Ambition — How Strong Is Yours?

How much ambition is good for you? Find out more…

Ambition – what is it?

Ambition is the effort to surpass others through one’s own achievements. In simple terms, it is the attempt to be better than others. Connected with this desire to surpass others is usually that one also wants to receive recognition for one’s achievements. That is, those others notice how great you are and, at best, tell you so. And admire you for how great you are.

How much ambition is good for me?

A healthy dose of ambition is very important because it makes us perform at all. Especially at school, ambition can be something like a motor for learning. Or ambition can give you a little courage when you’re talking to your flock.

Don’t overdo it

But you shouldn’t overdo it with ambition, because too much ambition makes you “unappealing”. Excessive ambition means that you devalue the achievements of others in order to present your own achievements in a better light. Ambitious people in particular tend to selfishly push themselves into the limelight without consideration for others.

Too much ambition also weakens your performance. If, for example, you want to get a “very good” grade on a test, it can easily happen that you will not do so well because of your strong desire. Because you are so busy thinking about that A that you can’t really concentrate on the schoolwork. Instead, set your sights on doing well.

TIP  — Test your ambition

• Do you set goals for yourself that are actually much too big and that you can’t achieve?
• Do you always have the feeling that you have to improve?
• Do you always want to be better than the others?
•  Are you never satisfied with your performance?

If you answer at least 2 of these questions with yes, then you should consider the following:

• Only set goals that you can easily achieve.
• Make sure that you take enough breaks so that you can recover from your efforts.
• Don’t let others put you under pressure. Be clear about what you can and cannot achieve.

For further help and support  — Speak with a licensed therapist today.