can autistic people be ambitious?

[ithinktheniexist]

I dont know if some words are offending since english is not my first language and I’m new to this, I’m trying my best to say the right thing thank you!

I recently found out that I matched a lot of autistic traits. I was caught on non-verbal autistic videos and found them intriguing, “Atypical” and lots of instagram autistic life and never related to them. Funny thing I found myself drawing to a lot of fan appointed autistic characters such as Sheldon.

Anyway, the algorithm shows me about undiagnosed adult autistic traits and caused me on the tests spree, all of my test show I may be autistic but I’m still skeptical because of the following topics.

Can people on the spectrum be ambitious, and look for changes to keep up with the world?

I can understand most things by only listening once.

I am lucky that was liked by a lot of people as they think I’m special and bright, but I was always confused about what was happening around me or why they thought that.

I can be very unorganised when i don’t feel like it/I work very messily.

 

[Darkkin]

It is a cases by case basis. Literally anyone can be Icarus, when in reality you really want to be Daedalus. It has nothing to do with ASD. Success in life is not predicated on one's neurotype. Does it have an influential factor, yes, but using it as a measure of 'success' is dubious at best and passive resignation of autonomy at worst. (e.g. I can't keep a job because of...)

It can easily become an excuse and a way to abdicate personal accountability by reasoning, well I have this, so this is why I didn't do Thing A and why I don't have to do Thing W.

Many people have legitimate handicaps, but a large number of those individuals don't limit or define themselves by said handicap. They work with their circumstances and are able to achieve a lot. There are also just as many 'normal' people who are fine with doing nothing even when they are physically and mentally capable.

It is the Catch-22 of labels. Yes they help people understand and define their world, but they can also be used to limit, objectify, and in some cases manipulate others.

It comes down to the individual, efforts, circumstances, and blind chance.

Success itself is determined and defined by the individual despite what society might say otherwise. Bills are paid and groceries in the house...that is a win.

Google successful autistics and you may be surprised who turns up on the list and the sheer variety of fields the folks found success in.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

Autistic people has less drive to be better than their neighbours.

So you will see many NTs that buy expensive cars, clothes or jewelry for social status purposes. Autistics people rarely do that. It may happen, but its not ussual.

We may want money, but usually not for status or power over others, but for things like financial freedom, peace of mind or reduce stress.

I am not sure what kind of ambition you mean.

Also, if you feel that your intelligence is quite above the average or that you have a "need" of learning about many different topics, you could be a twice exceptional person.

In this case you could have High Capabilities (Gifted in traditional english texts) plus autist.

 

[Rodafina]

Can people on the spectrum be ambitious, and look for changes to keep up with the world?

Yes, definitely, but we are all different. Everyone here has different capacities and interests, but we can all learn and grow and change for the better.

For my part, sometimes I am ambitious, and sometimes I am the opposite. It all depends on the day and the project at hand.

Hopefully you stick around on the forum and read a lot and post some more, as there is so much to learn from the variety of people here.

 

[Judge]

Consider some of the people listed here:

https://blog.ongig.com/diversity-and-inclusion/famous-people-with-autism/

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Autistic people has less drive to be better than their neighbours.

So you will see many NTs that buy expensive cars, clothes or jewelry for social status purposes. Autistics people rarely do that. It may happen, but its not ussual.

We may want money, but usually not for status or power over others, but for things like financial freedom, peace of mind or reduce stress.

This definitely squares with my experience, though I think it also ties into confidence. If you fail at everything and never believe you can be good at anything as a child, why bother being ambitious and getting your hopes up? It's much better to slink away and disappear to not be bothered, or entertain to get protection.

For the two sports I practiced seriously as a child, I never had any ambition. I enjoyed practicing both of them and did decently at one of them (decently meaning a bit below average considering the time I practiced), but I distinctly remember thinking that I practiced for fun, to learn new skills and as a physical fitness. I tried to win my games in training and competition because that's what was expected of me, and games are more fun if both players try to win, but I never entered competitions having a goal. If I won something it was a nice plus, but nothing beyond that. I also didn't follow either sport or enjoy watching them, contrary to everyone else training with me.

In school I also never had any ambition. Sometimes I did well, sometimes I did badly, but I never aimed for a particular grade till I started high school, and it wasn't because I was ambitious, but because me ex wanted me to do well, and I didn't want to disappoint her (too much). I did end up doing very well, but it was honestly a surprise to me. I had no idea what I would like to study till I was getting close to graduating. By far the my strongest motivator is not disappointing others, even when I don't need to worry about it.

When I entered university (after we broke up) I decided to become ambitious. It might not make sense to some people, but it was a very conscious decision for me. I knew that the program I was entering is very competitive, and in addition, I did very well in high school without even trying, so I knew I had a good chance at doing well at university, and that I would need to if I wanted to secure a good future. I set myself clear goals, some of which I suceeded at beyond my expectations, some of which I failed crushingly at.

The reason I never became ambitious before that is because it's risky. Sure, it can help push you forward, but when you fail, it feels much worse when you are invested in what you are doing. I was never too bothered about failure before since it was just a part of the ride, but the sting hasn't left me a year later from some of my failures in my ambitious phase. Now I'm burnt out from being ambitious and am unsure if or when I'll become ambitious again. On balance, I wouldn't recommend getting ambitious unless you have a good reason for it.

 

[Progster]

Can people on the spectrum be ambitious, and look for changes to keep up with the world?

Elon Musk.

 

[autism-and-autotune]

I dont know if some words are offending since english is not my first language and I’m new to this, I’m trying my best to say the right thing thank you!

I recently found out that I matched a lot of autistic traits. I was caught on non-verbal autistic videos and found them intriguing, “Atypical” and lots of instagram autistic life and never related to them. Funny thing I found myself drawing to a lot of fan appointed autistic characters such as Sheldon.

Anyway, the algorithm shows me about undiagnosed adult autistic traits and caused me on the tests spree, all of my test show I may be autistic but I’m still skeptical because of the following topics.

Can people on the spectrum be ambitious, and look for changes to keep up with the world?

I can understand most things by only listening once.

I am lucky that was liked by a lot of people as they think I’m special and bright, but I was always confused about what was happening around me or why they thought that.

I can be very unorganised when i don’t feel like it/I work very messily.

I suppose, as some suggest, it is a case-by-case basis. From my own experience I am very ambitious; I have wanted to be a professional musician for nearly half my lifetime. Not because I want to be the best, or because I want anything ego related--but because music is my passion and interest, and I long to share this with others. To do anything else with my time and effort would be a waste of such things, in my opinion. All my retail jobs burnt me out something fierce.

 

[Outdated]

Can people on the spectrum be ambitious, and look for changes to keep up with the world?

Absolutely and without question. What many of us define as ambitions might seem disingenuous to most people but that's their problem, not ours. One of my ambitions might seem a little simplistic to the rest of you but to me it is the most important of them all. I wanted to live a life that was happy and without stress.

In that measure I am far more successful than most people could ever dream of. Sure, there's been a few rough patches here and there, but in the overall scheme of things I'm a big time winner.

I'm ASD2 according to my diagnosis but to me there's very little about autism that is disabling. I'm high function with enhancements, I can do pretty much whatever I want in the world, if I decide I want to do something then it will be done.

Happiness is the key for me. I'm far better than anyone else at anything I want to do as long as I'm happy, as long as I'm playing and having fun. As soon as someone tries to tell me that I'm supposed to be treating it like work instead of play the social workplace issues start getting to me and it's time to change jobs.

And as for being messy, I use the state of my home to judge the state of my mind. When I'm happy the place is spotless, when I'm a little bit sad so is my house.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Can people on the spectrum be ambitious, and look for changes to keep up with the world?

Absolutely! Whether it be special interests or work or goal-oriented behaviors, yes. I dive deep into learning, special interests, my work, my future plans, short-term and long-term goals, planning for things 5-10 years into the future. I also keep a keen eye on what is going on in the world. I follow the stock markets, world events, political trends, disruptive technologies, legislation, climate change, costs of goods and services, all of that. All of those things will effect my life currently, as well as my plans for the future. I am often an early adopter, renewable energy, electric vehicles, my investments, etc. I want to be proactive, not reactive. I want to be ahead of the curves.

 

[ithinktheniexist]

Autistic people has less drive to be better than their neighbours.

So you will see many NTs that buy expensive cars, clothes or jewelry for social status purposes. Autistics people rarely do that. It may happen, but its not ussual.

We may want money, but usually not for status or power over others, but for things like financial freedom, peace of mind or reduce stress.

I am not sure what kind of ambition you mean.

Also, if you feel that your intelligence is quite above the average or that you have a "need" of learning about many different topics, you could be a twice exceptional person.

In this case you could have High Capabilities (Gifted in traditional english texts) plus autist.

It is a cases by case basis. Literally anyone can be Icarus, when in reality you really want to be Daedalus. It has nothing to do with ASD. Success in life is not predicated on one's neurotype. Does it have an influential factor, yes, but using it as a measure of 'success' is dubious at best and passive resignation of autonomy at worst. (e.g. I can't keep a job because of...)

It can easily become an excuse and a way to abdicate personal accountability by reasoning, well I have this, so this is why I didn't do Thing A and why I don't have to do Thing W.

Many people have legitimate handicaps, but a large number of those individuals don't limit or define themselves by said handicap. They work with their circumstances and are able to achieve a lot. There are also just as many 'normal' people who are fine with doing nothing even when they are physically and mentally capable.

It is the Catch-22 of labels. Yes they help people understand and define their world, but they can also be used to limit, objectify, and in some cases manipulate others.

It comes down to the individual, efforts, circumstances, and blind chance.

Success itself is determined and defined by the individual despite what society might say otherwise. Bills are paid and groceries in the house...that is a win.

Google successful autistics and you may be surprised who turns up on the list and the sheer variety of fields the folks found success in.

This definitely squares with my experience, though I think it also ties into confidence. If you fail at everything and never believe you can be good at anything as a child, why bother being ambitious and getting your hopes up? It's much better to slink away and disappear to not be bothered, or entertain to get protection.

For the two sports I practiced seriously as a child, I never had any ambition. I enjoyed practicing both of them and did decently at one of them (decently meaning a bit below average considering the time I practiced), but I distinctly remember thinking that I practiced for fun, to learn new skills and as a physical fitness. I tried to win my games in training and competition because that's what was expected of me, and games are more fun if both players try to win, but I never entered competitions having a goal. If I won something it was a nice plus, but nothing beyond that. I also didn't follow either sport or enjoy watching them, contrary to everyone else training with me.

In school I also never had any ambition. Sometimes I did well, sometimes I did badly, but I never aimed for a particular grade till I started high school, and it wasn't because I was ambitious, but because me ex wanted me to do well, and I didn't want to disappoint her (too much). I did end up doing very well, but it was honestly a surprise to me. I had no idea what I would like to study till I was getting close to graduating. By far the my strongest motivator is not disappointing others, even when I don't need to worry about it.

When I entered university (after we broke up) I decided to become ambitious. It might not make sense to some people, but it was a very conscious decision for me. I knew that the program I was entering is very competitive, and in addition, I did very well in high school without even trying, so I knew I had a good chance at doing well at university, and that I would need to if I wanted to secure a good future. I set myself clear goals, some of which I suceeded at beyond my expectations, some of which I failed crushingly at.

The reason I never became ambitious before that is because it's risky. Sure, it can help push you forward, but when you fail, it feels much worse when you are invested in what you are doing. I was never too bothered about failure before since it was just a part of the ride, but the sting hasn't left me a year later from some of my failures in my ambitious phase. Now I'm burnt out from being ambitious and am unsure if or when I'll become ambitious again. On balance, I wouldn't recommend getting ambitious unless you have a good reason for it.

I was not very ambitious at school too, when i was in a relationship, my partner would set a goal for me and i had their help. My grades were horrible after breakup. I find it hard to set a goal for myself, right now I feel ambitious because I want people to take me seriously and it seems that the only way is achieve a high status.

I do relate to being scared of failure. Failing is not that hard to me because I will always try again, instead the look down and talk behind my back I am scared of. I never knew if these are true, but I was in a very competitive circle when I was growing up, and I heard a lot of comments like that, laughing and shaming, even my family tease me if I say I am gonna do sth but failed. That do make me feel very confused and unconfident.