Walking Down Stairs - Part 7 Awareness vs. Ambition
You Can’t Navigate What You Don’t Notice
We give a lot of credit to ambition. Overtly spoken I question its value. If you are doing a lot and making a lot of money you could be ambitious. Are you aware of the costs? Ever see people that think they are great because of the way they measure it when the rest of the world or at least a ton of it thinks….uh…maybe not? More on how Costa Rica Real Estate people practice later….but the idea holds. Ambition and awareness are two different things and Ambition can cloud your awareness situational and otherwise.
It’s praised in books, job interviews, bios, hustle culture.
It’s tied to hunger, drive, upward motion. To some extent it is essential. I never heard anyone say about John Doe “Oh he is very successful, and so ambitious” meaning that he feeds his family a meal every day.
“Ambitious” is something people proudly call themselves, or something they’re told they should be.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
Ambition without awareness is just noise.
You can be running hard—and still headed in the wrong direction.
“Doing a lot does not mean getting a lot done”
What is doing a lot? Selling a lot of real estate. Selling a lot of cars. Doing a large number of class action lawsuits, doing more procedures or running a lot of technology engagements. If you are overly ambitious you took exception to some of that because that sounds like success. Why?
Movement Isn’t Meaning
One of the great lies of modern life is that motion equals progress. Does progress include 4 marriages and two estranged children? Does it include being also viewed as ruthless as you move from job to job?
We feel like if we’re doing something—sending emails, making calls, checking off boxes—we must be getting somewhere. If we are working and we can measure it then it is even more clear “we are getting somewhere”.
But there’s a big difference between moving, closing, consulting and noticing.
Awareness is quieter.
It’s not performative.
It doesn’t beg for praise.
It just watches.
It listens.
It takes in what’s real, not what’s rehearsed. Move over, it is sustainable.
Do I need to tell you about Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus?
In that stillness of personal awareness ambition gives way to awareness and goal seeking fades and you perform. Awareness sees something that ambition often misses:
the truth of where you are and what’s actually needed next. I cannot stress enough the personal effect ambition without awareness had on my own life. I will publish my Caregiver’s Journey soon so that you can understand how the ambition of a younger man missed the life of his late wife.
The Risk of Tuning Out
When we get locked into striving—always climbing, always chasing—we often stop paying attention. It is ok for the next deal to not happen. It is ok to rest on enough for a time….or a long time. It is ok too because you know if you have the awareness of when to proceed on again, you will.
But we do not want to go go go so:
We miss the small signs.
We overlook misalignment.
We ignore what our body, our instincts, or the people around us are quietly telling us.
Ambition says: “Keep going.”
Awareness asks: “Why?”
And if you never pause long enough to answer that question, you might spend your life succeeding at something that was never meant for you in the first place or leave in your wake the inability to get to what Arthur Brooks calls the Second Curve or what David Brooks talks about in the Second Mountain.
The Daily Cost of Distraction
Let’s bring this down to earth.
How many days have you spent grinding—but didn’t actually connect with anyone?
How many mornings started with a flurry of ambition and ended with you wondering what even happened?
How often do you feel busy but not present?
That’s not failure. That’s just unconscious repetition.
You’re climbing down stairs without ever looking down to see where they go.
You’re tossing paper toward a trash can you haven’t looked at in days. You do have to know your target.
And bad enough? You’re missing you in the process. And worst of all? You are missing a life you might have had.
In Real Life, Awareness Wins
Real growth—the kind that sticks—is almost always preceded by noticing something you hadn’t noticed before. A change in direction that occurs not because it is a task to reach a goal. The goal is in you. It is integrity and behavioral consistency. It is trust in others and self.
When you slow down long enough to realize:
You’ve been pushing someone too hard.
You’ve been ignoring something your gut already knows.
You’re resisting the obvious next step because you’re scared of what it might mean.
You’ve been reaching for someone else’s definition of success.
What does not show up on a vision board can enlighten your path.
It shows up in stillness.
In watching.
In asking, “Is this really mine?” “Am I this or is this just an outcome?” and more importantly “am I in the right place?”
Awareness Is the First Step. Then You Move.
This isn’t about staying still forever.
Once you notice… then you act.
That’s the whole Walking Down Stairs thing.
You’re not trying to master the staircase. You’re just trying to step with your eyes open. I mean you cannot walk down stairs with your eyes closed (assuming the builder did not put in a hand rail). Try it sometimes even on stairs you are familiar with. Close your eyes and walk down. If you do this honestly you will miss the last step. Awareness of where they are…and reacting….where is the trash can and throwing is part of the instinct to move.
And when you’re aware of what matters—what’s real—your movement becomes clean.
Not frenzied. Not reactive. Just true.
Try This – Through the Lens of Awareness
Who – Do I like who I am and what I’m doing right now?
Pause the motion. Forget the metrics. Get honest about the person in the mirror.What – What am I rushing through that I haven’t even seen?
Are you speeding past something meaningful just to stay “productive”?Where – Where have I gone without noticing?
Ask where you’ve drifted—especially if you’ve filled time with tasks that look busy but feel empty.When – When did I last stop to actually notice?
Notice the pattern: ambition tends to crowd out attention. When was your last real pause?Why – What truth am I avoiding, and why?
The hard truths usually sit just behind the noise. If you’re willing to see them, they’ll realign you.How – How can I take one small, grounded step from that clarity?
This is where movement begins. Eyes open. Feet steady. No drama. Just the next real thing.
Who are you, What do you want to do, Where to do you want to be, When are you going to take the next step and Why are you waking down stairs? How? Instinct. Trust.