Ambition is a great thing to hide behind. Talking about what you’re going to do, when in reality you’re really never going to do it. It’s easy and fun to see yourself crossing the finish line in a marathon, holding up the hands of victory on the summit of a mountain, or any other number of personal accomplishments. And as the days click by, so do the months, then so do the years. And the curtain of ambition is never lowered.
My opinion is (and I’m no doctor or psychiatrist) it’s because the finish line doesn’t really matter. When you reach your goal, it typically only leads to another goal, and that typically leads to a cycle of “wanting” to accomplish these things without ever really focusing on what it takes to achieve them.
And it’s cliché to say, but it’s true… satisfaction (not happiness – I find happiness with my family….but the satisfaction vs. happiness debate is for another blog) comes from the journey. Who really cares about the destination? Why focus on the 1% and miss out on the 99% of what it takes to get there? Imagine hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with your eyes closed, only to open them on the canyon floor? Or a child walking through a Disney Park, eyes closed, only to open them as they enter the line of a ride. We’d miss the every second of joys that come before the point of arrival.
Scrap the talk and embrace the action. Scrap the mile and embrace the extra mile. Then scrap the finish line and embrace the road that leads you there.
Work hard in silence and let success be your noise.