What is ambition?

Question

From a materialist point of view preferably, at the level of the brain, what is ambition? determination? Theres so many interesting things that i want to learn about, it excites me to think about them, but when i actually do them, the feeling either loses its flavor after a while or i can't even bring myself to do them in the first place. I could have accomplished so much in the time i've been alive, i could have learned so many new things, but when it boils down to it, after working 40 hours a week, i always tend to lean towards fruitless entertainment to take up my time, IE, videogames, movies, or even just sitting there being apathetic. Whats the difference between me and the millionaire teenager who builds his own company from scratch? Why do some people have more ambition than others?

Answer 1

Millionaire self made people? The bank chooses and finances them if they can smooze the loans officer with credible and valid plans, of course having a wealthy co-signer doesn't hurt either. Not only is it what you comprehend, it's who comprehends with you. Bill Gates for example was written into the IBM wave.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambition

Maslow's theory
Main article: Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs theory is the most widely discussed theory of motivation.

The theory can be summarized as thus:

Human beings have wants and desires which influence their behaviour; only unsatisfied needs can influence behavior, satisfied needs cannot.
Since needs are many, they are arranged in order of importance, from the basic to the complex.
The person advances to the next level of needs only after the lower level need is at least minimally satisfied.
The further the progress up the hierarchy, the more individuality, humanness and psychological health a person will show.
The needs, listed from basic (lowest, earliest) to most complex (highest, latest) are as follows:

Physiological
Safety and security
Social
Self esteem
Self actualization

Herzberg’s two factor theory
Main article: Frederick Herzberg
Frederick Herzberg's two factor theory, concludes that certain factors in the workplace result in job satisfaction, while others do not, but if absent lead to dissatisfaction.

He distinguished between:

Motivators; (e.g. challenging work, recognition, responsibility) which give positive satisfaction, and
Hygiene factors; (e.g. status, job security, salary and fringe benefits) which do not motivate if present, but if absent will result in demotivation.

Answer 2

From a materialistic conceptualization you must feel that
you have enough materials to keep yourself satisfied;
IE, videogames, movies, etc. The material resources
you possess might be evaluated to be appropriate
within your desired effort output. Otherwise, you would
be working more hours rather than spending time with
"fruitless entertainment". Of course, ambition can be
considered beyond its materialistic segment in its
influencing of intellectual resources. In other words,
why would you want millions of dollar? Not simply
to carry around paper currency, but to purchase
some material/service. Therefore, it becomes
relevant to ask whether you can arrive at an
intellectual work-around for that which is desired.
Essentially, know what it is about the material thing
which peaks your interest and then devise a work-
around.

Answer 3

The will to seek pleasure is all ambition is. The hope that a 'higher level' than the current will bring this pleasure is the motivation. Where you see this pleasure is where you will focus your energy. Everyone sees pleasure in different places. Some through the venue of career and others through personal entertainment. It would be considered ambitious to want the largest personal DVD collection on the country but that may carry no value to the CEO wanna be.

Answer 4

Ambition is exactly what you believe it is. Not an anti-growth path for a young person, but it might be a tough one in a lot of ways.

But if you don't need that path, you probably know it.

Ted Wossname Turner was contemplating suicide a few years ago because he thought he had the 'trials of Job'. Lost control of AOL, lost Hanoi Jane, etc.

Anything wrong with that picture, to your way of thinking?

I knew a guy during the 1960s, daddy owned a string of curio shops along the Highways. Rich big-time for those days. Daddy gave son 100 K when he went off to college, said, "Get rich, my son."

Mike, the son, made several million before graduation, kept making it .... maybe still making it, though I had some grapevine contact during the '90s sounded as though he was wondering what life was all about, and was somewhat depressed by it all.

Lots of choices to make in this life. No easy ones.

Answer 5

Striving to get to the top of the heap.

To secure the environment around us.

When these have reached a certain level then pastimes become more often enjoyed.

Once the pleasure has been satiated then these become boring and even disliked.

That is why many turn to philosophy and spirituality for development.

It is an inside job.

Answer 6

Don't think of yourself as unambitious. Think of yourself as needing something that isn't served by the 9-5 or the pre-trod paths this world has to offer. Look somewhere you've never considered before.

Answer 7

If you have to ask what "ambition" is, you don't have it!