10 Ways Driving Ambition May Help You Succeed
Success has many definitions and may be subjective. However, many individuals want to know how to obtain success, and driving ambition is often listed as a factor. However, is ambition enough? Many people may feel ambitious but lack the motivation to take steps toward success.
The debate of talent vs hard work can play a role in determining whether or not ambition helps you succeed, depending on your definition of success. If you are driven to succeed in your career, your ambition could take you far. However, if you have sacrificed other areas of your life and feel unhappy or lonely, you might not feel successful overall.
Definition of ambition
What does ambition mean? Ambition is often referred to as a goal with driving energy behind it. It may be referred to when the stakes are high, or the rewards are often associated with success, such as a high-profile career or gaining a significant income.
Ways driving ambition may help you succeed
Driving ambition in healthy amounts may help you grow, learn more about your goals, and take chances. However, ambition alone does not necessarily guarantee success.
Goal setting and achieving
Ambitious people might set goals and strive for excellence. They could set higher goals for themselves than others. Although they might not consistently achieve their lofty goals, they may come close to doing so. If they fail, ambition might drive them to keep trying or to take an alternative route.
Personal development
People with ambition may experience personal development and growth stages. Because they are often driven to do their best, they might look for ways to improve their skills, talents, and behaviors. They could have a high level of self-awareness or possess many minor skills that combine for meaningful careers or situations.
Financial stability
Ambitious people may be financially stable. Having a driving ambition and desire to succeed can mean they work hard, commit to a schedule, and try to go above and beyond at work. Due to long hours and dedication, they might earn more than people who work “just to get by.”
Ambition does not necessarily mean financial stability, however. Ambitious people may still face roadblocks, such as discrimination, mental health conditions, or trauma.
If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
Work ethic
Ambitious people may not feel afraid of hard work and effort. They could see hard work as a means to their end goal instead of a struggle and might avoid taking unnecessary breaks. However, work-life balance is suggested by many researchers, so working past your limit may not be healthy.
Courage to face challenges
Ambitious people might feel courageous. They may not shy away from challenges that arise along their path to their goals and might not back down when others suggest their goals are unobtainable or unrealistic. They often believe in themselves.
Ambition to make up for challenges
Driving ambition may make up for difficulties in specific skills. These types of people may put in the effort to learn a new skill or use charisma and confidence to their advantage in the workplace. They might not have natural talent, but their drive to succeed can make them competitive.
Humility
Ambition may cause a person to be humble, as they may see room for improvement in several life areas. They might believe that they are striving for perfection instead of believing that they are already perfect.
Willingness to make sacrifices
Ambitious people might feel willing to make sacrifices to meet their goals. For many career-minded, ambitious people, this could mean moving homes, sacrificing relationships, or focusing more on their careers than other aspects of life.
Because they are willing to sacrifice anything that does not further their goals, they might receive opportunities not offered to those busy in other areas.
Life purpose
Having ambition could give individuals something to look forward to and strive toward. They may feel that anything they want to achieve is possible and that they are on Earth for a reason.
Recognizing there are no short cuts
Ambitious people might recognize that there could be no shortcuts to success. They may put in the time and effort to gain success, even if it takes some time. Ambitious people may be perfectionists, as well.
When ambition gets in the way
A healthy amount of ambition may go a long way toward helping you become successful. However, ambition might block certain individuals in specific areas.
Narcissism
A recent study showed that ambition is one of the leading traits of narcissism and may indicate personality issues. People with unhealthy ambition may put themselves above others or fail to notice how their actions impact others. They might be competitive, argumentative, or close-minded. If someone would do “literally anything” to succeed, they might partake in illegal or unhealthy acts to meet their goals.
This type of ambition could be unhealthy and a roadblock to interpersonal relationships. While you may be successful in your career path, you might be disliked socially. If you have a management position, your employees may feel scared of you or dislike your personality. In these cases, you might feel lonely.
Sacrificing happiness
A person with driving ambition may feel successful in their career or other areas of life but sacrifice happiness in the process. They may notice their relationships with family or partners struggling. Additionally, they might put off making friends or going on social outings. In other areas of life, they may spend so much time working that they don’t see new things or try new activities.
When using ambition, consider what overall happiness and success look like to you. If you would be content working overtime for the rest of your life, you may enjoy using ambition in your career. If you want to have a family, see the world, and have a successful job simultaneously, you may need to sacrifice some of your ambition.
