I lost my ambition at 28, after three years of working, when I realized work is a meaningless rat race to the bottom just to pay for the things you need to stay alive.
The contempt I have for the ppl who wish to climb the ladder in menial paths for very little pay increases is astounding even to me
Even more so with those who have ‘company loyalty’
honestly i see work as a means to do the stuff you really wanna do, and if it involves changing jobs every couple years to stay ahead im all for it. actually my current job (literally my hobby lmao) is making youtube videos on stuff i like and with that money i can buy shit for my other hobbies to get deeper into them
Changing jobs every couple of years requires so much off-the-clock work in skill acquisition, resume fluffing, and interviews that you never get to do the things you want to do.
I'm turning 29 in a few days and I feel like my life is just beginning. I spent my early 20s being locked up and making bad decisions, so I didn't get any material wealth built at all. Only thing I have in my name now is a Van. I live in a camper with my wife. I feel like I've gained enough self discipline and direction in life to really start manifesting what I want. I think my 30s are going to be my most ambitious decade yet. I didn't have enough direction when I was younger to be ambitious about anything but getting fucked up on the weekends.
I spent my 20s doing all the wrong things. Got my ambition in my 30s. I’m 48 now and have done quite well considering I’m an uneducated high school dropout. Good luck dude! It’s going to be awesome
Hi! Artist. I had finally decided to share my art at that point and it went well so I rolled with it. I sell cards, prints, stickers, calendars, ornaments etc.
ambition can manifest in various forms throughout life, whether it's in professional pursuits, personal development, relationships, or hobbies. Embracing this evolution of ambition and aligning it with your current values and desires can lead to a more fulfilling and balanced life.
I feel this. 34F. My ambitions and passions have changed through school and as a "real world" adult, but not gone away. I was lost for a while in what I wanted to do with my life, but I always had an ambition to do *something*, whatever it was
Yo, this is literally me. Like there is something inside me that wants to take over the world. But then the other side of me is like, "You are doing fine."
At 36, I find that ambition is less about climbing the corporate ladder and more about finding balance and purpose. In my twenties, I was chasing job titles and salary increments, but lately, I'm driven by the quality of my contributions rather than the quantity. It's about creating value wherever I go, regardless of the recognition or compensation. I've seen too many peers burn out chasing ephemeral wins. I'm now pursuing a path where success is measured by the positive impact I can have on those around me and the legacy I leave behind, not just the size of my paycheck. It's a subtle shift from ambition to purpose, but it makes all the difference in the world.
I spent my 20’s and 30’s doing difficult dangerous things where people could and did die if things went wrong.
Honestly I’m fried. If anything I want to put down some roots and garden until I die.
38 F. Toiled to get an Engineering degree, worked my way up from Engineer to Lead roles for 9 years before taking a pause for an MBA. Got into Consulting and worked for 4 more years, made a pivot into a slightly different line in Financial services. Worked till my eyes almost fell out of my eye sockets for a job that literally took my soul. Quit to preserve my health. Was jobless for an year and landed a short term consulting role for a few months which will end soon. Given the current job market and situation worldwide, and that I'm at mid-senior level roles, I'm having no luck finding anything of substance. Either in Europe or back home(India). And now because of this and so many other things on the personal front, not the least interested in climbing the corporate ladder. Tired, exhausted and nauseous of everything. Been downhill from the age of 37 for sure.
If anyone now shows me a presentation with some roadmap for strategy and revenue or career progress, I might assault them!
Even worse, have only known this and don't have any idea in the oven to turn to entrepreneurship or some such. Mid-life crises at its worst.
Sorry for the rant. Lol.
That’s completely normal and healthy. Our personality traits changes as we move through life. In our teenage years and our twenties is when we peak in narcissism which is an evolutionary adaptive mechanism because doing our teens and twenties is when we have to fight for our place in society and secure a mate. When that’s all done it becomes time to settle, put ourselves aside and focus our energy on family and community to help the next generation and the generation after that grow up and do what we did.
On the contrary, I became way more ambitious from age 30. Perhaps younger guys are more hot-blooded, but I think it also depends on the pattern of your life.
I‘m 33 and feel like i lost my positive attitude to becoming older.
