The Ambition Paradox
“I would rather die of passion than of boredom”
The problem with ambition is that it keeps getting bigger.
When you set your aim and intentions high, what do you do once you get there?
You can't sit back and rest on your accomplishments, of course. There's an insatiable need for more.
More progress.
Is this a good thing or is it bad?
It really depends on why you're still driving.
If you've got yourself locked into a spiral of the hedonic treadmill, you're not in control by making progress, you're driving yourself further and further over the edge that you'll one day crash and burn on.
But maybe your ambition is driven by flow. You want more because your meaning comes from what you're pushing yourself to do. Time stands still because you are in your zone. Can we really blame anyone for wanting more of that?
Icarus wanted to fly higher than anyone else and he got burnt. Should we tell this as a cautionary tale though or as one of commitment to a cause?
We all get old, sick, tired, and die but how many of us really live to our fullest potential?