Ambition vs. Acceptance

Acceptance is at war with ambition.

Acceptance as in: acknowledging that you have enough, you do enough, you are enough.

Ambition as in: striving for more.

In America, we are a society of individualist goals and dreams, and that’s a marvelous thing that has driven innovation and culture forward, but where do we draw the finish line on perpetual consumption and growth? It’s almost like our very lives are a capitalist economy. We’re advised to market ourselves to take on more work, to make more money, to acquire more things, but to what end? “Growth!” some would argue. But to that, I think, for the sake of what? Does the sum of your ambitions even equal a happy life? If you achieved them, would you feel fulfilled, or will you have filled every corner of your existence with busyness until there’s no room for being? No room for bonding. If you achieved all your goals would you still be able to show up for your friends and family? It might not make you more money, but investing in relationships has the greatest ROI. No one will remember your best quarter, but they’ll remember when you showed up, when you paid attention, and when you were fully present. 

I see people building a castle they never get to enjoy. They become a slave tending to its lush gardens and wings and instead of a kingdom, it becomes a prison. 

My greatest ambition today is to make my inner world my kingdom. The challenge is finding a balance between ambition and acceptance. It’s finding the wisdom to determine between more and enough. It’s working towards my goals, without ever prioritizing them before being a good friend, daughter, sister, partner, or kind, unhurried stranger.