Ambitious People Need Each Other

You have a desire to be around people similar to you. We all do. It is human nature to want to be around people with whom we share similarities. Opinions, interests, ideas, hobbies, and anything else we enjoy doing, we like sharing it with others. There is a growing idea that ambitious people need to surround themselves with other people who are also filled with ambition. Ambitious and alone can suffocate an individual. The force of this suffocation becomes heavier and heavier the more ambitious you are. They are driving toward their goals individually with no outlet or person to turn to when they need to release. Ambitious people need other ambitious people to feel validated and human again, otherwise, they may be overcome by the frustration ambition can produce.

Humans as a species need to be validated by one another. As much as you say you do not care what others think, deep down you desire approval from somebody. You yearn for the people around you to recognize and understand what you are pushing for. By surrounding yourself with people wired in a similar way, you can reach your highest potential. It is why aspiring actors move to Hollywood. It is why artists, and especially country music artists, flock to Nashville in groves. And it is why we have recently seen Austin, Texas become a hub for podcasters and content producers. Being around people who are doing what you do is a key to unlocking everything you want to be and become.

Paul Graham, the founder of Y-Combinator said the following about this human phenomenon, “Ambitious people are rare, so if everyone is mixed together randomly, as they tend to be early in people’s lives, then the ambitious ones won’t have many ambitious peers. When you take people like this and put them together with other ambitious people, they bloom like dying plants given water.” As the creator of one of the top startup incubators in existence, Paul knows what he is talking about when it comes to scaling human performance. People perform best when they are around those who share similar ideologies about what work, drive, and determination should look like.

As your ambition grows, the more you will need to cultivate and warp your social circle. Having companions and mentors who you can lean on, bounce ideas back and forth with, and ultimately share the journey of ambition with will change your life. Who do you need to surround yourself with? Who do you want to surround yourself with? If you have ambition, you will find others. Never stop chasing these relationships. Ambitious people need each other.