A Big Ambition and a Grateful Condition
There’s a tension most ambitious people eventually feel.
You’re grateful for what you have.
But you still want more.
You appreciate the business you’ve built, but you can see what it could become.
You’re thankful for the life you’re living, but you have goals you haven’t reached.
You’re proud of how far you’ve come, but you know you’re not finished.
Sometimes we treat those two feelings like they’re in conflict.
They aren’t.
You can be grateful for today and excited about tomorrow.
In fact, learning to do both may be one of the keys to living a truly rich life.
The Gap Is Always Moving
There will always be a gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Think back to an earlier season of your life.
There were probably things you desperately wanted then that are completely normal parts of your life today.
The income.
The career.
The house.
The family.
The opportunity.
You reached something you once thought would make you feel like you had arrived.
And then what happened?
The gap moved.
You started imagining something else.
That doesn’t automatically mean you’re dissatisfied. It means you’re still growing.
The goal isn't to eliminate the gap.
It's learning how to live well inside of it.
Ambition Isn't the Enemy of Contentment
We sometimes confuse contentment with settling.
If I'm truly grateful, shouldn't I be satisfied with what I have?
Shouldn't I stop wanting more?
Not necessarily.
Contentment has nothing to do with the absence of ambition.
You can appreciate your current life while working toward a better future.
You can celebrate what you've accomplished while pursuing another goal.
You can love where you are without deciding to stay there forever.
A bigger future gives us energy.
It gives us a reason to make difficult decisions today.
It helps us say no to what we can have immediately because we know what we want ultimately.
Ambition can be a very good thing.
But ambition by itself has a cost.
Don't Become So Focused on Tomorrow That You Miss Today
Driven people are particularly vulnerable to this.
We reach one goal and immediately move to the next.
We solve one problem and start thinking about another.
We accomplish something we worked toward for years, celebrate for about five minutes, and then ask:
What's next?
Eventually, you can become so focused on building a great future that you forget to experience the life you've already built.
That's why ambition needs gratitude.
Take a moment to look around.
Some of what surrounds you today was once part of the future you were working so hard to create.
Don't become so consumed with what's missing that you stop noticing what's here.
You Need Both
A rich life requires two things:
A big ambition and a grateful condition.
Your ambition keeps you moving.
Your gratitude keeps you grounded.
Ambition reminds you that there is more you can become.
Gratitude reminds you that there is already so much worth appreciating.
One without the other creates problems.
Gratitude without ambition can become complacency.
Ambition without gratitude can become a never-ending pursuit of enough.
But together, they allow you to pursue something meaningful without postponing happiness until you arrive.
Enjoy the Life You're Building
Keep setting goals.
Keep dreaming.
Keep imagining what your business, relationships, health, finances, and life could look like a few years from now.
Let that vision pull you forward.
But every once in a while, look backward too.
Remember where you started.
Remember the things you once hoped for.
Remember the obstacles you've already overcome.
And recognize how much of the life you once wanted you're already living.
The Takeaway
The gap between where you are and where you want to be probably isn't going away.
When you reach the next goal, it'll move again.
That's okay.
You don't have to choose between appreciating your life and improving it.
Have a big ambition.
Maintain a grateful condition.
Work toward the future you believe is possible without missing the life that's happening right now.