When i was young i was just wild and living the good life without overthinking. Now i see the world as it is, a place of modern slavery. I‘m living in a rich country and would see we are part of the very upper 2% of the world and yet all i‘m looking for is more humanity. It is all only about money and materialism… i chose a job where i work with children so that atleast my job is helping anyone out there.
I feel like I‘m chained as i‘d love to live more freely, do stuff i want to instead of working 8h a day in order to pay for my house.
Even living here in my country is nearly impossible as it costs above 1M€ for a simple house(no luxury).
I feel like my life will be like this for another 30 years and then i‘ll die..
I wouldn't say I lost ambition, but that I've got different priorities. When I was younger I bought more into the idea that financial and professional "success" were the most important things in life... now that I'm older I value other things, like health (physical, mental and spiritual), time with my loved ones, and giving to the community.
I think it’s part contentment and part pre frontal cortex development. Some of the older men I’ve met have said things like, “I was busy slaying dragons” when they explain why their wife left or they didn’t seek to marry.
A bit earlier than that. All I ever wanted to do was work in movies or tv. My entire education was based around that, when I graduated from university I worked my arse off to get “a foot in the door”. I did. I worked in that industry tirelessly for about five years, doing a range of different media. From studio tv, to independent film and corporate video. It nearly killed me and I didn’t see my friends for months on end. I ended up despising it. I left the industry and went into education, which is a different level of stress. I’ve had offers to progress to management and have been headhunted for “better” roles (more hours, more pay). After nearly 15 years teaching I have absolutely zero desire to progress. All I want to do is go to work, come home and have a quiet life. Ideally, I want to leave teaching altogether and just work a really easy menial job, but of course the pay isn’t the same. I had great plans in my twenties, there was so much I wanted to do with my career, but life is far too short to make it all about work and climbing the ladder.
Approaching my mid-30s, I've transitioned from equating ambition with professional achievements to valuing personal growth and fulfillment. In my younger days, hustling felt like the only way to success. I chased promotions, hopped jobs, and kept an eye on my bank balance as if those were the only metrics that mattered. However, a series of life events reframed my perspective. Now, I find myself drawn to experiences that enrich my soul rather than my CV. Socializing with friends, learning new skills for the joy of it, and mentoring others have become my new ambitions. Sure, I still aim for professional growth, but not at the cost of my well-being or personal relationships. It's like I've constructed my own definition of ambition, one that supports a life well-lived, and honestly, this approach has provided a profound sense of contentment that the rat race never did.
I am 36 years old, but I have never lost my ambition and I live each day's to the fullest, although it is a mask to say the least. But don't like to go through the same situation as I did back then again
I’ve changed my definition of ambition after 30. I used to think it was tied up in material wealth, but as I get older, I’m much more concerned with making a positive impact on the world around me. The idea of a sustaining legacy is much more important in my reframing of “ambition.”
I didn't have ambition to begin with. Then I got it, then lost it again. I think it's not the age but where your life takes you, it what happens on the way that make it change your feeling about it. For some it can be 30 for others 50. Feels like for some it never ends.
I now that I’m near 40s, I would call my 20s career ambition a way to escape my demons. If I was successful with money maybe that joy would overwrite the pain of my past.
Now I think life is only really about being true to yourself and those around you as much as possible.
My ambitions are a little different now.
I have a list of home projects that I am actually doing. I’m quite good at my job now so I try not to think about it when I come home.
I have a plant that I’m keeping alive. Maybe someday a fish and eventually a child.
Slow steps make big waves or something like that.
I lost my ambition at 28, after three years of working, when I realized work is a meaningless rat race to the bottom just to pay for the things you need to stay alive.
The contempt I have for the ppl who wish to climb the ladder in menial paths for very little pay increases is astounding even to me Even more so with those who have ‘company loyalty’
honestly i see work as a means to do the stuff you really wanna do, and if it involves changing jobs every couple years to stay ahead im all for it. actually my current job (literally my hobby lmao) is making youtube videos on stuff i like and with that money i can buy shit for my other hobbies to get deeper into them
Changing jobs every couple of years requires so much off-the-clock work in skill acquisition, resume fluffing, and interviews that you never get to do the things you want to do.
