Ambition Is An Indispensable Tool To Achieving Our Goals In Life

AMBITION IS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL TO ACHIEVING OUR GOALS: MY RESPONSE ON THE NEED TO BE GUIDED BY AN AMBITION.

”Every ambition should aim at the service of others and the society at large”. Aniobi John

In my last article, I explained the dangers of over-ambition, and how it can create conflict and violence in our society, and advising that we should cultivate and tame our ambitions. In this article, I would like to discuss the importance of ambition as a necessity in achieving our goals. We must have a genuine force that propels us to action, something that lubricates our minds, keeps us attentive, and makes us active. We need something that should awaken us, especially when we fall into the cold hands of procrastination, laziness, frustration, and carelessness.

Ambition could be defined as the ultimate desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and challenging work. It could also be explained as a desire and determination to achieve success. In these definitions, we see ambition from a positive point of view. We see it as a necessity for all who wish to achieve greater goals. We cannot begin or finish any meaningful project if we are not ambitious about it because ambition is a driving force. Napoleon Hill, reacting to the need for us to have ambition, says that; there is one weakness in people for which there is no remedy. It is the universal weakness of lack of ambition. Lack of ambition is a weakness and must be avoided. A nation without order, and discipline for her citizens can only produce overambitious citizens who are careless and people without direction. These individuals would have regimented mindset, and think there is only one road to success. Such a nation can only be filled with violence and conflict because the people will be too desperate for the sole road to success. When you are ambitious, the seriousness in you opens up an avalanche of opportunities which only ambitious and serious minds can see.

There are people whose lives have no direction; they just open their eyes and see that it is morning, and when they recognize that it is morning, they do not know the next thing to do. They just eat and follow the sequence of the day without direction. Such is a life of one that has no ambition and no future. This reminds me of the personality of Unoka in Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things fall apart.” Unoka is Okonkwo’s father, and because of the fact that he passed away before the novel, he remains present only in Okonkwo’s memories. For Okonkwo, Unoka is a figure of shame to his family, due to his constant laziness and refusal to work. Although he was a passionate and talented musician who enjoyed playing the flute at festivals, he could never seem to make himself ambitious of anything else to the point that providing for his family was difficult for him. Unoka presents a personality that has no ambition. He has nothing to think about as long as he eats and drinks to his satisfaction for the whole day. He follows this sequence repeatedly till the day of his death still owing people. Those whose live as the character described above are barely successful. They just follow the sequence of the day. This is a clear picture of an unassuming personality. We should not be too relaxed and stubborn towards our duties. We must be active and useful, not only to ourselves but to others and the society at large.

Also, for us to be successful and live out our ambitions, we must have a spirit of an Eagle. I choose the Eagle because I have read a lot about it and it has also influenced me. In the prophecy of Isaiah, he attributed those who wait on God to those who will achieve success like an eagle.  “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). Meditating on this passage, and studying the qualities of an eagle, we can see the positive lessons from it qualities. Eagles have some wonderful and unique characteristics, which distinguishes them from other birds. These characteristics are such that I believe will help one build a formidable personality towards creativity and productivity. I will like to discuss some of the qualities of an eagle to explain how we can manage our ambition.

EAGLES HAVE VISION

Eagles are very attentive to its environment; it is always conscious of its surroundings, and is very attentive. Hence, if you wish to achieve something, you must be attentive to your ambition. You should be conscious of what you want, and your vision should be clear. You must be aware of what you are pursuing. Your actions must not be spontaneous; it must always fall within your vision statements. When you have a clear vision, it directs your ambition. When you have a vision, your ambition becomes realistic because you are sure of arriving where you have in mind. Sometimes our problems are our attitudes; we act without any vision in mind and without any ambition. Some people do things because they see others do it. When our decisions are merely to imitate what others are doing without sitting down to think and analyze what you want to imitate, you will not know the result because the vision is not yours. This is the reason People just start something without achieving any goal and eventually stops halfway. However, when you have an ambition and vision combined, people will watch you and each day, they would remain amazed about your achievements.

EAGLES ARE FEARLESS AND TENACIOUS

One of our major problems in life is that when we meet a difficult situation, we give up, we complain and we frustrate ourselves. We do not need to get frustrated over any thing. When you meet a difficult situation, embrace it and see it as a challenge. Watch an eagle when a storm comes. When other birds fly away from the storm with fear, an eagle would spread its mighty wings and uses the current to soar to greater heights. The eagle takes advantage of the very storm that other birds fear and head for cover. There is a method that I have for living a hard time. It has been working for me; it can work for you too. The first is the encouragement of St Paul where he said in Phil. 4:11-13 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This passage is a nice and soul-lifting passage, once you understand it; you can exist joyfully in any environment and in any circumstances.

The second is; when you are faced with difficult situations or environment, create your own environment within that environment and exist in the new environment. And how do you do that? You do that by first forgetting all the difficult things within the environment and start discovering the good things within. See the difficult things as things that prevent one from seeing the good things around. Then embrace the difficulty, accept it as part of life and that it is for a moment. Then work hard and build for the future. Remember that what gives joy to the heart are not big, great, and fantastic things, things that give joy are simple and ordinary things.  Looking at the beautiful flowers in your environment can give you limitless joy. Remember joy is a culture, we must cultivate it. If you do not have the culture of being joyful always, even in the best of places in this world, you will remain there and complain. So like an eagle, do not be afraid of the difficult moment, it is a way to succeed and fulfill your ambition. No matter the size of your problem, embrace it fearlessly. Therefore, we should know that life is a process, and as a process, we should see life as holistic and not particular. If you see difficulty, know that it will soon pass while applying the principle of being conscious of your ambition at every point.

EAGLES ARE HIGH FLYERS

Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground. At 10, 000 feet, you will never find another bird. If you find another bird, it has to be an eagle. According to Dr. Myles Munroe in his article titled “ 7 principles of an eagles” an eagle does not mingle with the pigeons. Pigeons scavenge on the ground and grumble and complain all day long. Eagles do not complain, they fly and make less noise waiting for opportunities to strike their next prey or glide with the current of the storm. As you pursue your ambition, you must be sure of letting go of certain distractions. These distractions are in form of persons, attitudes, or habits that hinder your progress. You must have unique management of your personality. You must be conscious of whom you are and what you are pursuing, and then make sure that nothing distracts your ambition.  You must also be careful not to enter into isolation, but to be conscious of your discussions, actions, and the type of people you mingle with, Making sure they are people with sound and like minds. Avoid those who complain a lot and those who do not have progressive minds and ideology. They may want to talk you down, do not allow them, for your consistency and determination will surely pay you. Be careful not to miss any opportunity when it comes. Remember that when you complain, your opportunity will pass you by and you will not know. Note that there are other qualities of eagles I did not mention, I cited only a few of them that are most relevant to this article.

Finally, I pray that God gives us the grace to be open to the divine promptings and to develop a sense of seriousness and to ignite our ambitious minds. We pray that God may help us to awaken from our slumber.