Why Some People Are More Ambitious Than Others

Why Some People Are More Ambitious Than Others

On average, ambitious people attain higher levels of education and income, build more prestigious careers, and report higher overall levels of life satisfaction
So what is ambition and what causes someone to be ambitious?

Ambition Defined
The persistent and generalized striving for success, attainment, and accomplishment.  Ambition usually involves goal setting.  Ambition can often be confused with aspirations, but it is important to see the difference between these two things.  Aspirations involve striving towards a specific goal; whereas ambition is a trait. Ambition is behavior that manifests itself over an extended period of time. When someone is ambitious they continuously create new goals for themselves and pursue these goals with intent.

Ambitious people attained higher levels of education, landed more prestigious jobs, and received higher incomes than non-ambitions people. Let us take a look at some more factors that cause someone to have an ambitious personality.

Why Some People Are Ambitious

Birth Order
The youngest child in the family is often compared to his older more skilled and proficient siblings. This can have one of two effects: either the youngest child withdraws and deems himself incapable, or he becomes very ambitious. The competition he experiences early on, with his siblings, elicits a drive in him that makes him want to do better than everyone else who competes with him when he grows up.

Ego-Driven Ambition
If a person has a big ego and is also equipped with bravery, they are likely to be ambitious. Their bravery will allow them to pursue grand goals, and their ego will give them the belief that they deserve a better life. This combination will result in extreme ambition.

Insecurity and Ambition
If an individual is insecure, he can become very ambitious. Insecurity puts a person under extreme psychological pressure, which can lead him to do one of two things: either he becomes extremely ambitious in an effort to change his life and put an end to his insecurities, or he withdraws and opts out of life. Most billionaires grew up in poverty and this created extreme financial insecurities.

Tough Comparisons and Ambition
If an individual finds himself in a situation where he is forced to compete with his peer, he may become very ambitious. For example, if a man who is fairly poor surrounds himself with rich friends, he may acquire the need to become very rich himself and as a result, he is driven to ambition.

The Desire to Be Worthy
The desire to prove to oneself that you are worthy can promote ambition. For example, some very successful people were adopted. An adopted child may want to prove to the world and to his biological parents that he is worthy, and this can lead to ambition.

Self Confidence
When an individual is confident in their abilities and they believe that they can reach their goals and get the things they want, they are likely to be ambitious.

The Desire to Prove Others Wrong
If an individual has experienced rejection, humiliation, and disapproval, they can be motivated to prove the people who made them feel these negative emotions wrong. An individual who has experienced many rejections may become ambitious to prove to those who rejected him that they were wrong.

Summation
Having healthy ambition is crucial:  People with a high degree of healthy ambition are those with the insight and strength to control the blind forces of ambition, shaping [it] so that it matches their interests and ideals. They harness it so that it fires them without also burning them or those around them.”

So if you are someone who would consider themselves ambitious, make sure that you shape your ambition into something that has a positive impact on you and on others around you.