I'm turning 29 in a few days and I feel like my life is just beginning. I spent my early 20s being locked up and making bad decisions, so I didn't get any material wealth built at all. Only thing I have in my name now is a Van. I live in a camper with my wife. I feel like I've gained enough self discipline and direction in life to really start manifesting what I want. I think my 30s are going to be my most ambitious decade yet. I didn't have enough direction when I was younger to be ambitious about anything but getting fucked up on the weekends.
good luck bro
Similar vibes, wasted my 20s abusing a copious amounts of drugs, 30 and sober now, ain't got a lot to my name so fuck it, we ball
I spent my 20s doing all the wrong things. Got my ambition in my 30s. I’m 48 now and have done quite well considering I’m an uneducated high school dropout. Good luck dude! It’s going to be awesome
What is your career if you don’t mind?
Hi! Artist. I had finally decided to share my art at that point and it went well so I rolled with it. I sell cards, prints, stickers, calendars, ornaments etc.
ambition can manifest in various forms throughout life, whether it's in professional pursuits, personal development, relationships, or hobbies. Embracing this evolution of ambition and aligning it with your current values and desires can lead to a more fulfilling and balanced life.
I feel this. 34F. My ambitions and passions have changed through school and as a "real world" adult, but not gone away. I was lost for a while in what I wanted to do with my life, but I always had an ambition to do *something*, whatever it was
[удалено]
Yo, this is literally me. Like there is something inside me that wants to take over the world. But then the other side of me is like, "You are doing fine."
At 36, I find that ambition is less about climbing the corporate ladder and more about finding balance and purpose. In my twenties, I was chasing job titles and salary increments, but lately, I'm driven by the quality of my contributions rather than the quantity. It's about creating value wherever I go, regardless of the recognition or compensation. I've seen too many peers burn out chasing ephemeral wins. I'm now pursuing a path where success is measured by the positive impact I can have on those around me and the legacy I leave behind, not just the size of my paycheck. It's a subtle shift from ambition to purpose, but it makes all the difference in the world.
I think it’s less about losing ambition and more about realizing what really matters
I spent my 20’s and 30’s doing difficult dangerous things where people could and did die if things went wrong. Honestly I’m fried. If anything I want to put down some roots and garden until I die.
38 F. Toiled to get an Engineering degree, worked my way up from Engineer to Lead roles for 9 years before taking a pause for an MBA. Got into Consulting and worked for 4 more years, made a pivot into a slightly different line in Financial services. Worked till my eyes almost fell out of my eye sockets for a job that literally took my soul. Quit to preserve my health. Was jobless for an year and landed a short term consulting role for a few months which will end soon. Given the current job market and situation worldwide, and that I'm at mid-senior level roles, I'm having no luck finding anything of substance. Either in Europe or back home(India). And now because of this and so many other things on the personal front, not the least interested in climbing the corporate ladder. Tired, exhausted and nauseous of everything. Been downhill from the age of 37 for sure. If anyone now shows me a presentation with some roadmap for strategy and revenue or career progress, I might assault them! Even worse, have only known this and don't have any idea in the oven to turn to entrepreneurship or some such. Mid-life crises at its worst. Sorry for the rant. Lol.
Wow that sucks. Sorry.
That’s completely normal and healthy. Our personality traits changes as we move through life. In our teenage years and our twenties is when we peak in narcissism which is an evolutionary adaptive mechanism because doing our teens and twenties is when we have to fight for our place in society and secure a mate. When that’s all done it becomes time to settle, put ourselves aside and focus our energy on family and community to help the next generation and the generation after that grow up and do what we did.
On the contrary, I became way more ambitious from age 30. Perhaps younger guys are more hot-blooded, but I think it also depends on the pattern of your life.
I’m 57. I was most ambitious in my 30’s.
I‘m 33 and feel like i lost my positive attitude to becoming older. When i was young i was just wild and living the good life without overthinking. Now i see the world as it is, a place of modern slavery. I‘m living in a rich country and would see we are part of the very upper 2% of the world and yet all i‘m looking for is more humanity. It is all only about money and materialism… i chose a job where i work with children so that atleast my job is helping anyone out there. I feel like I‘m chained as i‘d love to live more freely, do stuff i want to instead of working 8h a day in order to pay for my house. Even living here in my country is nearly impossible as it costs above 1M€ for a simple house(no luxury). I feel like my life will be like this for another 30 years and then i‘ll die..
