Will vs. ambition?
Asked by Anonymous
Answered
05/05/2021
Imagine a toddler trying to get to a cookie. They will do whatever they can if they want the cookie bad enough, including lining up stools and playing a balancing act of getting up on the counter to reach that cookie! They may even hurt themselves trying to get to the cookie, which does not deter the will they used to get to it. Will or willpower is the behavioral side of a larger concept of ambition. It’s very inherently basic in that people can utilize their strong will to win an argument, which doesn’t necessarily reflect that the person is also ambitious. Will power can be so strong that it can also be blinding to opportunity and open-mindedness and other areas that might bring them success. It’s a very singular kind of thinking that works very well in conjunction with many other behaviors. Another analogy is the gas that we put inside the engine to make the car move. Will power should not be deterred but rather directed into good outcomes for the person trying to achieve.
On the other hand, ambition is an overarching sense of thinking and feeling that brings forth a stronger conceptualization of success. Ambition doesn’t always breed success but using the same car analogy, ambition can insight a person’s desire and wherewithal to design the car and think about goals, ideas, dreams, and clear concepts, following through with them using various skills like a strong will. The best combination is incorporating a strong will towards getting the job done and having a certain ambitious quality of whatever their goal is trying to be accomplished. A strong will can help a person stay very focused at times, even hyper-focused to accomplish. Coupled with ambition allows the will to have some direction and to be able to be directed into a goal that makes sense. Conscious ambition helps see the broader picture of what the willpower is attempting to get done.
Ambition and willpower put together is a force to be reckoned with, and as children grow, mentors and caregivers need to direct those energies into positive outcomes.
(M.Ed., MA, LPC)