Balancing Between Your Ambition And Being Contented

In the world we find ourselves in, a lot of people have ambitions which have led us to creating goals, and from one goal to another. In fact, it is safe to say that at this point, the average human is achievement-oriented, which has opened up people to insatiable quest for the pursuit of what they see as success. However, they never take time to appreciate what they have nor be contented with the point they have gotten to. This is the reason why a lot of people do desperate things to get what they want at all cost without considering what they have to sacrifice. And when they cannot achieve that, they may feel sad and even go into depression. This is why contentment is a vital necessity. What contentment does is that it removes the mindset of desperation from you as you pursue your ambition.

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It is true that you have to have ambitions and set goal, which can spur you to achieving success, but on the other hand, you should be able to appreciate, and be grateful for what you have, and then be contented with it. Balancing between these two things will help you to make the most out of life. We have been motivated to believe that ambition is the vehicle that drives us forward and gives us the zeal to pursue and actualize our dreams, which is actually good. However, it is also true that the human desires and wants are infinitely insatiable, this is where contentment comes into place.

Contentment removes greed from you and makes you to live the moment per time. A friend once told me a story about a particular man who was very rich in their neighbourhood. In fact, he was among the top 5 in the neighbourhood but what he has does not satisfy him. As a matter of fact, if he sees opportunity to take the little that you have, he will still take it not minding that he has more than you. This made him to create more enemies than friends and a point came when he needed something that neither money nor material resources can buy, but no one was willing to assist him. He had sacrificed his friendship in his insatiable quest to gain more material things; this is what desperation can cause. This is why contentment is necessary.

As you go about your daily duties; work, business, etc, always remember that life is not a "do or die" affair, this will keep you from taking unwholesome desperate steps due to lack of contentment in life. It is worthy to note that you are not contented because you have most of what you want in life, but you are contented because you know you can make the most of even the little that you have. What matters in life is not how much of the material resources you have been able to accumulate but what you have done with what you have accumulated.

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Ambition is good, but when it becomes unchecked, it can lead one into mental and physical strain, stress, and even dissatisfaction. There are more things to focus your attention in life more than just money, fame, achievements, and other external factors. This is why someone can sacrifice their health in the pursuit of wealth, and when the wealth is gotten, they will begin to look for health to enjoy it. But when you strike a balance between what you want to have and the satisfaction from what you already have, you will see how beautiful life can be. Also remember that there are more things that more money cannot buy (like friendship, family, etc), so do not lose sight of them while chasing your ambition.

One should also understand that contentment is very different from complacency. Of course, it is possible to be ambitious, having a dream of what you want to achieve, and yet be contented. The only thing is that you have to learn to balance up between them and then try to enjoy the present moment as you strive towards your goals. It is by finding satisfaction in the present that you are qualified to see what the future holds.

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