Ambition is not a will to power, but self-fulfillment
17 December 2013
Read by 2424 persons
Often depicted as a "shark" with sharp teeth, the ambitious person does not have a good reputation. However, healthy professional ambition allows one to surpass oneself and flourish at work, believes Philippe Laurent.
The first image we have of the ambitious person is that of a man whose teeth scrape the floor, that of a shark ready to devour its competitors, that of a warrior whose victory justifies all aggression, that of the frog who wants to become bigger than the ox. Ambition therefore has a bad image.
With the "guts" that seeks success at all costs, the greed for titles, the cupidity of always more, always further and better than others, the ambitious person we think of thirsts for power and needs to prove to himself and others that he is capable and invincible. History shows that the excessive ambition of some has too often caused the misfortune of others.
Many lucid ambitious people could also testify afterwards to what they lost by giving free rein to their overflowing desires. But the harmful effects of this excess on the person and their entourage should not allow us to caricature or demonize healthy and genuine ambition, which allows a person to gain a part of the world without losing their soul.
The ambitious person takes charge of their evolution without passively waiting for others to do so.
True ambition is not a will to power, but self-fulfillment; it is not a mere wish, but a driving force for action to move forward by surpassing oneself. The ambitious person does not let themselves be lived or pushed by external events, but projects themselves in the medium and long term, taking charge of their life in a responsible, dynamic and optimistic way, in a spirit of conquest that allows them to overcome obstacles.
They take charge of their evolution without passively waiting for others to take care of it. They do not give up, but roll up their sleeves and "fight" to obtain what they seek (a new position, mobility, a new job, etc.). Not aggressively, "against others," but with the strength that allows the tenacious person to move forward "against their fears" and resist adversity. Healthy ambition is beneficial because it makes one grow, makes one proud, motivates, and mobilizes. It is a powerful awakening, not by a call to duty, but by taste and desire, raising the sleeping person and lifting the one who has fallen.
If the thirst for success is a powerful engine, the pride of success is an inflation of self that hinders listening and prevents understanding of the person who is breathless, downcast, or passive. When ambition overflows, the ambitious person "puts on a show," reduces reality to themselves without regard for the other whom they crush with more or less awareness and pleasure.
The two great dangers of ambition are excess and lack of measure: excess of dreams compared to reality, of financial investment, of personal commitment, of titles; lack of measure of one's strengths and weaknesses, of one's limits and ignorance, and also of the impacts of excess.
It is easier to have the ambition to succeed than to truly succeed in one's ambition, because it becomes corrupt as soon as it aims for "more" before "better," positions the self above others and sacrifices one's life to better win it. The bulimic appetite for success gives it so much weight that it ends up unbalancing the person and their environment.
Healthy ambition can be hampered by false ideas or fears
But why should it be right to believe that being ambitious is being proud? Doesn't the Gospel say that "the kingdom of heaven is for the violent"? Healthy ambition can be hampered by false ideas or fears: the fear of judgment from jealous people, a vision of success that makes one feel guilty, the fear of responsibilities or risk-taking, the fear of leaving a small acquired comfort for a greater uncertain comfort, the fear of having to fight to get what one wants, the fear of not succeeding and being judged as a "loser" in case of failure.
It can also be prevented by bad examples of ambitious and personally unhappy people, by the desire to guarantee success by eliminating all unforeseen events, by impatience for results, by financial comfort that makes it unnecessary, by someone who pushes us in a direction that is not ours and demands too much effort from us, by the judgment of a loved one who does not believe in us.
To develop true professional ambition, the most important thing is to start by asking yourself an essential question: what do I want for myself tomorrow, professionally and personally? I am rarely alone in being able to answer this question, because it involves my life and those who share it. What am I looking for beyond this ambition? What is my ambition a means to? By integrating it into a more global life project, it becomes clear and takes on its full meaning.
In this vision, I must give myself a concrete objective that represents a challenge for me, requiring energy, creativity, intelligence, patience and work. Finally, I must give myself the means to achieve my ambition. What do I need to learn to achieve it? What am I ready to "sacrifice" for it? Where should I start?
True ambition is the one that gives me breath, carries me and fulfills me, because it is in line with who I am, allows me to exploit my talents and update my potential. It makes me look far away, especially in front of obstacles, always giving me a good reason to take another step every day with patience, perseverance and tenacity. The ambitious person is not content with beating others, but with conquering themselves by going even further than they believe possible.
