Greed or ambitious?

Question

Someone told me yesterday that even if I have the best achievements, I will still not be satisfied I want to be the best of the best than anybody else so this is greed.

Isn’t this ambition not greed? Is my goal of becoming the best of the best evil?

This ‘someone’ told me it is not good, didn’t use the word ‘evil. But from the way it was said (ie this is greed), it makes me feel like I am less of a human if I set a very high goals?

What is wrong with that?

What is then the bench mark of the correct level of achievements vs over-the-board-greed?

Thank you all for the comments.

Answer 1

Being greedy denotes you aren't very concerned about others should they get in your way. It carries a negative connotation. There is nothing wrong with striving to be your best, but doing it just to be better than others is obnoxious. There is something noble about pushing yourself to win the race, but the way you've described yourself sounds like you are motivated by something other than a desire for growth to your own potential.

Answer 2

i dont see this as greed. if that is so then everybody who sets standards and/or goals are evil and greedy. is it greed to be the best? hell no! being the best is not good or evil but what you do with it. and tell that someone that without drive there would be no leaders, no technology, no passion, no energy, and we would be nothing more than animals living in trees. i say go for it, do your best, and help others learn because people like you are an inspiration to us all:). oh and to determine greed ask yourself why your doing it. if its for personal gain only then you might need to change it slightly.

Answer 3

There is nothing "evil" in setting your goals high, as long as you realize that while you may strive to be "the best of the best" it may not always be attainable. As long as you can push yourself to do the very best that you can and accept that sometimes there are those who may outshine you for a little while, then setting high ideals and ambitions for yourself is a great thing to do. Never quit! There is nothing wrong with being ambitious as long as it doesn't become an obsession. Good luck and NEVER let anyone make you feel less than human.

Answer 4

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best achiever especially as a woman. Everyone wants the satisfaction of achievement and reaching goals. ( It is one of the top 5 New Years Resolutions) We all want the same (we all want Prada too!) Go get your dreams!

Answer 5

Trying to achieve something for your own benefit is not greed because you're trying to achieve something out of your own efforts, aspirations, and hard-work. You're trying to achieve something for yourself out of your own self. Greed on the other hand, is trying to achieve something, to be the best of everything out of other people's inquests, hard-works and perseverance so to say. See the difference? ambition only involves you partaking in it. In contrast, greed involves other people you're trying to take away the object(achievements, rewards, honor,glory,money and so forth) from.
There is no benchmark for the correct level of achievements(ambitious) versus over-board greed. They are two different attributes.

Answer 6

Greed = You screw over other people

So basically being the best or doing the best is great, as long as others aren't suffering because of it.

Answer 7

Wanting to be the best is ambition.
Wanting everything for yourself is greed.

Answer 8

I would not pay so much attention to labels. Live your life. You are the only "someone" that matters to you in the long run. This will give you more time to love others as they want to be. Enjoy!

Answer 9

Excellence is good enough.