Ambition: The Problem with Society's view

When does society's view of ambition does more harm than good? A society’s misrepresentation of what ambition is can lead to people overlooking what’s necessary to have a successful life. A Society built on Ambition can benefit from the motivation of an understanding of it, and also can be hindered by it.

The biggest problem with ambition in the view of this current society is people’s misunderstanding or selective understanding of what ambition is. Many times, when a person is asked about ambition it becomes a description of a lavish lifestyle that only a few people will ever achieve. There is more to ambition than having the most luxurious items.

When lavish ideas are being passed around, there is a lack of appreciation for the simple thing in life. The lack of interest in a simpler and achievable life is underappreciated, mainly because of how exciting luxurious lifestyles appear.

As there is more information being pumped into people’s minds about abundance, more people lose respect for a common and sustainable lifestyle. Trade schools are not considered as an option to many because of the lack of prestige which leads to people taking on large debt to attend a university.

Look Rich Rather Than Being Rich

In today’s society, the perception of following the path of ambition is more important than actually being an ambitious person. Instead of trying to obtain a comfortable living, people would rather fake it till they make it. In the short term, appearing to have a luxurious lifestyle will seem exciting, but eventually, the reality of sustaining such a lifestyle will be realized.

A Better Way

Instead of aligning with the rich and famous definition of ambition, align with the other definition of ambition, which is having a desire to achieve something. When you look at ambition in this way, the options become wider. You will also be able to reflect on what is important in your life. What are things you need, and what are the things you want but don’t need?

This will also allow you to appreciate the accomplishments of yourself and others. With this way of think, you will worry less about what others have because you already understand what you need to obtain and are less willing to allow distractions to disrupt your focus.

Ambition needs to be represented in a relatable way. The rich and fabulous life of high-profile individuals can be exciting but is not obtainable for most. The representation of getting what you need out of life instead of obtaining more than what you need should have a higher emphasis in society.

Because ambition in the mind of most people appears to be luxurious, people overlook simpler and modest lifestyles as valuable. Therefore, only a select few earned the title as ambitious in the mind of most people. Most people that choose to have a modest lifestyle are perceived as average, unfulfilled, uninteresting, and with plenty of undesirable labels, which is not true. To counter this way of thinking, then there needs to be better there needs to be representation and appreciation of sustainable and simple ways of life.