Ambition is like a driving force in a chemical reaction, without it you cannot achieve any useful products. Throughout history, ambition has lead to the establishment of vast empires, the invention of innovative new technologies, and the discovery of new lands. However, the over ambition of some people has resulted in violence, death, and worse. As the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said, “A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions”. Therefore, it is best to follow realistic aspirations that will bear no negative consequences if they cannot be achieved.
The modern world as we know it and all of the technology that we have has come as a result of ambition. Ambition is good because it serves as a source of motivation and inspiration which can help people to follow their dreams. Additionally, it gives people’s lives meaning and can even define someone’s life. Steve Jobs perfectly exemplifies how ambition defined his life and his success. Due to his passion for innovating, Apple was turned from a garage company to a multibillion dollar conglomerate that produces some of the best technology in the world over the span of a couple decades. The American Revolutionary War is another perfect example of how ambition can have positive effects. If not for the bravery and ambitiousness of the George Washington and the revolutionaries, one of the greatest nations in history, the United States of America, would not have been created. Instead, we would still be drinking tea, eating crumpets, and asking God to save the Queen. Consequently, embracing ambition is imperative to unlocking our success and full potential.
Ambition can become bad when the person loses perspective on what they set out to accomplish. As Niccolo Machiavelli said, “Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.“ For example, Alexander the Great, even though his soldiers were extremely tired from campaigning for months, he kept trying to conquer new lands and his soldiers eventually revolted. In this case, Alexander the Great’s initial ambition of expanding his empire propagated into greed which eventually led to his downfall. Another example of a person losing perspective on their aspirations is with the notorious drug kingpin, Pablo Escobar. At one point, Escobar was making billions of dollars a year and law enforcement was letting happen. However, Escobar became too ambitious and tried to gain a position in the government which put him on the radar of many people and ultimately lead to his demise. The mistakes of both of these men could have been avoided if they had known their known their limits and been more realistic with their aspirations.
Although ambition has lead to the demise of many successful people, it has lead to the rise of many more people, it serves a defining role in lives, and it inspires people to improve themselves every day. Without ambition, the world would look vastly different and I probably would not even be on Steemit. As long as people are realistic with they want to accomplish and do not become jaded, ambition can serve as a powerful tool that propels people forward in their daily life.