Seven A’s of Accomplishment: Ambition

In an earlier post, I identified and briefly described the “Seven A’s of Accomplishment”:

• Ambition
• Attitude
• Aptitude
• Approach
• Action
• Absorption
• Adaptiveness

In my next seven posts, I will expand upon each of the seven factors in more detail.   The first factor I will expand upon is Ambition.  There are four questions I will attempt to answer in order to give a better understanding of the term:

1. What is Ambition?
2. Where does Ambition come from?
3. How does Ambition work?
4. How can you get some or more Ambition?

What is Ambition?

As a society, we have given the term a “negative” connotation.  We tend to use it to refer to individuals who will do anything to move forward or to get ahead.  This awareness made me reflect upon whether or not to use the term.  However, since I wanted to stick with the “As” theme, I chose to use it and explain what I mean by it instead.

When you look Ambition up on the web, there are several definitions one can use.  The one I’ve chosen that best applies in the context of my post defines Ambition as “desire to achieve a particular end”.   In my thinking process I define it more as “aspiration” than “pretention” when choosing from several of its available synonyms.

You need a strong desire in order to accomplish something.  The stronger your desire, the more likely it is that you will accomplish your end!  Ambition gives us energy to act and do what needs to be done in order to get what we want.

Where does Ambition come from?

As I said earlier, ambition gives us energy.  The question is: what energizes Ambition?  What is its source?  My response to that is “meanings”.  The meaning we give things provides the “source” of ambition.  How meaningful something is to you determines the amount of energy it produces to compel you to action and to sustain you through the accomplishment process steps and all related efforts, challenges, “dips”, bumps, disappointments, obstacles, etc. encountered in the process.  Someone once said “where there’s a will, there’s an A”.

The question is what is behind that “will”?  What is energizing the person to make the BIG effort to get the “A” or win the “Gold Medal”?  Most likely, it is something meaningful to them or something highly important such as a commitment they’ve made to themselves or to others who are important to them.  The key is that it is meaningful at a very high or “meta” level of meaning to the person.  Ask the right questions to someone who has accomplished significant feats and uncover the meanings that led them to such accomplishments.

How does Ambition work?

Humans are meaning makers.  We are “wired” to make and give meaning to everything.   What things mean to us determine our attitudes towards things and many of the actions we take.  The way it works is that we see, hear, and feel through our senses.  Then we process that “information” in our minds through several natural mental processes including our values and belief systems.  That is where the meanings emanate from.  That is the process that produces the emotions (emotional energy) which compel us to act depending on the level and polarity of the energy.  This is actually a very primitive function designed to help animals and humans to survive.  It is one of our most basic capacities known as the “fight, flight or freeze” system.

How can you get some or more Ambition?

Developing or increasing ambition is a lot simpler than you may think.  However, the hard part is finding the “leverage points” in your or someone’s meaning-making system. The key lies in identifying those things that truly matter most to you or others and then carefully harnessing the full energy potential that lies within.  Therein lies the best “source” for some or more Ambition.

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO