Ambition is defined as a strong desire to achieve a particular outcome. When I was a pint-sized kid, my mom said, "Jay, when you’re older, you must learn to achieve greatness. You will do miraculous things and conquer many opponents. Through ambition you can do whatever you want." When my mom made that comment, it made me question which goals I aspired to, and how I planned to achieve them. At the time, I didn’t really comprehend the idea of specific goals. All I knew was that I wanted to be the best at everything I did. As I got older, I realized that I was ambitious. The day I figured it out was the day I defeated the top runner on our team. It was the 5th grade AAU meet for the state of Florida championship. I had only one thing on my mind. Beating my nemesis Evan. That was my primary goal, but I ran so fast that I ranked first in my grade. It was the day that changed my life and taught me that ambition is the key to success.


When I think of ambition, it brings up a lot of questions. Can ambition help me? What do I have to do to become ambitious? What are the psychological effects of ambition? The answers are simple, yet extremely complex. To answer the first question, yes it can. Ambition can influence you to set goals that are very high. However, if you set them too high, they become impossible to reach. Then the question becomes, “Is it ambition or is it greed?” There is a difference. Ambition is a mind set to achieve high goals; greed is a desire for everything you can get your hands on. One is always a positive influence; the other can lead you to destruction. For the second question, there is no set of instructions or manual that tells you how to become ambitious. It is a kind of mental emotion that encourages you to do your best. Additionally, there are psychological effects to ambition. When you are ambitious, you become stronger and willing to endure more in life. You achieve your goals because your mind propels your body toward them. It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy.