How to Balance Ambition and Sensitivity: A Blueprint for Thriving in Both Worlds
Ambition Meets Sensitivity: How to Have It All Without Losing Yourself
High sensitivity and ambition do not have to be mutually exclusive. They can actually exist together. High sensitivity simply means that you feel emotions deeply and you think things through also very deeply. Essentially you are a thinker and a feeler. Because you spend so much time processing the rich world within and around you, you can easily burn out if you do not set clear boundaries.
That being said, it is not uncommon to be a highly sensitive person who is very ambitious. The important thing is that you cannot burn the candle at both ends. Because of your sensitive nature, rest and boundary setting are essential for your well-being. Time management is also quite crucial. You have to know when to call it quits, when to say “No,” and when to keep going. It is also important to ask for help. Know that you cannot do it all by yourself -if not you will feel resentful, stressed out and completely burned out. And burnout does nothing to help you accomplish your big goals.
Nurture your personal relationships while keeping your ambition at the forefront. I have to say that I do not believe in balance, but I do believe in juggling different tasks and responsibilities. In some seasons you juggle things a little bit better, and in some seasons you'll have to drop other responsibilities. Wisdom is knowing the difference between the two. The great thing about Brainspotting therapy is that it allows you to go into the deeper layers of your brain to be able to sort out what you should prioritize and what should be on the back burner in each season of your life.
Mastering the Art of Being Both Bold and Gentle in Your Relationships
One of the pitfalls of high sensitivity is people pleasing. Because of your deep empathy and because you feel such a strong connection to people you love, you feel the need to carry their weight on your shoulders. The problem is that it suddenly becomes your job to take care of everyone else while keeping yourself on the back burner. This does nothing to help you achieve your big goals.
It is important to know how to navigate your relationships and to ensure that you are only inviting safe people into your circle. A safe person is someone who respects you, even if they do not understand your sensitivity. A safe person will also understand that your needs are just as important as theirs. When you set clear, kind boundaries with them, even if they might be disappointed, they will still respect you. Go to my goal is a highly sensitive person who is also ambitious is to be able to pursue your career ambitions fiercely (of course while sticking to your values) and being able to be soft but boundaried in your personal relationships.
One of the reasons why I love Brainspotting therapy in Houston, is that it helps you uncover emotional blockages that keep you stuck and in people pleasing mode. Once these blockages have been removed, it allows you to be more assertive both in your career and personal relationships (while still being gentle). And the truth is that even though we might run away from boundary setting, your friends and family members tend to respect you better and think about your needs more when you said clear boundaries with them.
Brainspotting therapy in Houston sometimes will help you unlock why you struggle with boundary setting, how you got stuck in the first place and it will take you down the rabbit hole to help you actually get unstuck. Once you know why you do the things that you do, it is so much easier to change those habits. Sometimes just knowing yourself better gives you the confidence to change and to get unstuck from patterns that have been keeping you uncomfortable and preventing you from achieving big goals.
Striking the Perfect Balance: How High-Performing Women Can Cultivate Deeper Connections
If you're struggling with how to strike the perfect balance between your sensitivity and ambition, just keep your relationships at the forefront. And know that balance is not actually a real thing. The important thing to know is that your personal relationships are so much more important than ambition. Now you do not have to get rid of ambition for the sake of personal relationships. They can coexist quite happily. If you pick the right people in your circle, they will be able to help you to continue to work towards your goals while also being able to honor the friendship.
Personal relationships can actually help us with our ambition. You can find people who are similar to you, whether it is their high sensitivity, or they are safe people who respect your sensitivity. You can also find friends who are equally as ambitious and can put you onto new ideas. Just build relationships naturally. High sensitivity is just simply who you are. Lots of people would love to connect with you because of your sensitivity. It is your sensitivity and the empathy that you have that will actually help you attract close friends and confidantes.
One of the things that I love so much about brainspotting therapy, as a trauma therapist in Houston is because it is a great way to help actually strengthen your personal relationships while excelling professionally. I have done therapy with entrepreneurs, with people who are working hard to climb up the ladder in their career. Brainspotting therapy is a great way to help you learn how to remove blocks and barriers that are keeping you from being your true self and excelling both personally and professionally. As a highly sensitive person it is important to embrace vulnerability. As vulnerability is the only path to true connection. The more you put yourself out there, the higher chances you have of meeting like-minded people who are willing to embrace who you are. You do not have to go through the rest of your life putting on a mask or a persona.
No More Compromising: How to Stay Ambitious Without Sacrificing Your Sensitivity
Think of yourself as a whole person. You do not have to choose either high sensitivity or ambition- both can exist quite nicely together. When we work together in a Brainspotting therapy session, we work a lot on boundary setting. If you are a highly sensitive woman who has very low bandwidth or your energy gets depleted easily, it is definitely very important to know how to prioritize your time. You cannot get sucked into stressful conversations or carrying everybody else's burdens because that means that none of your stuff will ever get done. You have to learn how to say no without feeling guilty and you have to learn when to ask for help because you cannot do everything by yourself.
But the great thing about Brainspotting therapy in Houston is once we have removed those mental blocks, things become a whole lot easier. The great thing about being an ambitious highly sensitive woman, is that as you build your career, you have a team approach. You're able to take care of your needs while also keeping the needs of others in mind. As an enterpreneur that means that you are an ethical boss. You're bringing all of the things that you wish you had in your 9-to-5 and you create a work environment that is conducive for everyone. You are very intentional in the way you do your work and this is great when you are ambitious. Because most ambitious people are very intentional in the way they carry themselves and execute tasks. And if you work in a 9 to 5, intentionality actually gets you noticed.
Turn Your Sensitivity Into a Superpower: How to Build Strong Relationships While Chasing Success
Because high sensitivity it's not a common of a trait, only about 20% of the population of highly sensitive. It can be very important to use your high sensitivity to your advantage. People are not used to the level of detail that highly sensitive women bring in the workplace. People are not used to the level of detail that highly sensitive women also bring in personal relationships. Because of the deep level of empathy and the deep thoughts that we put into everything, we make for actually very good friends.
You might not have the bandwidth to have a long list of friends and connections, however you can treasure the few that you have. When you have deep relationships, you're able to talk to them about your goals and ambitions, your struggles as well as your successes. We know that a big part of success is your network. It is important to build the right network of people and this will deeply help you with your ambition. The goal is to ensure that you have the right people around you as you are climbing up the ladder.
Are you a high-performing, highly sensitive woman who’s struggling to balance ambition and personal relationships? As a trauma therapist in Houston specializing in brainspotting, I help ambitious women like you thrive in both worlds. Whether you're navigating relationship challenges or seeking a deeper connection with yourself, brainspotting therapy can help.
Book a free 15-minute consult call with me- a Black therapist in Houston and start your journey to emotional balance and success.
About Me
My name is Ibinye Osibodu-Onyali. I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and Texas. I help women who are struggling with trauma, anxiety and insomnia.
I also help couples learn how to speak each other’s language, date each other again and manage conflict in a non-painful way.
Many of my clients are: