Motherhood didn't make me less ambitious. It sharpened my focus and made me more intentional about the work I take on.

The author says she became more intentional about work after becoming a mother. ingwervanille/Getty Images Becoming a mother didn't diminish my ambition — it sharpened it. With limited time and costly childcare, I became far more selective about the work I take on. Motherhood forced me to define what truly matters in my career, and pursue it with focus. Before I became a mother, I thought ambition meant saying yes. Yes to another assignment, even if the pay was mediocre. Yes to the meeting ...