When to get help
If you have an ambition that has caused problems in your life, you may seek to change your perspective of the world and yourself. If you feel lonely or miss out on relationships, your ambition could prevent you from having close connections. A therapist may help you analyze your current behaviors and level of ambition and help you make changes to succeed both professionally and personally.
For those that are currently busy with jobs or meeting goals, online therapy can be a plausible and flexible option. You can meet with a counselor from any location with a reliable internet connection. Additionally, you can choose whether to meet with your therapist through a video, phone, or live chat session. Studies prove that online therapy is effective in treating long-term stress and loneliness.
Connecting with a counselor can be done through an online platform like BetterHelp for individuals or Regain for couples. You can talk to your therapist about concerns, including ambition, relationships, loneliness, or mental health symptoms.
Takeaway
What does driving ambition mean?
Driving ambition refers to the strong, specific, core motivation or fuel a person feels and uses to achieve something. For example, a person’s driving ambition behind their aspiration of wanting to study to become a doctor could be to help people and put good out into the world, or to make their parents proud, or to make a good salary to support their family.
Why do I lack drive and ambition?
There are many potential causes of a lack of ambition. First, some people may be more naturally motivated to achieve more or different things than others due to their personality type, culture, or upbringing. Aside from that, motivation levels can be affected by stress, overwhelm, or burnout.
Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders could also cause a person to lack interest in or motivation for working towards goals. If you’re concerned about a lack of drive or ambition in yourself, meeting with a mental health professional could be a helpful next step.
How can I have ambition and drive?
One step toward increasing your ambition or drive could be to meet with a mental health professional to determine whether an underlying mental health condition or challenge may be at play. Other ideas for increasing ambition could include engaging in self-discovery and being ready to learn new things in order to find a goal or pursuit that interests you. This is because a lack of motivation could simply reflect a lack of motivation to engage in the activities you feel you’re expected to.
Techniques like setting S.M.A.R.T goals could also help you increase your ambition, since a lack of it can sometimes stem from disorganization or overwhelm related to your future dreams. Other organizational methods, inspirational quotes, and strategies to help you stick to your goals could also help. A search for these additional tips using your website browser could be beneficial.
Is it OK to have no ambition?
There’s nothing wrong with having no ambition to pursue goals that you’re told by others to want, such as being successful in climbing the corporate ladder if you have no interest in doing so. It’s also normal for ambition to ebb and flow from one moment in your life to another due to personal circumstances, stress levels, and other factors. If you consistently experience no ambition and are concerned about it or it’s causing problems in your life, it could be worth meeting with a mental health professional to determine whether there might be an underlying disorder at play.
Does ADHD cause low ambition?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can sometimes manifest as what appears to be low ambition. However, some experts suggest that a lack of ambition in individuals with ADHD may simply be due to their unique brain chemistry that makes it significantly more difficult to focus on tasks or topics they don’t inherently find interesting. This theory is illustrated by the fact that many people with this form of neurodivergence find it easy to feel ambitious or motivated when it comes to activities they have a natural interest in. If you’re concerned about your ambition levels as they relate to ADHD, speaking with a mental health professional could be helpful.
Is lack of ambition a deal breaker?
What one person considers a dating “deal breaker” may not be a problem for another. That means that a trait or experience like a lack of motivation could be a reason one person isn’t romantically interested in another, but it may not represent an issue for a different individual. If you’re concerned about a lack of ambition you may be experiencing—including how it may be affecting your dating life—speaking with a therapist could be helpful.
Why do I have no motivation?
There are many potential causes of a lack of motivation. First, it’s useful to know that motivation can naturally ebb and flow over time. If you’re tired, stressed, burned out, or experiencing health challenges, general motivation may be lower. In addition, some mental health conditions (depression, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for instance) and physical health conditions (Parkinson’s, chronic pain conditions, etc.) could cause a lack of motivation. Speaking with a therapist about your concerns could be helpful if you feel you have no motivation.
What makes a woman ambitious?
A person of any gender can feel ambitious for a variety of different reasons, from natural personality to elements of their upbringing to their personal set of values or goals.
What does psychology say about ambition?
What psychologists have learned over the years about ambition is a broad and complex topic. As one 2023 paper on the subject explains, “Ambition has been linked to narcissism, power, and dominance, but it is distinct from each of these concepts. Although the development of ambition is most strongly influenced by social, cultural, and demographic factors, evidence suggests that genetic and biological factors also contribute.”
What is unhealthy ambition?
Unhealthy ambition can be defined as a motivation for achieving something at any cost, no matter what—even if it harms the self or others. Unhealthy ambition could also be used to refer to a core reason for doing something that may be immoral or unhealthy.
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