True Ambition vs. Perceived Ambition

Think about ambition and what it means to be ambitious. Are you ambitious in reaching your full potential in your career? How about your school? Or even your personal relationships? Be honest with yourself when trying to decide if you are ambitious or if you are trying to present the perception of ambition to everyone else (however convincingly it may be). This can be a very difficult thing to admit if you have been skating by with the perception of ambition for a long time, but it can truly impact the possibility of achieving your goals if you are not honest with yourself. Here is an example…

I played competitive basketball from the age of 9 until I was 34, with an end result of having played some basketball overseas briefly, also some with the AND1 players doing exhibition games for a few years, and finally landing in the ABA playing for the Savannah Storm for a season before I decided to move into photography as my career. It was only years after that transition that I realized that I wasn’t being honest with myself the whole time I was chasing that dream to play professional basketball. Let me explain…

I was playing basketball 3, 4, 5, shoot, sometime 6-8 hours a day when I was training to get on a professional basketball team. I made phone calls to coaches and managers and sent out highlight reels and my basketball “resume” to everyone who would listen, but all of this was me trying to sell the perception of ambition to everyone around me. Even successfully convincing myself that I was being ambitious in chasing that dream.

Well, during that time when I was playing 8 hours a day of basketball, it was me going to the local court and playing pick-up ball with whoever was there, including grade school age kids if necessary just to be on the court. Sometimes I would lift weights or play in a summer basketball league with anyone who would play. While I was doing that, Kobe Bryant (who I played in one game against) was putting up thousands of jumpshots, doing solo defensive drills, running sprints, lifting weights and more to become who he ended up being. I, on the other hand, had a semi-successful run at my goal, but it was never truly realized.

Yes, some people are given better opportunities than others, BUT more likely than not, the person that gets the job, has a successful marriage, wins the award, etc. is the person that is really putting in the effort and truly being ambitious in the pursuit of their goals and dreams.

So think about it. Be honest with yourself. Are you being ambitious in the pursuit of your goals, maximizing your potential with every move you make, or are you trying to sell the perception of ambition to those around you with the hopes that someone will believe what you are selling? If you are truly ambitious, you will create the opportunities that you are looking for to be successful.