What is the nature of ambition? And moreover, what does it mean to be ambitious?
I have often questioned the entire premise; all the while review if that meant that I myself do not possess the trait. I was once asked what the most ambitious thing I had ever done was and at the time, I had no answer. If one considers ambition from a narrow socially predetermined set of limit, then I have not been overly ambitious in my life. Sure, I attended a good school, completed my diploma in the expected two years, and walked across the stage without incident, but was that in and of it ambitious? Perhaps in my choice of footwear for the occasion, but it was what was expected of me, so was it truly a consequence of my own ambition?
As the product of two separated parents who in turn are the product of two different Countries, their ambitions and expectations became my own. Study hard, marry well, and lead a life of definite. I would never be so cold as to suggest that my parents do not wish for me to marry for love, but should I happen to fall in love with a doctor or lawyer, well, that would be all the better. If I were to become one myself, that would be the peak of their ambition for their first generation son.
How do you explain a head full of stories and a heart full of simple dreams to people who have worked hard to give you the opportunities to succeed in a world driven by ambition? Do you stay up late studying hard with the light of your torch? Do you pay attention on everything that matters to your ambitions? Is there something motivate you and pushing you towards accomplishing your dreams? When society rewards those who never sleep, who fight tooth and nail to turn the seeds of their ambition into modern day empires, all evidence points to the contrary.
Therefore, unlock the drawer, take up your favorite pen, and let your imagination take flight. Shut out the dissenting voices, the naïve words of those who have never questioned the root of their own ambition. They will never know the release of taking a step back, contemplating their path, and realizing that there is, in fact, more than one way to be ambitious. So stay positive and grateful, believing in yourself step by step and always remember what you believe is what you good at and is what you can simply do. And take with you a simple reminder; the first step is always hard, once you make one the rest is all figured out.
