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Katelyn Pearson Powell English 101-70 9 October 2013 Ambition If you Googled the word ambition, it would be fairly easy to predict what kind of definition youd get. The site itself denotes it as A strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. This isnt a bad summary at all; ambition does take determination and hard work. However, whats not stated in that definition is everything else that is necessary. To be ambitious requires (in no particular order): the ability to be patient, yet demanding when youve been patient too long; being serious enough to take yourself and your circumstances with earnest intent, while also having a quality sense of humor to lighten the weight on your shoulders. Its important to dream big, however, you need to know how to appreciate the little things. You must be able to push yourself to great lengths to achieve your goals, but the key is to also know how to reward yourself when you do so. Ambition is caused by seeing the big picture, and wanting to be a part of it. Its caused by being overwhelmingly inspired by something, and immediately wanting to experience that which you havent before. Everyone has the ability to be ambitious in theminstilled into their character by an inspiring role model, a style of living, or even specific circumstances that made them want to achieve something big. It isnt necessarily about what goal youve set for yourself, its about how far youre willing to go to make it happen. Throughout my life, Ive always set goals for myself. Sometimes, theyre small things, like getting an A on a Physics test, or remembering to do the dishes before my parents get home from work. On the other hand, Ive got bigger goals for myself as well, such as getting my advanced diploma, and going to a good university. Even though trying to do a chore is a bit easier than trying to get a PhD, theres a key similarity between the two: the trying. Having big dreams is not the same thing as being

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ambitious. To be considered ambitious, you need to have the determination and the dedication to go for your dreamsotherwise, they cant become a reality. For example, when I was coming into high school as a freshman, I was extremely excited, the main reason being that I would finally be able to choose some of my classes instead of having them chosen for me. I distinctly remember sitting in Mr. Whites class right before lunch, staring down at a master schedule, a graduation requirement list, and a four year plan. The counselor had mentioned that high school students had to have three years of science and three of math. There being many different courses to choose from, I had no problem selecting the ones that looked appealing. The only issue was that Id liked almost all of them. Id asked myself, how can I possibly enroll in all the classes I want to take when I only have four years to fill up? Then it occurred to me: I only had four years, but I had eight periods a day, some of which were electives. After mulling it over for a day or two, I decided that instead of taking art or woodshop I would double up in my math and science classes. This meant that I could take a college level math my senior year, along with a higher level science class than offered at the high school. During the year, Id had moments where Id regretted taking on such a large work load; being a freshman, I wasnt used to all of the work, and in the classes Id doubled up in I was one of the only freshman. I got really stressed out by the time semester rolled around, and during testing, while my friends were exempt from many of their exams, Id only been exempt from one. It was hard on me, but it all became worth it when I got my tests back and saw how well I did. Id taken on all of the extra work, and it had paid off tremendously. Not only did I gain an edge in the educational realm of my life; I also proved to myself that Im capable of doing just about anything I really put my mind to. Id set an ambitious goal for myself, and I achieved it through hard work and determination. I think of character traits like fine winewhen they first come about, they may have a bit of a kick to them, and they dont go down very smoothly. However, as they age, they grow up and lose their bite, becoming velvety and better suited for going out into the world. In order for a character trait especially a lifestyle attribute, like ambitionto develop, one needs to have something that inspires them

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to act in correspondence with said trait. For some, this inspiration may come from a role model, an event thats taken place, or an idea that makes them want to do something. In my case, my inspiration is my mother. My mom grew up in a town just over from ours, and went to Wallace High School. Whenever I ask her about her past, she describes herself as, Nerdy. Not the cute type of nerdy you see on television, where the girl can take off her glasses, let down her hair, and win prom queenI had braces until I was sixteen, and everyone called me Spacy Stacy because I was always thinking of something completely off topic from what I was doing. When she was a senior in high school, my mom got accepted into Taft College, in southern California. My grandparents didnt have a lot of money at the time, so shed had to go on a full ride scholarship. Things were looking up, when in the summer of 1988, one week before she was going to leave, her car burnt to a crisp in the Coeur dAlene Resort parking lot, leaving nothing behind but the springs where the seats once had been. Everything she was going to take with her had been inside: her money, her clothes, and even her brand new stereo. Now, at this point, many people wouldve taken this as a sign from above that perhaps leaving the Silver Valley to go to a small college in the middle of nowhere was a bad idea. However, my mom isnt most peopleshe convinced my grandpa to drive her all the way down to Taft and drop her off, nothing in her possession but the clothes on her back and a job waiting for her. Through her ambition, her desire to start anew in her own chapter of life, she overcame many substantial obstacles, with almost nothing but will power and hard work. Like my mother did, I too have big plans for myself. I dream of getting out of the Silver Valley as well, and I cant wait to go off to school. I look up to my mom because of how ambitious she was, and how ambitious she still is. She pushes me to do my best in school because she knows how big my dreams are, and she wants me to be able to achieve them. I wouldnt be sitting where I am now, typing an essay for a college class, if it wasnt for my mothers constant guidance and support. Like many things in life, being ambitious has its ups and downs. First and foremost: stress. Theres not a thing in the world that can unsettle me more than when I need to do something and I dont know how to do it, or if its even possible. As the stress gets worse, so do the symptoms. The nagging

