Are you ambitious enough?  Have you been told that you are?  Are you proud of it?  You should be!  Being determined isn’t a bad thing.  It’s a handy prerequisite for achieving success.  Read my blog post to see how being ambitious is praiseworthy.

Here are 10 reasons for it:

1. Not selfish

Being ambitious is neither selfish nor shameful in itself.  It doesn’t have to lead to dishonesty.  Combined with values, integrity, and hard work, you deserve accomplishments.  It’s a required quality that boosts and supports your success.  Those who aim at achieving great things, set life goals, or aim at any other important achievement, benefit from it. 

Whatever your background, age, or gender, be proud of being ambitious.  It’s an admirable trait, as it supports so many invaluable things in life…

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2. Know your life purpose

With ambition, you acknowledge your true raison d’être.  You know and focus on your life purpose.  You choose to work on achieving something that you support naturally.  You don’t need to be threatened or punished to perform and give results.  You rather work on things because you genuinely believe in them.

3. Stay motivated

When you’re determined, you have a natural burning desire and passion to put the effort needed into your project or task.  Doing something meaningful is essential.  Many people don’t go till the end of what they undertake, only because the idea wasn’t theirs and they lack passion for it.

Determination and motivation go hand in hand.  If you’re not motivated in your work, you won’t feel like doing it sooner or later.  Self-motivation is more likely to happen when you’re already ambitious about your project, to start with. 

4. Persevere

Enthusiastic people don’t give up. They persist till the end and achieve what they set out for. They also take measures to evaluate their goals to make sure that they’re still relevant. If needed, they make changes to their set goals. Perseverance is often said to be the key to success.  Those who keep going are often the ones who win, while others give up too early… I’m sure that you’ve heard it before.

5. Have a vision

Knowing what you want to go for, you have a clear and well-defined vision.  It may be formally written down or just in your thoughts, but, you have nailed down what you want.  A vision is just a dream unless you work on making it come true.

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6. Set goals

Being ambitious, you duly value your desired life and success goals.  Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bounded (SMART) goals. Achieve them through an action plan.  

I set formal goals for businesses that I run from home and also for my blog.  I have personal life goals as well, which I track through journaling.  These exercises help me stay on track and improve, keeping in mind my vision and shorter-term milestones.

7. Network meaningfully

Networking is an important part of building your contacts.  You may be a business person, a career professional, or a student… everyone could benefit from having a meaningful network of like-minded people.  While for many people networking may be a chore, those who are zealous about their purpose recognize how vital it is.  

8. Self-confidence

Ambition fosters self-confidence.  When you’re zealous, you make efforts to go out of your comfort zone.  This is a great advantage, as you can then take on new challenges, that you’d otherwise not go for.

9. Ongoing learning 

With enthusiasm, you’re hungry for more and more learning.  That’s because you’re not merely working on a boring task, but you’re so interested, that you want to keep learning and developing new skills.  Self-improvement is a lifelong and ongoing process.

10. Achieve true success

Those who are goal-oriented and full of determination are ahead of others who aren’t.  Success doesn’t come easily.  You need much dedication in what you undertake.  Success, however you define it for yourself, is worth working for when you’re ambitious.  

You’re likely to set goals in different spheres of your life… family, wellness, career, finance, and spirituality are some examples.  Success means different things to different people.  However, determination boosts your accomplishments, whichever priorities you choose to have.

Conclusion

To sum up, being ambitious is a wonderful trait.  It’s not selfish when coupled with values, but harnesses your passion for success.  Would you like to share your experience in the comments below?  If you know someone who needs to read my blog post, please share it.  Thank you!!

Achieving Personal and Professional Success

Editor’s Note: This blog post has been edited and updated for better accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Resources:

SMART criteria

Goal setting

22 thoughts on “10 reasons to be ambitious in life

  1. I have, for the majority of my adult life, known my life’s purpose. This has enabled me to be constant in my desire to achieve success in this field. I have also had a few constants/loves in my personal life such as things that keep me physically, mentally and emotionally inspired. Your suggestions all lead to having a successful life. Well done to you as always!

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  2. I love all the points that you’ve made here – especially ongoing learning. I fell into a rut a few years ago and didn’t really start climbing out of it until I went back to school. It reminded me of the joy that comes with learning (as well as how it helps me to become a better person). Since that time, I am constantly picking up courses and learning opportunities whenever they present themselves.

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