“This person is very ambitious…”. You've probably heard a comment like this out there, certainly with a negative connotation, as if ambition were a character flaw. But do you know what ambition is and how the concept of ambition has been misrepresented in everyday language?
The word “ambition” derives from the Latin “ambire”, which means “to move freely”. Portuguese-language dictionaries have the following main meaning for this expression: “vehement desire to achieve a certain objective”, in addition to presenting “aspiration” and “pretension” as synonyms for this term.
We know that having pretensions, aspirations and ambitions in life is not a character flaw. It is, instead, an admirable trait that propels us on the path to achieving our goals and dreams. Why, then, has ambition become, in popular, informal and colloquial language, a reference to an arrogant person?
Language, as linguists like to say, is a living organism, which transforms and adapts as people put new uses to words that already have an established meaning. For example: in the past nobody used the word “cute” to refer to something beautiful and that causes tenderness, as we do today, especially in virtual language, right?
The simplest explanation is that, little by little, the word “ambition” has become synonymous with another, which may even be related to “ambition”, but not directly or as a synonym: greed.
What is the difference between ambition and greed?
“Greed”, according to the dictionary, is “an eagerness for exorbitant gains”, as well as a synonym for “greed” and “greed”. Another meaning, which goes further, indicates “greed” as “exaggerated desire to have or to receive more than others”. The word derives from the Spanish “ganancia”, which means “profit” or “advantage”.
Another synonym erroneously associated with ambition is arrogance, which, according to the dictionary, is the “quality or character of one who, due to supposed moral, social, intellectual or behavioral superiority, assumes a boastful or contemptuous attitude towards others” and points out as synonyms “ostensible pride” and “haughtiness”.
As we can see, neither of these two words is directly related to ambition. We can say that ambition is wanting something, while greed is wanting more than necessary and arrogance is bragging about having what others don't have, just for the sake of comparison.
Another example that ambition has nothing to do with the meanings of greed and arrogance has a historical origin: the seven deadly sins, traditional rules that preceded the emergence of Christianity, but which were incorporated into it, because they are related to its teachings.
One of the seven deadly sins is precisely avarice, usually defined as an excessive attachment to material goods and money. Another of the sins is pride, which is what makes someone feel superior to everyone else. We see, therefore, that the first is related to greed and the second is directly linked to arrogance. At no time, however, do the traditional seven deadly sins mention simple wanting and making plans as a sin, that is, ambition.
Ambition, therefore, in its original sense, which is to outline plans to achieve goals and to pursue these goals diligently, is a good thing, because it moves us towards what we want for ourselves and which we define as one of the goals of our lives.
What is lack of ambition and how does it affect our lives?
Based on the comparisons and explanations of the previous topics, therefore, we can say that ambition is positive, because it gives direction to our lives. If ambition is positive, then is lack of ambition negative?
You certainly know someone who details a thousand and one ideas of what they want to do, build, have and conquer, but who never moves in the direction of chasing those goals, as well as you must know someone who is simply stagnant in their life, without big personal dreams. , professional, marital, family and so on. In these two examples, these people suffer from a lack of ambition, as they have settled into the current life they have and want nothing more than what they already have.
However, it is necessary to criticize the concept that staying in a comfort zone is harmful to our lives, an idea that is so widespread, especially on social networks, where people are always highlighting their achievements and spreading a false image that they are very successful and are extremely content with their lives. If you feel like you're in a comfort zone, but that comfort zone makes you happy, then at the moment it's not necessary to pursue any big goal, that's okay. You don't have to always be wanting something.
But if you, however, want to achieve something, but have found it difficult to motivate yourself in the pursuit of your goals, we have prepared some tips for you to leave the lack of ambition aside and pursue everything you have planned for yourself. Check out:
• Be optimistic but down to earth! Set goals that you can achieve and believe in your ability to achieve them. Your optimism must accompany your abilities; that is, if you feel capable, trust, but if you are not sure that you will really succeed, take it easy so you don't get frustrated. Being too optimistic, believing you can do anything, can be quite frustrating too.
• Stop using “I don’t feel like it” as an excuse! Spending your day lying in bed sliding your finger through your social media feed or marathoning a series without seeing the time pass can be very good sometimes, but if you have been doing it incessantly and you feel that these practices are preventing you from chasing your goals, it's time to change and stimulate your will to get up and fight.
• strategize! If you want to lose 10 kg, but you don't develop any method for it, such as a more balanced diet or an exercise routine, you will hardly become an ambitious and motivated person in relation to this goal. If you develop a strategy, you will know exactly what you are going to do to achieve what you have set as a goal.
• set small goals! Following the example of the previous topic, instead of establishing that you want to lose 10 kg, which is a distant goal and that can make you feel frustrated, set a goal of losing 1 kg per month, for example, so you can measure it more easily. your greater goal and feel that you are moving towards it.
• Set short and long term goals! When we think about where we want to be a year from now and what we want to do by the end of the current week, it helps us to pursue the bigger and smaller goals. If you feel that you are making progress in the present, it will naturally lead you to your goals for the future!
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- Identify in yourself the toxic and dangerous traits of egocentrism and change them!
- Be aware of the benefits and harms of setting goals!
- Watch out for the signs that alert you to the feeling of envy!
• congratulate yourself! If you chain one goal after another, without ever celebrating your achievements, then you will become a greedy person, who does not value what you have already achieved. Whenever you achieve a previously established goal, give yourself a reward and celebrate your own victory.
• stay organized! Make lists, write down your goals and also do more practical things, like organizing the room, the bed and the house, because these small activities give us the feeling that we are making the small advances so essential to achieving the big goals.
Ambition is, after all, wanting, making plans and going after them, so there's nothing wrong with that! If you have dreams and want to fulfill them, you need to be ambitious and never allow anyone to convince you that this is bad. Only you know your path and know what you need to do to achieve the goals you set for yourself. If your ambition is controlled, without wanting too much or too little, you will never become a greedy, arrogant or stagnant person. Balance is everything, so want and be ambitious, but value what you already have, obviously, without despising anyone!
