Friends, Romans, publishers, lend me your ears! Marc Antony’s famous speech from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar defends the titular character—just murdered by Brutus—not from his attacker but from the charge of ambition.
The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Have you also seen the shadowy side of ambition, the side that burns up energy and destroys your love for your story and characters? That love is the same that fuels those deep epiphanies, lyrical passages, characters’ unexpected growth spurts, meaningful connections, and all the magical story ingredients that satisfy your readers.
But ambition has no time to let love grow. Ambition nips at your heels, forces you to go faster, and spooks you into ineffective action in your career. When we try a shortcut to success, joy evaporates, and compulsive sales-dashboard-checking sets in. So if ambition is not our ally, how do we defeat this antagonist?
The answer may lie in the word. In German, the word for ambition is “Ehrgeiz”—literally, “greedy for honor.” “Geiz,” hidden in the word, implies keeping everything for yourself. But another word for greed is “Gier,” which shows up in the word curiosity—”Neugier.” Instead of being greedy for honor, curiosity makes you greedy for the new, without asking you about its value.
Sarah Santacrorce, the host of The Humane Marketing Show podcast, sees ambition and curiosity as opposing forces. In her March 2022 episode “Income Follows Impact,” she says embracing curiosity offers her a chance to explore the things that interest her outside of work. Her guest, Adam Kawalec, offers enthusiasm as his own opposite to ambition, as it gives people space to explore without burning out. “If all you have is ambition, you will struggle with actually living in the present moment,” he says, “and to be honest, life really happens only in the present moment.”
Ambition prefers perfection, but as Kristine Kathryn Rusch wrote in a 2012 blog post on her blog, The Business Rusch, “When you strive for perfection in your writing, you’re dooming yourself to perpetual failure. When you strive to be the best you can be, you will have a fulfilling life.”
If the course that lies ahead of you feels like the Circus Maximus, perhaps it’s time to toss out ambition for something that lets you explore at your own pace and on your own terms. Try curiosity to take the pressure off, and remind yourself that you’re not supposed to know all the answers. Add enthusiasm’s energy to show you which new opportunities to explore and attract others to your team. With this pair hitched to your creative chariot, you can keep your joy even on the tightest turns—and loving every minute of the race is the best prize of all.
Laurel Decher
