Ambition is meant to be empowering.
It’s the energy that propels us out of bed at 7 a.m. for class, encourages us to apply for internships, and keeps us going through five assignments that are due in a single week. However, for many young women in university, particularly at a competitive school, like McMaster, ambition gradually evolves into something more serious. What begins as a goal eventually turns into resentment, pressure, and critique.
Philosophers have spent decades debating how to live a “good life.” Meanwhile, we’re juggling labs, readings, part-time employment, co-op enrollments, fitness goals, a social life, and the obligation to find out who we’re supposed to be by 25. The ethical issue becomes: how much of yourself should you give up in the name of success? And when does ambition become detrimental rather than empowering?
The Hustle Culture Hangover
We, as a generation, came up surrounded by productivity professionals, “that girl” regimens, and continual encouragement to work harder. We discovered that fatigue is a mark of respect and that rest is something we must earn, not something we receive.
However, there is a moral issue with determining your worth by productivity. Bell hooks contends that self-worth based on external acceptance causes us to always seek validation rather than live for ourselves. Ambition, under the influence of hustle culture, transforms us into a pressure cooker:
- You set objectives because you believe you must, not because you’d like to.
- You feel guilty about relaxing, even when you’re exhausted.
- You measure yourself to others who appear to do everything at once.
The “quiet burnout” occurs when you continue to function well on the surface but are mentally fatigued on the inside. Hustle culture regards relaxation as failure. Philosophy regards it as essential.
Aristotle Would Tell You to Slow Down
Aristotle believed that the excellent life lies in balance, not in extremes. His “golden mean” theory holds that every virtue exists in a healthy balance between not enough and too much.
Applied to ambition:
- Too little ambition causes stagnation.
- Too much ambition causes burnout and emotional weariness.
The ethical lifestyle isn’t about abandoning your objectives: it’s about refusing to let ambition overtake your sense of self. Aristotle would argue that someone who regularly sacrifices their mental health for production is living out of balance, and so, unethical.
It’s helpful to understand that being a high achiever does not require self-destruction.
The Female Ambition Dilemma
Simone de Beauvoir wrote on how women are expected to be all things at once: capable yet not threatening, diligent but effortless, and ambitious yet humble.
For women at university, this constitutes a moral contradiction:
- Pushing yourself is “too much.”
- If you rest, you are “not doing enough.”
- Prioritizing yourself means “choosing comfort.”
Ambition becomes a tightrope rather than a route. The conflict is more than just personal; it’s ethical. Women face not only academic and professional pressures but also social expectations that dictate what kind of ambition is “acceptable.”
The Actual Cost of the Constant Climb
Ambition often necessitates compromises. Philosophy encourages us to reflect on them prior to experiencing burnout, rather than subsequently.
1) Mental Health.
Being fatigued all the time isn’t a personality trait. It means you’re going beyond what you can do. Is it worth it to be successful if you’re too tired to enjoy life?
2) Relationships
Ambition might make you unintentionally cut off from the people who are most likely to help you. What good is it to achieve anything if you have to be alone to do it?
3) Identity.
When ambition takes over your whole life, failing is the worst thing that can happen. Should your self-esteem depend on how much you get done? These aren’t intellectual ideas, they’re the things we ask ourselves when we’re having breakdowns late at night after a long week at work.
A Better Way to Be Ambitious
We don’t have to give up on our goals. We only need to change the way we think about it. Philosophy gives us a way to strive for better things:
1) Choose purpose over pressure
Your goals should be in line with your own ideals, not what other people want you to do.
2) Set limits on how much work you put in
Rest is just as important as hard labor. Don’t think of healing as a reward for being productive. Think of it as part of being productive.
3) Don’t just be what you’ve done.
Your GPA, resume, and job path are all pieces of who you are, but they are not the full story.
4) Try to be sustainable
Success should be continuous, not a cycle of becoming burned out and then getting better. This kind of ambition is moral since it preserves your health while still helping you reach your goals.
So, How Much Should You Give Up?
The moral answer is shockingly simple. If ambition means giving up your tranquility, health, relationships, or sense of self, it’s no longer moral. You shouldn’t have to ignore yourself to be successful. You deserve to be ambitious and kind.
Rest and goals. Drive and happiness.
Ambition should feel like progress, not punishment. And maybe the most courageous thing you can do is believe that your life can be both prosperous and kind at the same time.