*Presented by BetterHelp.
Ambition is the practice and feeling of going for your goals, always thinking large, and believing in yourself. It’s heavily tied to confidence and comfort.
However, being ambitious doesn’t come easily to all of us. We may make resolutions during the new year that we never feel like we can keep. We often want something very badly but don’t know how to turn around our way of seeing things and take action.
If you’re unsure whether or not ambition is a good thing for you, you’re not alone. Here are five pros and five cons of using ambition in your professional life.
Pros of Ambition
Let’s first take a look at the pros and positive side of ambition.
It Creates Confidence
Being ambitious gives you a sense of confidence in yourself that is unbeatable. You will feel like you can accomplish anything, and as time goes on, you will accomplish more than before. These extra accomplishments can help you unlearn helplessness, which can help you with the skills you need to make choices for the rest of your life.
Confidence is good for you! In fact, studies show that if you believe you are employable in your field, you likely are.
You’ll Get Experiences You Never Thought Were Possible
The best part of ambition is that it brings you experiences beyond what you are searching for. You might find that you excel in a career you never considered before because you thought it was “out of your realm” or unrealistic. The truth is that ambition shows us that nothing is unrealistic if we work hard on it.
Be open to the experiences that ambition brings you, and you might just learn something new about yourself. Here’s an example:
- Anna was previously a manager at a customer service position but dreamed of being a writer. She believed she didn’t have enough experience, though, so she continued to work in a job she hated. One day she decided to take a chance and throw an application or two out into the fold. A few days later, she heard back from a content writing agency about getting the job! Now Anna could finally follow her dreams.
People Will See You as a Leader
Other people tend to see those with large ambitions and goals as born leaders, especially if they’re successful. If you’re able to communicate your goals clearly and work towards them in everything you do, your colleagues will pick up on this. This puts you in the position to get picked for more promotion opportunities.
You’ll Receive More Opportunities
Going off of the last point, more opportunities often come to those who are ambitious. After all, you’re giving yourself more opportunities by putting yourself out there and believing in yourself. If you thought you weren’t capable of something, you’d likely never even try.
You’ll Learn to Face Rejection
You will likely experience rejection when you practice ambition. However, experiencing repeated rejection is good for resilience. Learning that you can handle it and not hate yourself when someone says “no” to you is an essential part of learning how to handle life and bigger opportunities in your professional industry.
Cons of Ambition
Now, let’s take a look at some of the negative sides of ambition that you might fall into if you’re not careful. However, these are all learning opportunities and can be overcome.
You’ll Face Rejection Much More Often
As we’ve mentioned, people will often reject you if you’re putting yourself out there often. However, if you know your worth, this shouldn’t sway you. One person might tell you that your work is trash, and another person might absolutely love it and think it fits well with their brand. No two companies are the same, and your worth isn’t defined by what someone thinks of you at first glance.
You May Not Make It Where You Want to Go
The worst part of ambition is knowing what you want in life and being confident enough to get it, only to not get it. The part to understand is that every closed door is an open door elsewhere. You may not get where you have worked hard to be, but there could be an exciting and more lucrative experience right around the corner as a result.
After all, if you take a job that you’re unsatisfied with, you’ll never see the job you could love that posts their ad next week.
People May See You As Unnecessarily Competitive
Ambitious people are often seen as “competitive” and not “team players.” This could be because your focus is often mainly on yourself and your professional goals. Take a step back and see how the other people in your team are contributing. Being ambitious doesn’t mean thinking you’re better than everyone else.
You May Become Clouded in What the Best Solution Is
If you’re always pushing your own ideas, you may ignore a good idea from someone else. Try to slow down and see that anyone can bring up good points. If someone else is vying for the same promotion as you and you’re working on a project together, don’t let your ego get in the way. If their ideas are good, let them present their ideas as their own. Don’t take credit for something that isn’t yours, and don’t push an idea if it doesn’t work as well as someone else’s.
You May Become Self-Centered
Finally, work to make sure you don’t become self-centered. Ambition can often cause people to believe that they’re the only person that deserves a certain thing. Although it’s good to believe in your ability and intelligence, know that there are plenty of other people who are also smart and competent. Use this as a positive and healthy competition and not as a way to overshadow them or ignore them.
Conclusion
If you’d like to learn more about ambition and how to healthily use it to meet your goals, check out this amazing advice column through BetterHelp. Next year, when resolutions roll around, it’s time to take action! Don’t give up momentum, and learn some new techniques to keep your ambition rolling in every area of your life. Just don’t let it cloud you to the things and people who matter most.