Are you quietly ambitious?

Hey friends! We forgot everything we do for work during the four days we had off for the holiday, so bear with us while we change out of our swimsuits and back into our Juicy Couture velour tracksuits. 

Song of the day: More below on why this is stuck in our heads, but for now, here’s “MMMBop.”

Have a question for us? Fire away here!

Quiet Ambition Vs. Climbing The Corporate Ladder

Our entire lives, we’ve been sold the dream that climbing our way to the top is the ultimate measure of career success. But recently, there’s been a shift in Gen Z and Millennials thinking about becoming the HBIC (Head Brat In Charge). #bratgirlsummer

Meet the new kid on the block. Quiet ambition.

“It’s figuring out what your values are and what’s important to you and not some big external force putting it on you,” Abby Lerner, co-founder of Revel, told Worklife. 

Getting to the top of the corporate ladder typically means putting in years of more work, time, and responsibility, three things that statistics show we’re not really all about these days. 

A survey by Visier of 1,000 U.S.-based full-time employees found some pretty nutty numbers, including:

• A small 4% are interested in getting promoted to the C-suite 

• Only 38% want to manage others at their current place of employment

• 91% are worried that moving up in a role could result in extra stress and working longer hours 

(If you’re shocked by those numbers, big same!!)

The managerial roles we have to take on in order to climb our little tushies to the top seem to be the most work, with pay that isn’t worth the added work or stress. 

KyyahAbdul on TikTok breaks it down perfectly, showing that many of us get stuck in managerial positions for too long, which is a turnoff for people who are considering advancing in their careers. Not to mention, once you’re on your way up, the pressure to keep climbing (when you don’t want to) can be A LOT.

The survey also found that being quietly ambitious about other things outside of your career, like having a healthy work/life balance, outweighs getting to put “Sr.” in front of your job title or even a pay bump, revealing: 

• 67% of people’s ambitions are to spend more time with family/friends

• 64% of people wish to maintain physical and mental health

• 58% of people want to travel

But if you’re quietly ambitious, does that mean you’re slacking off at work? Not at all! Here’s a not-so-crazy concept: it’s totally okay to do the job you were hired to do, nothing more, nothing less. 

“The desire to achieve success is still very much there; it’s just that my definition of success has changed over the years. What I value most has changed,” Abby said. 

Whether you want to get to the top or are cool chilling right where you are, one thing’s for certain. No job is ever worth your health and well-being. Take care of yourself, wherever you are and wherever you plan on going. 🫶

Things To Send in the Group Chat

…as you think about your next meal while you’re still eating your first.

It turns out that the lyrics to Hanson’s “MMMBop” are a lot deeper than our 7-year-old selves could have ever comprehended. Gut punch!!

A fun but also NSFW fact? Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron’s latest Netflix romcom, A Family Affair, was originally called Motherf-----. Our review: A little bit of cringe mixed with a little bit of fun, but we’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve seen it! 

Okay, hear us out… a watermelon pickle sandwich?? Tinka.video’s summer recipe went viral on Instagram, and we want to know your thoughts!

You’re the best for reading today! We’ll see you back here, same place, same time, next week!

—Rod and Gabi