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little voice in your head goes into overdrive, pummeling your subconscious mind with feelings of panic and doubt. You get a hollowness in the pit of your stomach, kind of like someone is scooping out your insides with a pumpkin carving spatula because youre procrastinating homework for a class youre struggling in or because you dont know how well youll do in your soccer game tomorrow and you really dont want to let your team down. Even if you do complete the goal you were worried about, sometimes the feelings of nervousness dont go away, because youre too preoccupied with something else to notice how far youve come. For example, I might study all night for a Spanish test, and it will pay off when I get an A. However, I may be so tired from studying that I dont play well in practice later that day. Another down-side to being ambitious can appear when you take things too far. As I stated earlier, its important not to lose sight of whats really important in life. If youre overly ambitious, you partake in risking accidentally running yourself ragged and getting too emotionally and/or physically worn out. Additionally, you could be so focused on reaching one specific goal that you forget to pay attention to others. For instance, if youre trying to graduate with the honor of valedictorian, you might decide you need to get a 4.0 GPA. To do this, youll need to be very studious, in all your classes, all of the time. You may get so focused and study so many hours during your time in high school that you dont see your friends and classmates as much as you wouldve liked to. By the time graduation rolls around, you may be top of your class, but whats the joy in that if youve got nobody to celebrate with? On the other hand, being an ambitious person definitely has its perks. For one thing, youre equipped with your own sort of moral compassevery time youre presented with a choice, you should ask yourself, which of these options will get me closer to where I want to be tomorrow? Then, and only then, will you be able to make a choice that can direct you down the best path that youve been off ered. Furthermore, being ambitious can help you learn about yourself; you may discover things that you never knew, such as new likes and dislikes, hidden talents and skills, and new ways of approaching problems that youve never even considered before. One example of this occurred when I was in the fifth grade; I started playing the clarinet. I was pretty good at it, and I loved being a part of band class. When I got to

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sixth, however, my new feelings associated with the musical world had faded. I now felt bored, and I dreaded playing tests in front of the class on my clarinet because sometime along the line Id quit practicing them. I was very, very close to quitting altogether, when I decided that I might as well give another instrument a shot. I began talking to our percussionist, Trista Sheppard, about all the different instruments she got to play for different songs, and I decided that I liked the idea of being part of a drum section. After Id passed a rhythm test, Mr. Dickinson let me join Trista, and I began my new part-time career as a middle school drummer. It was difficult trying to learn a whole new style of playing, but I grew accustomed, and I kept at it. Now, five years later, Im first chair in the high school concert band. I do competitions every year, and Ive gotten first each time; freshman year I was even in a real band. If youd told sixth-grade-me that I would eventually learn to love band class again, I wouldve laughed at the thought. However, through my ambition to find an instrument I liked and become skilled at it, I learned that Ive got a natural sense of rhythm, and that I really like playing the drums. Ambition is possible for everyone. The main point of being ambitious is having the drive to go after what you want in life, by setting goals and making smart choices that will help you in the long run. Begin by making yourself set small, daily goalsmaybe you want to finish all of your homework before you go to hang out with friends, or get a good grade on a quiz. Soon, youll be inspired to set higher goals for yourself to achieve, like getting into college with a volleyball scholarship, or being in the top ten of your graduating class. On the other hand, its important to keep in mind that while coming up with a goal is one thing, acting upon it is very different. Furthermore, its critical to have things like family, friends, and hobbies to keep you grounded and less stressed. For me, ambition is the thing keeping me going. Every day, I think about my future, and I do everything in my power to ensure that Im going to make my dreams a reality. Its possible for anyone to become ambitiousyou just need creativity, determination, and independence. Creativity to dream, determination to get there, and independence to learn about yourself along the way.