Julius Caesar was part of my curriculum in high school. I still remember that quote in Act 3, scene 2-- Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. This phrase stuck with me for the rest of my life. Although this was said in a different context, but it kind of gave me the impression that Ambition is a boolean thing ( yes, the engineer in me)--either you have it or you do not. If you have it, you need to be stern and fight out all the odds in life to meet your goals. At the end of the journey, some would perceive you as a winner and some as a looser, depending on which side of the spectrum they are looking at. If you are not ambitious, almost always you will be considered a looser except for the few you gave 100% to.
As I grew up, I feared I would fall in one or the other bucket. I struggled with the right answer and could not find one. At different moments in life, I behaved one way or the other at different stages in life. I was extremely aggressive at times with what I wanted rarely caring about people I came across. On other instances, I was this sweet kid who enjoyed every moment in life and never took anything seriously related to career:) My results showed up accordingly.
It was not until I started b-school that I realized that ambition is something that cannot be rated. It is a truly "It depends" mba answer. So the next logical question was what does it depend upon and how should one choose the degree of ambition in life? Would it vary from one person to another? How do you maintain a balance so that you do not turn your back on the loved ones, yet maintain a great career path?
Will leave you with these questions that keep bothering me once in a while. I need to get my priorities straightened out but would love to hear what successful people have to say.
Welcome curiosity!
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