How are your levels of ambition? Are they under control? Are you sure those levels aren’t somewhat to a point where your ambition resonates in the same frequency as greed?
So what if it is? Is that a good or a bad thing for you?
It might be good or not. Let’s sit and talk it over.
1. About your (possible) ambition
Ambition is good. For real. Everyone has or should have ambitions.
It just means we want to grow, we want to do better in life, be a better (version of ourselves) or even maybe the best version of ourselves.
And when we get better at life – we benefit the ones that surround us (if they are not jealous bitter people).
Being ambitious means wanting to succeed at something that has value for us.
It might be to go visit the Grand Canyon, wanting to become a legendary pop star like Elvis Presley, or a great inventor…
What can be wrong with that, if it’s not harming anyone (except for the bitter and jealous, that will be more bitter and envious, but why should we care about them anyway)?
Nothing wrong with ambition. Our ambitions are suite tailored: as big as we are able to dream. As achievable as we’re willing to work for them.
No dream is too big. Like the other one would say:
"If your dream doesn´t scare you, it’s because is not big enough."
Kristine K. Stevens,
Even if you don’t achieve that specific goal: you’ll walk a lot further pursuing a gigantic dream than if you’d had any.
2. About your (possible) greed
There’s a thin line that separates ambition from greed. But is not just that.
The main difference is in what drives us. It's your why. And what we are willing to do.
What feeds that willingness to pursue some goal?
May it be material, may it be universal glory, or might be an outstanding relationship (I guess everyone wants that).
But where exactly lies the difference?
If you are feeding your WHY: that is ambition
If you are feeding your Ego: that is greed
For the greedy nothing is ever enough to feel happy so he keeps on with the “bring-it-on” kind of
Where do your ambition and your greed meet each other, if they ever meet or even mesh?
3. Where your ambition and greed meet each other…
When you lose track you why and the only reason you want to pursue something is to compete with others and just feel better than….: And that, my fellow: is greed.
That is no longer your ambition because is not backed up by your Why personal reason to live: but it merely becomes a competition with someone – that might even be a stranger.
We’ve talked before in a previous blog about competition – nothing wrong as long as it takes place in the right forums, with defined rules.
But let’s face it when your ambition takes us to an addiction, where nothing else matters: resonates some much with greed that we can hardly distinguish one from the other.
Simple examples? Let’s bring it on:
- To covet another person’s partner when you already have your own: that’s greed.
A person is a world: in how many worlds will it be possible to inhabit at the same time? If we are in one place, we have to be absent in the other. Physically or mentally.
- A person can have the ambition to have a car collection. But if he/she buys cars just to compete with some rival just because (s) he’s wealthy, and can and want to compete: that’s greed.
If you’re willing to do anything just to soothe your ego - that insatiable monster that put you in the continuous feeling of “Bring it on” and is never really satisfied with anything: that is not ambition anymore. That’s greed.
If whatever drives you is your ego (greed case in this case) it will help you achieve whatever you want to achieve, but very easily becomes an addiction.
You override your values, you lose sight of your why and you sacrifice other areas (and people) in your life to a point that when you want to celebrate: the ones that matter aren’t there with you.
The ones who are there with you are the opportunists and scavengers.
And the win will feel like a premature ejaculation: too fast, too unsatisfying.
Greed will make lose balance.
And balance is what helps you get that overall well-being.
We have to ask ourselves:
- Can we enjoy and celebrate our wins without health?
- Can we enjoy and celebrate our wins without feeling love in our lives (self-love and love from others)?
- Can we enjoy and celebrate our wins if down inside we feel like impostors to the point we lose self-respect and can’t face the mirror when we are by ourselves and no one is watching?
Because those are the areas we all need to feel some level of fulfillment to experience overall well-being and abundance.
So: How do we keep it together?
4. Keep it together
It’s up to us whether we make it through being ambitious or being greedy. In order to keep it together in any decision-making we have to ask:
· Why am I doing this?
· What means will I use to do it?
And be sure to respect your core values. That’s super-hiper important. You don’t want to feel like you are betraying yourself, do you?
These have been said often: core values may need some adjusting at some point of life. But that doesn’t happen in one day and you have to be conscious of why you may change a core value, from ranking 1 to ranking 4, 6, or inexisting. You have to be clear about why you are changing.
As to being ambitious: ambition normally benefits the pursuer, because he/she is soul-driven by it: it’s fulfilling.
And along the pathway and when that goal is achieved, is beneficial to the people that are connected to you. It’s a win-win proposition.
Greed? Is selfish and shallow and beneath the greed mindset there’s a residual of the poor mentality of what exists is not enough for everybody: so people have to take from others in order to have for themselves.
There’s no balance in the give and take, there is not that balance of the win-win: only one that wins and the other that loses or both take a loss.
What help you keep it together? Your intention behind, your intention matters.
Keep in mind that whatever energy you put out in the universe will find its way home: it will be returned. Good or bad.
The mindful about your intentions.
So what is it gonna be for you? Ambition or greed?
It is your choice and it’s at a distance of a clear “Why“ and a mindful "How" you choose to do things to implement whatever you want to create.
Getting Better Every Day
Ambitious Hugs
From Body&Soul!
Hey! I'm Eunice Veloso and you'll find more about me on my About Page
"In nature, nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed"
Antoine Lavoisier, 1789
The Law of the Conservation of Mass
