10:57):
satisfied and constantly chasingthe next accomplishment.
So it's natural that when youhear the word ambitious, you
picture somebody who neglectstheir family, who works eighty
hours a week and sacrificestheir health.
Then of course it's natural forus to assume that ambition is
synonymous with obsession, withoverworking.
Ambition itself as your value ismorally neutral.
(11:20):
Ambition is simply your capacityto see the future that does not
yet exist and your willingnessto move towards it.
And this willingness tocultivate that future is
something that Allah subhanahuwa ta'ala has already placed
inside of you, because nothinghappens without Allah's
permission, even your futurevisions.
Ambition is the refusal to buryyour talents.
(11:42):
It is believing that yourcontribution matters.
Ambition can become unhealthyjust like wealth can become
unhealthy.
Marriage can become unhealthy.
Parenting, obsession withtravel, obsession with
socializing.
Anything that comes at the costof your mental health can become
unhealthy.
At the same time, we don'tcondemn marriages, we don't
(12:05):
condemn parenting.
In the same way don't condemnambition just because some
people pursue it in destructiveways.
I would argue that a healthyambition is one of the greatest
forms of gratitude.
When Allah gives youintelligence, creativity,
compassion, leadership, abilityto teach, ability to heal,
(12:25):
build, invent, inspire.
Choosing not to develop thesegifts is not necessarily
humility, and you might findthat you describe yourself as
being content when in realityyou're just terrified of
failing.
If you pursue these ambitions ina healthy way, you're practicing
the highest form of gratitude.
Healthy ambition tells you thatif Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
(12:48):
trusted you with something,you're going to honor that.
This is a completely differentemotional experience than
chasing an achievement becauseyou're trying to earn your worth
or you've fallen victim to theshiny object syndrome.
This error in the emotionalexperience while you're trying
to remain excited constantly andnot able to enjoy the journey
(13:08):
that seems repetitive, this isbased on a mistake we all make
very frequently, and that isthat we assume that the emotions
are something that we experienceafter we've accomplished a goal.
What you're taught is to thinkthat once you work hard and then
you become enthusiastic and thenyou become confident as a result
(13:30):
of that hard work, then you canbecome grateful or joyful.
But what I'm here to tell you isthat these emotions can be
generated now, before youraccomplishment.
If you reverse the order of whatis otherwise a commonly held
belief that you will experiencejoy, fulfillment, vitality after
the accomplishment of your goal,if you set aside that lie and
(13:53):
you generate all of theseemotions now, before you
accomplish your goal, beforeyour ambition produces any
tangible results, you are boundto enjoy the process of
accomplishing these goals muchmore.
And this is so important becausethe emotional state you've
repeatedly generate determinesnot only how much work you can
(14:14):
sustain, but also what the workfeels like in your body.
The same eight hours of work isgoing to feel expansive and
productive or exhausting anddepleting, depending on the
emotional engine driving thework during those hours.
I love exploring healthyemotional fuels, especially on
(14:34):
this podcast, and I've given youenough material on it.
I give you enough language foryou to experience that on your
own and practice it.
And I'm gonna do the same now asit relates to this subject of
ambition.
And these are in no particularorder, adopt whatever speaks to
you the most.
So first emotional fuel isenthusiasm.
(14:56):
It's the most underestimatedforms of productivity because it
naturally directs your attentiontowards the possibility instead
of doing things out ofobligation.
When you're enthusiastic, yourmind looks for opportunities and
solutions.
Then there's inspiration.
This feels amazing in your body.
So generate it ahead of time.
(15:17):
Feel inspired by your dreams,knowing why the work you're
doing matters, inspired by thenext evolved version of you,
inspired by the next small stepyou're going to take.
Then there's vitality.
This is your emotionalexperience of physically feeling
alive and you get to generate itnow.
(15:38):
This is going to offset yourexhaustion that you've become
accustomed to.
So adopt vitality now.
Create that with your thoughtsnow instead of stress.
Courage is an amazing emotion tocreate now.
It allows you to continue takingthoughtful action while being
fully aware that something mightnot go the way you want it to,
(15:58):
that you might get rejected,that you might not see the fruit
of your labor immediately.
One of the more creativeemotions that you get to create
now before you start achievingyour goals is audacity.
And don't misunderstand me,because you might have the
tendency to confuse it witharrogance.
I mean to say it in a way whereit's simply your willingness to
(16:21):
stop making yourself small.
It is allowing yourself theaudacity to believe in the gifts
that Allah placed within you,the gifts that are meant to be
developed.
You having the audacity to dreambeyond what feels familiar,
without believing that you'resuperior to anyone else.
Exploration is another amazingemotion that you get to create
(16:42):
ahead of time.
Allow amazement, wonderment, andallow your ambitions to evolve
intelligently because you arewilling to gather new
information and you'rechallenging your old
assumptions.
Another amazing emotion tocreate now in the pursuit of
your goals is joy.
This is one of the mostsustainable emotional fuels
(17:04):
because it changes ambition intosomething that you're actively
participating in.
Joy does not necessarilyeliminate the difficulty of the
process, it just changes yourrelationship with that
difficulty.
Be grounded in certainty.
That's another emotion.
Not that certainty of every planwill succeed, but certainty that
(17:25):
you can rely on yourself,certainty that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala's help and mercy iswith you, certainty in your
ability to get up and keeptrying.
Another very powerful emotionthat we need to create ahead of
time is gratitude.
You appreciate your family whileyou're continuing to build
stronger relationships, whileyou're learning emotional
(17:46):
intelligence.
You appreciate your currentlevel of knowledge while
continuing to study more.
You appreciate your businesswhile continuing to improve it.
Gratitude is what protectsambition from becoming a
restless, never ending pursuit.
And this happens because you'regenerating intentional
(18:07):
appreciation and gratitude forwhat you have now.
Generosity is another one ofthose great emotions.
When you work because this isyour opportunity to benefit
others, a lot of your internalpressure begins to disappear.
Every patient you care for,every customer you service,
every child you nurture, anykind of entrepreneurship
(18:28):
endeavor you pursue is all inservice of others.
Your sense of service createsextraordinary endurance because
giving meaningfully to others isone of the deepest sources of
human fulfillment.
When these emotional statesbecome the primary fuel behind
your ambitions, yourrelationship with achievement
(18:48):
changes entirely.
Instead of constantly extractingenergy from your future in the
hope that success willeventually make you feel alive
at some point, you begingenerating that success and
aliveness right now, and thework itself becomes nourishing.
The goal here is to becomeemotionally healthier while
(19:09):
remaining wildly ambitious.
I pray that you stop apologizingfor the size of your dreams and
your curiosity.
I hope you become a kind ofperson that can pursue
extraordinary goals withoutsacrificing your peace, someone
who understands that disciplineand joy can always coexist.
With that I pray to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala, O Allah,
(19:31):
fill our hearts with purpose andour efforts with sincerity.
Grant us the courage to pursuethe gifts that you have placed
within us.
Give us the discipline to remaincommitted and make our ambition
a means of serving you.
Ya Allah, bless us with thesuccess that only brings us
closer to you.
Amin Ya Rabul Al Amin.
(19:53):
Please keep me in your drawz.
I will talk to you guys nexttime.
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