Stay simple and contented in 2018
Unambitious is a popular word, but unambition? Have you heard it? Or do you use it? Well, it isn’t a recognised word by Oxford Dictionaries, or for that matter any dictionary of repute — at least, not until now. But it was a word that I heard quite often this year. It was used with air quotes, in the hope to convey the right emotions.
A friend who confessed being career-driven a few years ago recently mentioned how content she was with her life now. “I am done chasing professional goals; neither a promotion nor a salary jump (excites me). I am fine with where I am. I guess I have an unambition (sic),” she said. A neighbour mentioned how his daughter had made it clear he should not accept great grades from her. “I am just an ordinary student and I am okay with it, so should you be,” the daughter had said.
“Why do we have to be the best at what we do, why can’t we just be average? I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I am comfortable with my unambition (sic),” said another acquaintance.
Whilst it was easy to mistake these feelings for a lack of drive or a larger dream, it seemed to be the exact opposite. Look back and you’d realise that 2017 was a year when many of us decided to slow down, at will. Perhaps, it started with us embracing the Danish word and ritual, hygge i.e. enjoying life’s simple pleasures like cuddling up with loved ones, wearing a pair of cosy socks, lighting up lavender
Look back and you’d realise that 2017 was a year when many of us decided to slow down, at will.
candles, et al. The sunrise of 2018 is likely to be defined by hygge’s Scottish rival — còsagach — a state of being ‘snug, sheltered or cosy’.
In the year that went by, we learnt both not to put pressure on ourselves and forgive ourselves for being unable to multi-task. We didn’t give up on dreams but didn’t lay down a condition and timeline for their fulfilment. Setting goals is common for many of us — lose weight, run 5km a day, buy a new car, be a leader at the workplace, et al. Strangely enough, many of us even felt it was okay to live without goals. No, it didn’t mean that we stopped achieving things; but we just stopped judging ourselves harshly. We created things that mattered, spent time with people we loved, and found time for activities that once seemed trivial. This feeling that we experienced was of a charming kind. With our acceptance of unambition — we tasted freedom, contentment, and well-being.
As you write down your New Year resolutions, take a moment to ask yourself: How important is it for you to race, achieve, compete or prove something? We can ‘just be’ for a bit. Can’t we?
I couldn’t find a pretty English equivalent word for this emotion. I guess the Norwegian word ‘koselig’ comes close. It stands for something or someone that makes you experience a sense of warmth very deep inside in a way that all things should be: simple and comforting. Wishing you all simplicity and contentment in 2018.