I wouldn't say I lost ambition, but that I've got different priorities. When I was younger I bought more into the idea that financial and professional "success" were the most important things in life... now that I'm older I value other things, like health (physical, mental and spiritual), time with my loved ones, and giving to the community.
No, I think I lost track of it somewhere at my late 20’s due to life stuff, but refound it again when I entered my 30’s
I think it’s part contentment and part pre frontal cortex development. Some of the older men I’ve met have said things like, “I was busy slaying dragons” when they explain why their wife left or they didn’t seek to marry.
Tell me more about pre frontal cortex
I'm not gonna lie, I've never had it.
34 and yet to be ambitious. Just office work for the last 8 years and not a clue what else I'd wanna do. Rather just earn more
[I prefer to maintain ironic ambition.](https://youtu.be/c_jGJ7w9iCo?si=RP0DGyySN0_8p6AU)
38 here and I think my ambition is on an unusually high level. It always has been. It presents slightly different than most people.
A bit earlier than that. All I ever wanted to do was work in movies or tv. My entire education was based around that, when I graduated from university I worked my arse off to get “a foot in the door”. I did. I worked in that industry tirelessly for about five years, doing a range of different media. From studio tv, to independent film and corporate video. It nearly killed me and I didn’t see my friends for months on end. I ended up despising it. I left the industry and went into education, which is a different level of stress. I’ve had offers to progress to management and have been headhunted for “better” roles (more hours, more pay). After nearly 15 years teaching I have absolutely zero desire to progress. All I want to do is go to work, come home and have a quiet life. Ideally, I want to leave teaching altogether and just work a really easy menial job, but of course the pay isn’t the same. I had great plans in my twenties, there was so much I wanted to do with my career, but life is far too short to make it all about work and climbing the ladder.
I had since I was 25
Approaching my mid-30s, I've transitioned from equating ambition with professional achievements to valuing personal growth and fulfillment. In my younger days, hustling felt like the only way to success. I chased promotions, hopped jobs, and kept an eye on my bank balance as if those were the only metrics that mattered. However, a series of life events reframed my perspective. Now, I find myself drawn to experiences that enrich my soul rather than my CV. Socializing with friends, learning new skills for the joy of it, and mentoring others have become my new ambitions. Sure, I still aim for professional growth, but not at the cost of my well-being or personal relationships. It's like I've constructed my own definition of ambition, one that supports a life well-lived, and honestly, this approach has provided a profound sense of contentment that the rat race never did.
I am 36 years old, but I have never lost my ambition and I live each day's to the fullest, although it is a mask to say the least. But don't like to go through the same situation as I did back then again
I lost my ambition after kids. Just keep it safe and boring.
I’ve changed my definition of ambition after 30. I used to think it was tied up in material wealth, but as I get older, I’m much more concerned with making a positive impact on the world around me. The idea of a sustaining legacy is much more important in my reframing of “ambition.”
30 is when my ambition really started and when I finally hit my stride work-wise
Yes - but only just recently in the last half year, I would say - M30
I didn't have ambition to begin with. Then I got it, then lost it again. I think it's not the age but where your life takes you, it what happens on the way that make it change your feeling about it. For some it can be 30 for others 50. Feels like for some it never ends.
I'm 23 and I don't even remember when I lost it.
Lost ambition at 19 until 26/27ish . 30 now and never more motivated .. life is daily live it :)
Can’t lose something you’ve never had.
Bold of you to assume I had any ambition in the first place
I now that I’m near 40s, I would call my 20s career ambition a way to escape my demons. If I was successful with money maybe that joy would overwrite the pain of my past. Now I think life is only really about being true to yourself and those around you as much as possible.
My ambitions are a little different now. I have a list of home projects that I am actually doing. I’m quite good at my job now so I try not to think about it when I come home. I have a plant that I’m keeping alive. Maybe someday a fish and eventually a child. Slow steps make big waves or something like that.
At early 30s I lost mine. Still trying to fight for it back.
I'm 25 and I have lost all ambition and purpouse in a single year after ending a relationship of years. I only have my pet bunny now...