There’s nothing wrong with supporting others. But when is it too much? How do you know when it’s TIME to pursue your own ambitions?
Supporting others is one of the most fulfilling things we can do! As a mom of two teens, I’ve got half a dozen part time jobs directly supporting our family of three, including my very own (but barely operational) fluff & fold laundry service, driver service, short order dining and catering service, and an expanding teen counseling practice.
I feel good about supporting my kids, as well as my partner, family, and friends. But when the scale is tipped too far on the supporting of others and not enough weight is devoted to nourishing my own dreams and ambitions things start to unravel.
I can divide up a typical day into parts:
I certainly think about my ambitions and goals each day. I dream of doing my own creative solopreneur venture full time every day. I aspire to doing more stand up comedy here in LA. But no one is gonna to write this blog, market my work, write my jokes and wheel me onto the stage, or fan the flames of my ambitions for me.
If you’ve read this far, I bet you also have some ambitions that have been on the back burner simmering away but not forgotten. I’m guessing you’re also a devoted family member and friend, and don’t hesitate to support the dreams of others. Only you know when the scale has tipped too far and you’re not filling the cup of your own dreams and ambitions.
Here’s how to assess where your energy is going and get clarity on what you’re ready to focus on:
- Map out the pie chart of your day or your week.
- Notice: Where does your energy go?
- Highlight the areas that nourish you, your body, mind, and spirit.
- Underline the areas that are energy draining.
- Circle the ones that directly fan the flames of your dreams.
- Put stars by the areas that directly support others.
- Draw lines between the ambitions that are directly connected.
What’s reflected back to you in your energy map? What’s missing?
Not sure where to start? Imagine in 12-18 months you took your last breath. Which ambition(s) would you want to be sure to bring to life before that last exhale? Morbid, I know, but it’ll lead you to your truth.
💡 Your ambition could be something you’d like to be, feel, or embody. We’re human beings after all, in a doing world. As an example, I want to feel healthy, strong, and agile in my body 50-year old body. I want to embody playfulness and peacefulness.
💡Your ambition could also be something you’d like to do, create, or experience. I want to write more consistently, move into a more spacious space, and turn my solopreneur passion project into a full time gig.
There’s a virtuous cycle between what you’d like to embody and create. Find the connection between the two.
Maybe you also can’t and don’t wish to jump ship on your life and dive head first into writing that first book, starting that podcast, moving to that new place, or finding that amazing partner/community/job. But your dreams deserve 15 minutes a day of focus. Break down one ambition into small steps and take one baby step today. If your dream is to write your first book, you can dedicate 15 minutes to journaling, reading about book writing, brainstorming what you’d like to write about and why, or even opening a word doc and staring blankly at it until your fingers start to type. You might even sleep better tonight.
Beginning on Friday, May 10th I’ll be launching another cohort of my 6-week workshop series called “Ambition to Action” to support a group in actively pursuing and bringing to fruition their ambitions. If you’d like to get on the fun and put your name on the pre-registration list, email me at KimberlyBlanchardCoaching@ gmail. com or sign up for my newsletter list. More details to come soon!
Your ambitions are seeds planted in you for a reason, and pursuing them is a divine act. Try taking a focused 15 minutes of one small step toward your goal in the next 24 hours and let me know how it goes in the comments. You’ve got this, my friend. 🙌
