Ambition: Thinking Big.
“We will learn that though we think big, we must act and live small in order to accomplish what we seek.”
This is an excerpt from the book Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. I love how the word think is italicized to highlight its importance. Let’s consult the dictionary, to define think (which in this sentence is used as a verb).
- have a particular opinion, belief, or idea about someone or something.
- direct one’s mind toward someone or something; use one’s mind actively to form connected ideas.
How I interpret this is synonymous with ambition. One has a vast array of great ideas about something or someone, and you’re actively directing your mind towards the idea. Although one may have great ambition, it’s important to realize ambition alone won’t get you where you want to be. But as James Clear emphasizes in Atomic Habits, it’s the direction that’s more important and the ability and willingness to act toward that direction of progression.
Remember, every improvement be it 1% is an accomplishment, now you may not know it’s impact or significance right away, but small things compelled over time make a big difference. If you keep track of the progress, you’ll see just how far an idea, or seed grows if only you put in the work.
The fruition or results will come, but only by taking the steps that are necessary, manageable, and not overly ambitious. Ambition is great — don’t get me wrong, but this kind of motivation can wane over time. That’s why the systems you have in place are important. That being said, I’ll leave you with a very important idea.
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” — Atomic Habits, James Clear
