Perhaps by divine providence I'm shaking the dust from my fingers to type this entry. The topic of ambition has popped up multiple times this week and I can't help but feel compelled to talk about it. Within every man's heart, I believe lies the flame of desire. That desire can carry him to unimaginable places. It's why we built the pyramids, it's why we sailed the world in search of new lands, and it's why we were bold enough go to the moon. This desire fuels our ambitions and those ambitions can come in many different forms. But the main topic is where is ambition's place appropriate?
To set up the context, the first two decades of my life were filled with messages which could be summarized as such:
"Be the best, accept nothing less."
Sounds great in a fortune cookie or a motivational poster doesn't it? However I want to address the negativity and the damaging effects of such absolutism. From a young age, most of us were likely told we had to get perfect grades, probably coerced into doing it otherwise we'd incur the wrath of our parents. Even the school system doesn't encourage imperfection, if you fail, you get kicked out, if you get kicked out, you can't get a job, if you can't get a job, you'll die. Simple as. It's a dog eat dog world and if you're not top dog, you'll be eaten by whoever is. It's bred mercilessness and apathy toward our fellow man. For decades, this attitude has ground down generation after generation until finally with the arrival of the Millennials, it broke them. I can't tell you how many of my peers from early childhood grew up to be depressed individuals because they felt less than, fearful to do anything because they came to the conclusion "If you can't be the best at something, what's the point in even trying?" If we're told to be the best at what we do, here's where the logic struggles to keep up with reality. Being the best would mean there is only room for one person at the top, so what about the rest? The laughable solution is to tell the rest to pull themselves by their bootstraps and work harder while charging forward with the right mindset. Be positive, believe you can do it, and it will be done. Let's do a thought experiment, shall we? Lets say I love basketball (I actually don't) and I want to join the NBA. Basketball is what I do and I've been told I need to be the best at what I do. The only way to be the best at basketball is to join the NBA and dominate the sport like Larry Bird or Michael Jordan. Here's the reality, no amount of training or positive thinking is going to transform my height to qualify me for the NBA no matter how skilled I become. No, that's not victim mentality, that's not negativity. It's being smart enough to understand reality. A wiser man would ask himself, "Ok, then what do I do if it's impossible for me to become the best in what I do?"
This answer came to me a couple of years ago when I began to take my artistic pursuits more seriously. I had stepped away from any form of practice for 3 years and accumulated that much rust. I was nagged by the voice in my head which told me I wasn't good at art, would never be good at art, and if I couldn't be the best, to not even bother trying to get better. I reached a breaking point where I asked myself "How far do I want to take my art?". I thought at one time I was going to work at a gaming studio but my dreams were shattered when I learned about the unlawful work loads and the constant moving, so I became aimless. One thing remained certain, I wasn't going to give up my heart's desire of becoming an animator. That question was birthed from that aimlessness. It helped my chart a course I now follow today. If there is something you genuinely love to do that if someone said you weren't aloud to do it anymore, you would feel a cry of anguish from the depths of your soul, you should be doing it until God takes you. Ignore the prideful who say you should be the best if your goal isn't to be at the very top. Your focus should always be to do your best, be your best every single day, and seek to expand that capacity. Ambition is not a bad thing, everyone should have ambition but we must call into question the motivations behind our pursuits. Keeping with the mountain as our analogy, did you know Mt. Everest isn't the deadliest climb in the world? There is a mountain smaller and far more dangerous. Thinking of the stories of how many people have died atop K2, would you say it was a prideful pursuit and their death was punishment for such hubris? Or would you laud the attempt and say great things are worth dying for? I don't see either answer as wrong but a matter of how you view ambition. The higher up you go, the higher the stakes get. How much are you willing to risk to go higher? How far are you willing to go? Die hard try hards shouldn't spoil your ambition, you don't need to be on the mountain top to be fulfilled in your mission. There is plenty of room for all of us on the mountain.
On a final note, what sparked this reflection was seeing this video on Youtube and the thumbnail caught me by surprise "Why is it ok to not have ambition in life?" because this initial question challenged my beliefs.
Take a look.
It is ok to offend Mammon and lack ambition. . . at least by Mammon's standards as it's implied in the video. To live a humble life is still beautiful in the eyes of God. Remember He loves you no matter your riches or status because in the end, our earthly riches and glory are nothing compared to the riches of heaven and the Glory of our Father.
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