How ambition leads to success?

Ambition resulting in “success” is a combination of different things falling into place for a person.  However, this has to happen on both an individual/internal level as well as on an external level.

In contemplating individual circumstances and characteristics that might lead to success, having ambition is the first step. Ambition allows one to see into their desires for the future and to clearly see that there is a long-term goal that they want to achieve.  When speaking about success, ambition is not always enough and there must also be internal resources that allow a person to successfully take steps necessary to achieve short-term goals that, in turn, bring them closer to their long-term goals.

Some people have difficulty in setting goals in the first place or organizing the steps and short-term goals that are necessary for them to achieve success.  This is not always the fault of that person.  Some people struggle with executive functioning issues (skills that allow people to perform and accomplish necessary tasks).  These issues can make goal setting in general very difficult.  People who struggle with mood disorders might also feel that their energy level is lacking or they might feel “drained.” Additionally, people with mood disorders might experience fogginess in their minds creating obstacles for them to complete daily activities let alone focusing on the long-term future.

And then, there are factors that someone cannot control that might create barriers to perceived success.  Someone may not have access to certain external resources or there might be a scarcity of various resources within a community that prevents a person from achieving their goals and dreams.  Such issues as lack of education or access to appropriate education might delay or make the path that a person takes a lot more difficult.  Additionally, one cannot control other people’s personal biases.  Some of these people that hold biases are people in positions of power that would allow access to resources needed for people obtaining their goals.  For example, a company might pass on somebody for promotion because they have a non-Western or hard to pronounce the name.  The reason that this person did not achieve “success” has nothing to do with their level of ambition. Instead, it was reliant upon external factors around which they have no control.

In the end, it boils down to how a person individually defines success.  Success sometimes means not always achieving the goals that one has associated with one ambition.  Sometimes it means doing the next right thing and then coping with it whenever the outcome occurs.