Being Point

Tag: Ambition

  • Does Less Ambition Make You Happier – But Also Less Useful?

    Ambition, as we have seen this week, can be a mixed blessing. Edison said poignantly, “If I had not had so much ambition and not tried so many things, I probably would have been happier, but less useful.”

    Is that the tradeoff: Give up happiness for being useful? Do you think Edison’s ambition was for being useful or for fame, fortune, accomplishment itself, or for the challenge of inventing things to solve problems?

    Is your ambition useful or counter-productive? Has ambition ever gotten in the way of your happiness? Again, don’t limit your thinking about ambition to power, money or the like.

    As with all things, ask yourself the question: “How does this quality (of ambition) both serve and mis-serve me? The winning approach is balancing out those answers to something that works well for you.

  • Exploring The Ambition To Be Famous

    Those of us who live in Los Angeles are constantly aware of the city’s draw for those seeking fame. People come from all over the world to develop careers in show business. Their sheer ambition of wanting to become famous is often raw and sometimes scary.

    What has been your relationship to fame? Is it something you have ever wanted? Do you understand it? Do you respect it, despise it, pity it, or scratch your head over it?

    If there were an equivalent in your life to ambition for fame, what would it be? Do you desire to be known and held up on a pedestal by anyone – even one person or a small group of people?

    What happens to people who achieve fame? Do you find their ambition worth their effort? In a culture that holds celebrities up as demi-gods, what are your points of view about a desire – an ambition – to be famous?

  • Are There Valid Ambitions Unrelated To Power And Money?

    Ambition is most often thought of in terms of money and power. Yet, the word itself can accurately be used to refer to all kinds of human goals.

    Suppose, for example, that you wanted to pursue a calling of being of service to impoverished people. You are passionate about helping and making a difference. You want to help a lot of people, and you desire to have your work produce meaningful positive change in their lives.

    Would you consider that mindset ambitious? Does it fit to think of oneself as ambitious in serving others, or in protecting the environment, or in making the world a better place?

    What are your ambitions that are unrelated to power and money? Are you an ambitious spouse, life partner, parent, family member, volunteer or friend?

    What kind of thought do you give to the level of ambition you bring to being a friend, partner, etc.? Would you like to be more ambitious in these areas? Would you like to be less ambitious for money and power? Does ambition serve you or mis-serve you?

  • Ambition As Focused On Quality

    What do you think you can accomplish this year in your business or career? How ambitious are your plans? In this time of economic challenges, what kinds of goals have you set for yourself?

    Let’s begin this week by channeling your ambition toward offering the best product or service that you can possibly offer. What kind of difference might it make to put your ambition on quality at least equal to a focus on dollars?

    What are some immediate changes that you could make that would support this kind of ambition? How ambitious are you willing to be to improve quality? Does this kind of ambition feel useful to you?