AMBITION

Vasvi’s Verdict

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. ”

– Helen Keller

Ambition is a very common word. And it seems to be misunderstood at times. Ambition is a desire for something be it success, money, power, fame, honour, leadership etc. it varies from person to person as per their own yearning but it also requires you to be zealous. If you simply desire for something it does not make it your ambition, it stays a wish or a dream. It becomes your ambition when you actually work for it and perseverance should be the key to your ambition. Bailing out simply means that you did not want it as badly as it seemed. So, ambition comes a level above your wishes. We have a lot of wishes but they only become our ambition when they take up a significant portion of our priorities and become our sole purpose, and failures should not put you down (because in every venture of our life there will always be failures but when we rise above them, that is the point where we experience success). So sometimes doggedness will help you climb a few steps. Ambition is a really important trait any human should have because this is what gives meaning to our life.

An ambition can never be assigned to an individual because it is his/her adherence for their proclivity towards something. If that individual does not have any inclination or any motivation towards that task (or target) then it becomes very difficult for him/her to devote their time and energy and so he/she becomes intermittent. Being ambitious is basically being enthusiastic but with a purpose or target in mind. Ambition is a very important human trait; what is the point of being intelligent and talented when you don’t have any target that will lead you on a path where you can use your intelligence and talents efficiently. And even though you do not succeed that does not mean all your efforts were a waste because you learnt something; you did land somewhere rather than nowhere and if that happens then rather than sitting idle look for another purpose. This classic quote explains this idea very well :

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

― Norman Vincent Peale

And never be discouraged by what others have to say about your ambition. Yes do take some guidance and advice from the people in your inner circle who you know wish the best for you and will never let you stray on the wrong path. It is always better to stay away from people who belittle your ambition or it is even better to fervently work your way up on your path and prove them wrong. Being ambitious is something that everybody should prioritize; because your life can atrophy if you are under ambitious as you do not have anything to strive for. An ambitious person should always strive for the goal, work out a plan to pass through the setbacks and after it all ends always set up another goal.

Ambitiousness like everything has a good and a bad side. Being the good ambitious one is where you set a goal that is very important for you work for it not bothering what others say about it as long as it is not harming others and it should not be self-deteriorating as well because some times what you think is right might actually be wrong; so it is important that you have a clear analysis. The bad side is being under or over ambitious. Under ambitiousness is bad for a simple reason that is that there is no purpose. Sometimes taking a break is okay but extending the break for an indefinite time is the problem. Over ambitiousness is sometimes or actually most of the times self-deteriorating and it does hinder others as well. Everything is running smoothly until negative characteristics such as greed, intolerance, lust, ruthlessness etc are introduced that is when ambitiousness turns into over ambitiousness and leads to problems with your surroundings or close ones and sometimes to a downfall. Having an ambition is very important because striving for a purpose is what drives us, just acknowledge the good and bad associated with it and filter the negativities.