8 Keys to Building your Ambition

Ambition has got a bad reputation in some circles. Of course, greed is always a problem. However legitimate ambition for each individual or organization is very much needed. One person’s ambition might just be to go to the next level while another individual may want to change the world. So, I think only that individual can decide what ambition means to them. Here are the 8 elements of ambition that I have come up with.
Action: Ambition without any action will not work. So, decide what you want and then take daily action towards your ultimate ambition. By the yard its hard but by the inch anything is a cinch. Every day if we can move forward our ambition even one small step it will make us feel better. Progress is the key to happiness and the only way to progress is through action. Peter Drucker said a beautiful thing “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From that quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” Action is everything.
Meaning: Ambition must tie in with your overall purpose of life. If that is not there, then you will not be fulfilled. So, tying your ambition with a greater meaning will ensure you feel great on the path towards your ultimate ambition. Here is my article on finding meaning and living your legacy. 9 Ways to Live your Legacy.
Boldness: Anything out of the ordinary requires a little courage and boldness. Steve Jobs is an example of someone who took bold action. Even his Apple Stores concept was initially ridiculed, but he acted anyway. In fact, the results he got were mostly due to his bold vision and bold action. Taking small steps towards our ultimate vision is the way we build boldness. You can check out my articles on Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. 9 Timeless lessons from Steve Jobs. 7 Inspiring lessons from Elon Musk.
Inspiration: Once we act with boldness the next thing that we will all face is the obstacles. What we need when we face obstacles is inspiration. There are many ways to stay inspired. The ones that work best for me are exercising, sleeping well, reading, writing in a journal and speaking with someone who can be inspirational.
Talent: We are all born with a certain level of talent. The point is to polish the talent we have and then take it to next level. Everything we need to succeed or learn is just a click away. The way we recognize our talent and then bringing it to everything we do is one of the keys to achieving our ambition. The best books on talent are Talent is overrated, Peak, The Talent Code, and Mastery.
Information: What I mean by this is once you act you will get information on what is working and what isn’t. So, this step is all about understanding where things need to change. So, take a journal and write down what is not working. With better information on what is not working you can make appropriate course corrections to get to where you want to be. So self-appraisal is a key to more success and legitimate ambition.
Optimism: There are many studies that show optimism is one of the key qualities of great leaders. I like the way Martin Seligman explains this. He says optimistic people see every problem as temporary not permanent, they don’t take the negative events personally and finally they don’t think this will be pervasive. So being an optimist is about getting back up sooner when you get down. Keep your mind on the things that are working and act on the things not working. You can checkout my article on The Optimists Manifesto.
Never give up: Quitting is not giving up. If something is truly not working and doesn’t look like it will ever work, then we should get out of that completely. This is what Seth Godin describes in his book Dip. However, on the way to your ambition when you face with obstacles you should persist on the areas where there is a greater chance of your success and helps you get closer to your ambition. Persistence is the holy grail of all top achievers. Even if you fail at something never give up on yourself as a person. This too shall pass and if we persist we will eventually get back up. We should also take the help of others to get over obstacles and stumbling blocks. My article Failure is never Final dives deep into this topic. Failure is never final.
There you have it the 8 keys to build your ambition. Thanks for reading this post.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization. 

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