Why Ambition Is More Important Than Talent

One of the most inspiring lines in cinema
history had to be “My ambition far exceeds my
talents,” said by Johnny Depp’s character
George Chung. Ambition is the most important
tool to achieving success, overriding both
talent and resources by far.
An ambitious attitude can lead anyone to
triumph and satisfaction, regardless of what is
put in front of them. To have the will, the
dream and the courage to be on top of the
world will get you a lot farther in life than any
skill you can possibly possess.
Having talent means nothing if you have no
ambition behind it to work your ass of at any
given point of the day. Do you know how many
people are out there and are wastes of ability
and potential?
A lot more than the ones that have talent and
are actually successful. The majority of the
people that have attained elite status and
rewards were underdogs that had the ambition
to prove the world wrong rather than prove it
right and simply be a nobody.
Those that are fueled by ambition to work
hard and make the sacrifices necessary to
have the lives they dreamed of will almost
always come out on top. They love the
determined, passionate person they are
striving to become and the feeling their work
gives them, so they find no reason to quit or
not believe in themselves. Ambition separates
the man on the subway from the man flying in
a private jet.
Men rise from one ambition to another:
first, they seek to secure themselves
against attack, and then they attack
others. – Niccolo Machiavelli
Humanity would not have thrived as a
civilization had it not been for our natural
ambition to survive in triumphant fashion.
Ambition is what gives us a purpose in life and
allows us to fight for what we believe in.
Society looks at heavy ambition as a bad thing
because most mistake this characteristic for
greed or an addiction to power, but this is not
the case at all. It is just the desire to escape
mediocrity. The reason why people hate greed
and power is because they are too afraid to
see where their own ambition can take them.
Ambitious people understand that there are no
short cuts and it is only their persistence that
will get them what they want. They put it all
on the line, not letting any instance of drive go
ignored because they know this is what they
must use to make sure most of their time is
dedicated to getting closer and closer to their
dream.
”Nothing can stop the man with the right
mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man with
the wrong mental attitude.” Thomas
Jefferson
Your ambition and you
Logically speaking, you have to set your goals
on something before you go ahead and
achieve them. Imagine your life as a race, and
that winning is equivalent to achieving
success. If at the starting point you do not
have the mindset to win the race, it is obvious
that you will not give it your best and yield
when everything seems all but lost.
Compare that to someone who is ambitious
and has a strong motivation to win. His
chances of winning are so much greater
simply because he will do whatever he can to
surpass his own limits, never quitting and
always thinking of different ways to win.
Ambition is what leads to success in
your respective industry, but success isn’t
dreaming of what you are going to spend you
money on or how much you think you are
going to party once you attain. Success is
found in a life lived not dreamed, one that is
propelled by action not a desire to act, a life
filled with fears faced, limits pushed, and
relationships cultivated. A successful life is
one filled with experience and action, not
wishes.
You and your ambition need to be one with
each other. You must understand each other
and be on the same page so that you can
fight the battle together and not torn in
separate directions. Your ambition demands a
lot from you, more than you have ever
imagined so being prepared for it puts you in a
better position of succeeding.
Your ambition wants you to dedicate your life
to hard work, perfecting your craft, sleepless
nights and sacrifice for the sake of having the
life you wish to attain. A good friend of mine
once gave up sex for a year and a half
because he wanted no distractions. Another
friend gave up drinking for a whole year
because he was in the middle of building his
business. They did this because their ambition
was stronger than their need to have a good
time.
Your ambition and your future?
In the next 10 years, what are you willing to
give up to accomplish it? How many hours a
day, how many days a week, how many
missed vacations missed and unattended
parties are you willing to give? Where do you
see yourself?
After you have answered those questions,
remember your answers and write them down.
How your ambition relates to these goals will
determine your future. Having just the simple
thought of being rich won’t get you there. The
simple thought of working harder than
everyone else you know, however, will.
Living in your ambition today
To accomplish your long term goals you must
want to be successful as much as you want
to breathe. The last thing you need to be right
now is lazy. This isn’t the time to not check
your emails after 5 or worry about where
you’re going to party this weekend. Your
ambition will only take you as far as the
changes you make in your life every day.
There will be highs and there will be lows but
this is what you signed up for by aligning
yourself with your ambition. Within the journey
lies the lessons, the personal development,
the suffering, the fun, and the growth; the
reason we will see this struggle, hustle, and
battle as a blessing.
Embrace your passion. Follow your dream. Let
your ambition fuel you to be the best. Prove
the world wrong. Never ever settle for
mediocrity. Be elite.
“Ambition, I have come to believe, is the
most primal and sacred fundamental of
our being. To feel ambition and to act
upon it is to embrace the unique calling
of our souls. Not to act upon that
ambition is to turn our backs on
ourselves and the reason for our
existence.” ~ Steven Pressfield, Turning
Pro
Preston Waters | Elite.