“kabhi kisiko mukammal jaha nahi milta, kahi jami to kahi aasma nahi milta”
(Translation: One doesn’t get an ideal world all the time. At times the earth is out of reach and at times the sky is out of bounds)
These lines always make me wonder about whether satisfaction and ambition can flourish together? Or is one the nemesis of the other? To be or not to be ambitious and if to be then how much to be? There are two types of people; one who looks at the glass as half full and others who see it half empty. And then there are those who look at the glass as half empty in the present but believe that they can fill it up in the future.
The major risk in life is to never take any risks. If you would not decide to do something in the first place how would you do it? but the question is where to stop. Sure, running behind your dreams and catching them is important but which is the right time to stop and reflect upon your achievements so far!
Ambition: chasing your dreams
To be ambitious is to be passionate about achieving your goals. As soon as the person reaches the goal, they have formed for themselves, a new one starts forming in the back of their mind. Now the question that might occur to you is, what makes a person ambitious? Ambition is a complex construct which forms out of several factors like; parenting style, sibling rivalry, feelings of inferiority or superiority, past achievements, type of personality, types of role models, competitiveness, instincts etc. Famous philosopher, Aristotle has described “ambition” as vicious excess, “lack of ambition” as vicious deficiency and “proper ambition” as the virtuous balance between the two. Inspired from this notion ambition today has three forms, Healthy, unhealthy and lack of ambition. Healthy ambition is measured and contains a drive of achievement. Unhealthy ambition is an immoderate or excessive need to achieve something.
Satisfaction: being proud of your achievements
Satisfaction is the state of content, being at peace with what you have in the present. Satisfaction is what leads a person to happiness. But does being content with what you have means you have achieved everything that you need in life? That you should stop working hard now? Being content with what you have does not mean that there is nothing more left to improve in your life. Being overly satisfied can also lead a person to not even try up to his full potential and just let things be the way they are.
Is there a balance between the two?
Excessive satisfaction might lead you to stop having any dreams and aspirations at all. Similarly, unhealthy ambition might exhaust you and never let you stop running behind your dreams.
Is it possible to be content and ambitious at the same time?
If we start thinking in a materialistic way and start obsessing over our goals (unhealthy ambition), it might get difficult to be content at all. Satisfaction then, would just be a temporary state because one job is always going to be better than the other, one car is going to be fancier than other, and one house is going to be more lavish than the other and a pay scale would never be enough to full-fill all of that. If we keep comparing ourselves to others, nothing is going to be enough. There is always something that the others have which is better than you.
Satisfaction and healthy ambition can exist together in a non-materialistic sense when you are content and at peace with what you have achieved. When you aspire to improve on yourself further to reach the state of content then it is possible for satisfaction and ambition to coexist.
Ambition is like a wine, drink just right and you will enjoy it but too much will make you lose control
Stop comparing yourselves to others. Be proud of yourself. Everyone is unique in their own way. And always remember that there is something that you have which others don’t. That something is your talent and hard work. That is you!
No Comments
Leave a comment Cancel