Ambition and the power of the mind

Throughout history men of vision, who have achieved extraordinary success in their own special fields, have all believed implicitly that no energy on earth could be compared with the power of the human mind.

They were convinced that the mind was capable of generating forces so dynamic that man had the potential to overcome all physical obstacles. There was absolutely nothing that could not be accomplished.

How ambitious are you?

Your ambition could be directed towards a great variety of different goals – sport, the world of finance, literature, politics, the academic world – or any one of a number of different objectives. But irrespective of what your own personal goals happen to be, the question is just as relevant. It requires careful thought before you answer.

Let us presume that your objective at the moment is to become very wealthy. This is an ambitious and perfectly reasonable goal. But how wealthy you will eventually become depends on one important factor. It will depend on the degree of your ambition.

How important is it to you to become wealthy? How badly do you want to become really rich?

If you interpret “want” as a “hopeful desire”, or “longing for”, the amount of wealth you are likely to accumulate will probably be limited. However, if you have a burning ambition; a definite craving; an obsessive need to become wealthy the chances of you reaching this goal are exceptionally good.

For any objective to be reached there are a number of very significant requirements. But by far the most important is an obsessive need to reach your goal. This applies to everything you set out to achieve.

What is an obsession? It is an emotion so compulsive and compelling it is constantly in your mind. It focuses you attention on a clearly defined goal to the exclusion of everything else. A remarkable feature of an obsessive state is that the emotions generated are so powerful your brain is forced to draw on inner resources to satisfy your compulsion. As a result you will find that you are able to devise unusually creative strategies that help you overcome all obstacles and enable you to reach your goal

What is ambition?

The dictionary describes it as “a determination to achieve success in a chosen field”.
Ambition is a most desirable and commendable quality. It should be fostered and encouraged. There should be no limit to the extent of your ambition. Quite apart from the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment one experiences in finally reaching one’s objective, the journey itself is always an exciting adventure. Ambition is a passionate quest that gives life meaning and a sense of purpose.

The poet Henry Longfellow described ambition beautifully in his inspiring poem:
“A Psalm of life” when he wrote:

“Lives of great men all remind usn We can make our lives sublime
And, in passing leave behind usn Footprints in the sands of time”.

There is no question that the examples set by men who have distinguished themselves in various fields serve as sources of inspiration to all of us. Longfellow himself was motivated by a very powerful impulse to distinguish himself and receive acclaim as an important writer.

His father had plans for him to become a lawyer, but the young Longfellow, in defiance of his father’s wishes, was determined to fulfill his need for recognition by the power of his writing. In a letter to his father from college advising him of his plans to abandon his legal studies, he wrote: “I most eagerly desire after future eminence in literature”.

The word “eagerly” provides us with a clue as to the extent of Longfellow’s burning desire to become a writer. Longfellow pursued his ambition with tremendous enthusiasm and passion. It was this intense craving for “future eminence in literature” that motivated him throughout his successful career.

Passion.n n The single most important emotion that is a prerequisite for success in any field is undoubtedly passion. Passion is more than mere enthusiasm. It incorporates feelings so intense that all actions are focused and directed towards the achievement of a goal.

Pavlov, the renowned Russian physiologist, who won the Nobel prize for medicine and whose research on brain functions culminated in his discovery of the “conditioned reflex”, drew attention to the need for passion in all scientific investigations. In an inspirational message to young students he wrote: “Remember that Science demands passion from a man all his life. Be passionate in your work and your searchings...”

Motivation.

The desire to achieve recognition and eminence in one’s life is a natural human characteristic. The extent to which people are motivated to distinguish themselves and to stand out from the crowd, depends on a number of different factors.

Many of those who have achieved greatness and “left their footprints in the sands of time” were motivated by the very humble circumstances in which they were born; by their passionate desire to rise above their unhappy early surroundings. Many men who acquired great wealth were motivated by the poverty they were forced to endure as children.

But this is not necessarily true in every case. There are many examples of men who inherited fortunes but, motivated by a desire to surpass the achievements of their parents, accumulated even greater fortunes. The competitive spirit is present in varying degrees in most people.

Although stories of people who have achieved greatness by overcoming difficult circumstances are inspirational, it is clear that motivation can spring from a great variety of different factors. Motivation is a very complex human emotion. Psychologists draw attention of the need of everyone from early childhood for acceptance, approval and acclaim.

Longfellow makes an interesting choice in using the word “sublime” in referring to the state of immortality to which one should aspire. Frequently the driving ambition to reach a certain goal is the results of the psychological state of “sublimation”.

Certain forms of substitution are involved in the process of sublimation. It involves the diverting of a primitive instinctual drive into a more noble, exalted or culturally higher activity. The need to prove oneself and in effect show evidence of superiority is often the result of this process of sublimatio

Psychologists also draw attention to the fundamental principle of psychodynamics involved in the process of rationalization. All human beings are motivated by a number of conflicting motives. “Motivation” itself is used as a fairly broad description to explain why people behave as they do. Motivation itself energizes behavior; arouses an organism and causes it to act. It provides the energy by stimulating the need for action.

The most important lesson one can learn from studying the lives of men and women who achieved distinction in their particular fields, is to be very clear in your own mind what your goals and objectives in life are. Once you have a clear vision of what these are, and direct your energies towards the achievement of these goals with passion, there is nothing that will prevent you from achieving them.