I recently walked into the graveyard of my dreams.

Buried in that corner of my mind were all those tiny, big, huge, silly ambitions and dreams I’ve seen throughout my life. And it was massive.

I had no idea where to start.

In one corner was my dream of being an astronaut. I saw it when I was three years old. And right next to it was a business idea I’d toiled around with just a year ago.

As I passed by each one, glancing at each idea’s day of death engraved on the tombstone, a heavy realization started sinking into me.

All these years, I had thought I was highly ambitious. And at first glance, all these varied dreams felt like a testimony to that ambition.

But then I thought, “If all these dreams are ambitions, and ambition makes things grow, then why are they dead and buried in the ground?”

That’s when it hit me. These dead dreams weren’t a testimony to ambition, but to desperation that cleverly disguised itself as ambition, wasting away years of my life.

Could you be stuck in the same illusion?

The Graveyard of YOUR Dreams:

All of us have a graveyard of our dreams. Some of them are cute and innocent, like the ones we saw as kids on the playground.

But many of them are wrapped in a blanket of guilt and regret. From your first love who broke your heart to the first business idea that failed; from the dream degree that left you jobless to that ‘best friend forever’ who’s now a stranger, there are many things you once dreamed of, but are no longer there in your life—at least not in the way you would want.

The one place where this shows up the most is the career you choose, because for most people in the world, the foundation of a successful life is a successful career. (So that’s the lens from which I’m approaching this important conversation, but know that the same principles apply in every area of your life.)

In today’s technology-accelerated world, ambition has become a non-negotiable for professional success. The rule is simple: If you’re not ambitious, you’re dead.

And I see many young people just like me who’re building businesses, scaling online as content creators, or applying to cutting-edge jobs in new startups to ‘experience’ ambition.

But honestly, all this ‘hyperactivity’ is leaving people more confused than ever. And I’m not sure how long we can pull off the act of disguising this confusion and anxiety as energy and bold courage.

Because if we’re only going to crash at the end of the tunnel, the energy and ‘ambition’ will make the impact worse.

Add to that…

The Success Rush

…and you get a world where you’re told:

• Fail Fast
• Become a millionaire at 20
• If you’re not working 18 hours a day, you’re not doing enough.
• The more you fail, the more likely you are to succeed.
• Do everything.
• Change your life in a month.
• Lock in for the next six months to change everything.
• If you’re not building a business, you’ll never be free in your life.

I can continue with an endless list of such messages that are widely circulated on social media. And we all know that instead of inspiring, these messages (especially when given without context) make people think that if they don’t achieve massive success in just a few months, something is wrong with them.

Thus, they go into ‘The Success Rush’. 

They feel insecure and worried every day. When they see someone posting their success or wins online, they feel jealous and think, “God, why am I not getting there?”

And there’s only one answer that repeats, “Maybe I’m not ambitious enough. I need to work harder.”

So, they go out to imbibe ‘ambition’, but the feeling they’re really acting from is desperation. They’re worried sick that they won’t succeed and are trying to do everything possible to ensure failure doesn’t manifest.

And when things don’t work out, they move on to the next big thing. They watch someone’s video online on “How XYZ is the next big opportunity everyone is sleeping on!”

They get excited again, thinking they’ve finally struck gold, only to find out they’re still struggling and competing with all these other desperate people who want to SUCCEED FAST.

When this also doesn’t work, they get even more desperate and move on to another new, shiny opportunity, repeating the same cycle, and sending more dreams to the graveyard. Their museum of failures is filling up fast, and the success they’re so desperate (or rather ‘ambitious’) for is nowhere in sight.

Tell me honestly, is this someone who will actually succeed?

What Actually Makes You Successful:

I want you to assume the role of an interviewer who’s listening to 1000 candidates applying for the same job role. Out of the two below, who will she hire?

The person who’s hyperactive, desperate, and talking all about how ambitious he is, and how he can even work seven days a week; or the person who’s confident, calm, centered, and talking about the value he brings to the company, the powerful skills he has built, and the worth of those skills to the company’s ultimate goals.

Of course, she’s going to pick candidate #2 because he didn’t crave success like the others. He is sure about his value, confident in his skills, and focused on improving himself as a professional.

Because the interviewer knows that when the pressure goes up, the ambitious quitter won’t be an asset to the team; he’ll be a liability. But the confident, calm, and centered professional will know exactly what to do and how to do it when the stakes are high.

And that’s how you truly win in every field. That’s true ambition.

When you’re desperate, challenges become barriers. When you’re confident and centered, challenges become opportunities—to grow, to move forward, and to truly put ambition and resourcefulness to work. That’s the mark of true success in your career.

Remember this: Quitters don’t succeed. Professionals do. Let go of desperation and watch how quickly your museum of success starts filling up.