Philippe Laurent.
Lexpress.fr
Published November 20, 2013.
Posted online December 17, 2013.
The first image we have of the ambitious person is that of a man whose teeth scrape the floor, that of a shark ready to devour its competitors, that of a warrior whose victory justifies all aggression, that of the frog who wants to become bigger than the ox. Ambition therefore has a bad image.
With the "guts" that seeks success at all costs, the greed for titles, the cupidity of always more, always further and better than others, the ambitious person we think of thirsts for power and needs to prove to himself and others that he is capable and invincible. History shows that the excessive ambition of some has too often caused the misfortune of others.
Many lucid ambitious people could also testify afterwards to what they lost by giving free rein to their overflowing desires. But the harmful effects of this excess on the person and their entourage should not allow us to caricature or demonize healthy and genuine ambition, which allows a person to gain a part of the world without losing their soul.
The ambitious person takes charge of their evolution without passively waiting for others to do so.
True ambition is not a will to power, but self-fulfillment; it is not a mere wish, but a driving force for action to move forward by surpassing oneself. The ambitious person does not let themselves be lived or pushed by external events, but projects themselves in the medium and long term, taking charge of their life in a responsible, dynamic and optimistic way, in a spirit of conquest that allows them to overcome obstacles.
They take charge of their evolution without passively waiting for others to take care of it. They do not give up, but roll up their sleeves and "fight" to obtain what they seek (a new position, mobility, a new job, etc.). Not aggressively, "against others," but with the strength that allows the tenacious person to move forward "against their fears" and resist adversity. Healthy ambition is beneficial because it makes one grow, makes one proud, motivates, and mobilizes. It is a powerful awakening, not by a call to duty, but by taste and desire, raising the sleeping person and lifting the one who has fallen.
If the thirst for success is a powerful engine, the pride of success is an inflation of self that hinders listening and prevents understanding of the person who is breathless, downcast, or passive. When ambition overflows, the ambitious person "puts on a show," reduces reality to themselves without regard for the other whom they crush with more or less awareness and pleasure.
The two great dangers of ambition are excess and lack of measure: excess of dreams compared to reality, of financial investment, of personal commitment, of titles; lack of measure of one's strengths and weaknesses, of one's limits and ignorance, and also of the impacts of excess.
It is easier to have the ambition to succeed than to truly succeed in one's ambition, because it becomes corrupt as soon as it aims for "more" before "better," positions the self above others and sacrifices one's life to better win it. The bulimic appetite for success gives it so much weight that it ends up unbalancing the person and their environment.
Healthy ambition can be hampered by false ideas or fears
But why should it be right to believe that being ambitious is being proud? Doesn't the Gospel say that "the kingdom of heaven is for the violent"? Healthy ambition can be hampered by false ideas or fears: the fear of judgment from jealous people, a vision of success that makes one feel guilty, the fear of responsibilities or risk-taking, the fear of leaving a small acquired comfort for a greater uncertain comfort, the fear of having to fight to get what one wants, the fear of not succeeding and being judged as a "loser" in case of failure.
It can also be prevented by bad examples of ambitious and personally unhappy people, by the desire to guarantee success by eliminating all unforeseen events, by impatience for results, by financial comfort that makes it unnecessary, by someone who pushes us in a direction that is not ours and demands too much effort from us, by the judgment of a loved one who does not believe in us.
To develop true professional ambition, the most important thing is to start by asking yourself an essential question: what do I want for myself tomorrow, professionally and personally? I am rarely alone in being able to answer this question, because it involves my life and those who share it. What am I looking for beyond this ambition? What is my ambition a means to? By integrating it into a more global life project, it becomes clear and takes on its full meaning.
In this vision, I must give myself a concrete objective that represents a challenge for me, requiring energy, creativity, intelligence, patience and work. Finally, I must give myself the means to achieve my ambition. What do I need to learn to achieve it? What am I ready to "sacrifice" for it? Where should I start?
True ambition is the one that gives me breath, carries me and fulfills me, because it is in line with who I am, allows me to exploit my talents and update my potential. It makes me look far away, especially in front of obstacles, always giving me a good reason to take another step every day with patience, perseverance and tenacity. The ambitious person is not content with beating others, but with conquering themselves by going even further than they believe possible.
Philippe Laurent.
Lexpress.fr
Published November 20, 2013.
Posted online December 17, 2013.
