I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't have ambition.
As a young man, it drove me to fill a gap that said I wasn't enough. Whether it was sport, academics, or business, I was always driven to be the very best.
But it also created a world for me where nothing was ever good enough, where the answer to "How much do you want?" was always "More." That’s a pretty hollow place to live.
In my forties, I learned the power of acceptance - the beauty of having gratitude for what is. This gave me a lot more peace and joy.
Ambition was still there; however, it was more targeted. Not everything had to be changed and improved.
In the last year, faith has been added to the mix.
Now, everything is all part of a bigger plan.
When I hear the voice of ambition, I ask myself, "Is this ambition in service of that bigger plan, or is it just that old pattern wanting ‘more’?"
When I apply acceptance, I ask myself, "Should I accept this situation as part of the bigger plan, or is this me overusing a tool, and this actually needs to change?"
To me, growth doesn't mean using the same tool better. It means adding new tools that drive a step change.