Our Coffee Break feature offers brief and to-the-point discussions of everyday issues faced by women professionals and entrepreneurs. You know, the kinda stuff you talk about with your work bestie on your coffee break….
So I was listening to Myleik Teele’s podcast #MyTaughtYou earlier, and one of her listeners asked about dating a nice but not ambitious guy. If you don’t know who Myleik is, she’s like the big sister you never knew you had (check her out here), in more straightforward and to the point.
It got me thinking about the rest of us, ambitious corporate or entrepreneur sisters. When you have ambition the size of a skyscraper and the drive to match, can you really date (or marry) someone who’s kinda lower on the ambition scale?
My $0.05: This is one of those tough questions that make you weigh the pros and cons, and end up giving you a major headache plus some pregnancy cravings. Listen, if ambition is high on your list of qualities that you enjoy in a partner, it’s going to be challenging to deal with someone who doesn’t have much.
But if the other stuff, like the support, kindness, romance, etc, ranks higher, you may be able to compromise and manage. At the end of the day, it’s less about what he wants and how he behaves, than who you ultimately are comfortable and happy being with in the long run. All of you, the ambitious, go-getter part and all!
I’ve seen super-ambitious women marry less ambitious guys because they brought a sense of balance to the relationship. Two go-getters can make a relationship pretty heavy at times! Yet I also have girlfriends who are turned off by anything less than successful, driven men. And it works for them too.
So what’s your take on it? Would you date a guy who has no or limited ambition?
The Corporate Sis.
