Subject: Ambition
Location: Orlando, Florida
Reading time: 5 minutes
“Ambition is a dream with a v8 engine.” — Elvis Presley
People with ambition change the world.
They have grand visions and they work to make it into reality. They are the ‘big thinkers’ and consistently choose intense growth in the pursuit of mastery.
They do not let the Enemy dictate their reality. They channel bold action and a fearless attitude to make the impossible, possible.
Steven Pressfield in his book 'Going Pro' wrote this about ambition:
"Ambition, I have come to believe, is the most primal and sacred fundament of our being. To feel ambition and to act upon it is to embrace the unique calling of our souls. Not the act upon that ambition is to turn our backs on ourselves and on the reason for our existence."
Don't turn your back on yourself. Read the following and apply it.
Here are the crucial elements that ambitious people hold dear to their heart:
1. Commitment
Nothing great on this earth was done without commitment. When you commit to a course of action it means you are all in. 100% of your mind, body and soul are into this.
A 100% commitment is a hand-shake with your self. I commit to doing ‘this’ with complete dedication.
Ambitious people commit to being committed.
2. People with ambition understand that no-one is coming
Nathaniel Branden, author of the six pillars of self-esteem had this incredible quote in his office.
“No-one is coming”
Man, when I read that I put the book down and got to work immediately.
Listen up. If you think for one second that someone is coming to take care of you, you are deluding yourself.
No-one is coming. If you want something go and make it a reality.
3. They love the hard work
They don’t work in order to pay for vacation. They love the hard work. They love the hours. They love the hustle. They love the process. They honor the struggle.
Ambitious people have a fantastic relationship with work.
Exercise: write down the first five words you think of when you hear ‘work’.
For most people it’s some of the following:
Hard / Difficult / Draining / Money / Disgust
If you’re associations to work are not all positive like the following:
Money / Love / Creation / Enjoyment / Opportunity
Then change it. You cannot fall in love with work if you have negative associations to it. Convince yourself that work is exciting, and soon it will be.
4. They sleep to recharge
Ambitious people sleep to recharge NOT to escape. They don’t take 3 hour naps. They don’t attempt to squirrel away their energy to save some for later.
They work. They enjoy said work. They recharge in order to get back to work.
If they didn’t need to sleep, they wouldn’t.
5. People with ambition wake up early
Listen. You can convince yourself whatever the fuck you want. Maybe you think that waking up at 11am is better for ‘creativity’.
The truth: you can’t fuck with nature.
Nature has circadian rhythms. Align yourself with them.
Ambitious people wake up early because it allows them more time to create.
Waking up at 4:30am is absolutely life-changing.
6. Understand the cost, and they pay it
If you want to create at the highest levels there is a cost.
Staying in, going to sleep earlier, working long hours.
Ambitious people understand the cost of achieving their dreams and pay it. Willingly.
7. Enjoy competition
Ambitious people love to win. They compete with themselves and others. The intention behind the competition is for improvement.
Would Usain Bolt be the greatest runner without the Olympics?
8. People with ambition surround themselves with other ambitious people
“Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.” — Mark Twain
When you are surrounded by people also creating at the highest levels, you will too.
Inspire others to dream big and never belittle someone's ambitions. Cheer them on and by doing so you are letting the universe know “I want more of this in my life”.
9. Ambitious people don’t wait for the perfect moment
If you are waiting for the perfect moment, you already missed it.
Take action. Create your reality. Sometimes it’s better to be patient as a strategy but overall your dreams don’t wait you.
10. People with ambition are confident
They are confident in their skills. They are confident in their attitude, skill and mindset.
They are confident in the fact that they can do anything they set their mind to.
Complete self-belief is crucial for the person that’s climbing up a mountain. An utter deep core understanding that they will not quit no matter what.
11. Ambitious people aren’t realistic
Why oh why have both feet planted on the ground when you can fly in the sky?
If you really want to create and have a major impact then what’s the point of being realistic? Is Elon Musk realistic when he said he wanted to occupy Mars? No.
Being realistic is boring.
12. Ambitious people have an impossible goal
“The great danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” — Michelangelo
I love impossible goals. It’s one of the first things I do as a coach for my clients.
We create an impossible goal and determine the type of person you have to be in order to create it.
It’s not about achieving the goal as much as the actions you take if you are pursuing it. When you have an impossible goal i.e. land and inhabit Mars it changes the way you think and the actions you take.
If you want to know how ambitious feels like do this exercise in order:
- Get clear on your impossible goal to accomplish in the next 25 years
- Now if you absolutely HAD to achieve this goal in the next 90 days or else your right hand was cut off what would you do?
13. Ambitious people don’t let feelings bog them down
You will not hear an ambitious person say any variation of “I don’t feel like doing it.”
The Enemy might invade your reality with negative emotions and feelings. However, the ambitious person understands that feelings come and go, but the commitment stays strong.
14. Ambitious people don’t rest on their laurels
They are aligned with the force of forward motion.
They move forward at all costs. Yes they celebrate the victory and the wins but quickly step back on their path.
It’s the process. It’s that journey. It’s the road. It’s the hours of work that is the real enjoyment and not the outcome or result along the way.
15. They move and respond fast
They respond to that email, that message, that opportunity fast.
Quick decisions. Moving forward. Forward Motion. This is how the ambitious person operates.
They don’t fall prey to the Zeigarnik Effect: We remember better that which is unfinished or incomplete.
16. Curiosity as a way of life
Curiosity about problems, about business, about work, about creativity, about whatever they are passionate about.
It’s this curiosity that fuels their progress and mastery of the task at hand.
17. People with ambition rarely talk about their impossible goal
Most people actually shoot themselves in the foot when they talk about their goals.
We receive a hit of dopamine when we mention our goals which actually dissuades us from pursuing it.
From now on: if you do announce your goal to someone, there is no enjoyment in it. It is ruthless and emotionless.
Attitude: This is happening. I'm creating this reality. No smile at all.
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