The Ambition of Authenticity My partner and I had a conversation recently wherein I “admitted” the older I get, the more I realize how ambitious I am. Up until recently, the word “ambition” was not a complimentary way to describe women in particular, and perhaps even in general ambition can be equated with ruthlessly walking all over others to achieve a personal goal. I found myself reflecting on what ambition really means. In my 1/5/15 interview with Barry Dennis, he described the three items from end of life interviews – what a group of people interviewed just prior to their deaths said they would have done differently, given the chance. 1. Have a regular review of their life. 2. Take more action and risks based on that review. 3. Do something to leave a legacy behind. George pointed out, “Leaving a legacy doesn’t mean you have to be like Oprah Winfrey or Suze Orman.” True. The first and second definitions of the word ambition I found online are: 1) A strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. 2) Desire and determination to achieve success. George is an accomplished kite flyer. I am a capable pianist. Given the above two definitions, I would say George and I are both ambitious, because no one learns how to fly a quad line Revolution or play Mozart’s Sonata in C without time, patience, hard work and the determination and desire to succeed. My ex-husband, bless his heart, had a personal goal to own both a Rolex Watch and a Mercedes no later than his 40th year. That is not an ambition I’ve had, any more than getting a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) And I certainly have become a big fan of setting financial goals. It’s just my ambition runs more along the lines of what Wayne Dyer says: “Don’t die with your music still in you.” “What does that mean?” George asked. “It’s different for everyone,” I answered. This, to me, is the crux of what authentic expression is all about. What are you ambitious about? I’d love to hear! The real point of being alive is to evolve into the whole person you were intended to be. –Oprah Winfrey Authentically Yours, Laura
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