Reese’s Piece

I just finished reading this article about ambition. I couldn’t agree with Reese Witherspoon more. It’s something I struggle with as an entrepreneur and I’m sure many of you reading this have experienced it within your own jobs and industries (including motherhood). Here’s my advice; Stop caring what other people think about your ambition. You are not trying to succeed to put others beneath you. You are succeeding because of those around you who support you and connect you with people you try to emulate in some form or fashion. Stop being critical of yourself for wanting to do more with your life, and be thankful for those who have been a champion for your efforts. The people that are criticizing you (even if only imagined) are doing so because they don’t have anything else going on and probably wish they “had that idea” or “had the energy” or “had the courage” to do what you are doing.

A good friend of mine recently organized a #Girlboss dinner group. We’ve only had one meeting so far but in it we all agreed that we have found the greatest success in lifting up other women not competing with them or purposefully trying to outdo them. I enjoy healthy competition, but when things get dirty, I draw the line. What I mean, and I have no shame in admitting it, is if your intention is to tear me down, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Because guess what? You just fueled my fire to be even more focused in my efforts. It doesn’t take me long to bounce back from encountering unfortunate souls who feed on trying to make others look and feel bad. To that point, I am also a huge champion of the underdog. I can be vocal when needed, and if you are being wronged for no reason, I’ve got your back. I find this sort of thing happens more with women than men. Men are better at being ambitious because they don’t apologize for it. You know what they get? More success.

I have a healthy dose of ambition in my toolbox with my main goal being to support my family and build for our future, but I also strive to act as a role model for my children and perhaps to women who are launching their first business or hatching their next plan. I won’t apologize for my ambition. What I will do is bring you right along with me. I have big dreams and new ideas every day and if I can partner with you, or help you connect with others, or simply have you follow along then, welcome. This is our tribe.

Whew. Ok back to the point at hand. The last part of Reese’s message is about where women stand today, she shares, “I think we are in a culture crisis in every field. In every industry, women are underrepresented and underpaid in leadership positions. Under 5 percent of CEOS of fortune 500 companies are women. Only 19 percent of Congress is women. No wonder we don’t have the health care we deserve or paid family leave or public access to early childhood education. That really worries me. How can we expect legislation or our needs to be served if we don’t have equal representation? So here’s my hope: If you’re in politics, media, the tech industry, or working as an entrepreneur or a teacher or a construction worker or a caregiver, you know the problems we are all facing. I urge each one of you to ask yourselves: What do we do now?”

Here’s my answer Reese; we STAY ambitious, we LIFT each other up and not tear each other down. We work hard, we connect authentically, and we never stop dreaming. Ever.