August 29, 2011
“Ambition is for amateurs”
[Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)]
So somebody asked me recently in an email interview, “What’s next for Hugh MacLeod?”
Which I answered:
There is no “Next”. There is only making more drawings and writings, and trying to stay healthy and happy. “Ambition” is for amateurs.
I think it’s too easy to confuse the AMBITION of doing something, with the actual DOING of something.
That confusion is the domain of the amateur…
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Riddle: If there are 5 frogs on a log and 3 decide to jump off how many frogs are there on the log?
Answer: 5. Deciding to do something isn’t the same as doing it.
Ambition isn’t even deciding; it’s merely wanting to do it.
Spot on Hugh !!
Once again supplying me food for thought. Many thanks as always Hugh.
Ding! That’s me in the corner / losing my ambition.
I agree…ambition is a desire, which leads to attachment. The real success is in the now.
[…] this post on Hugh’s great little blog. Thank you so much for reading! I truly hope you found some value in this post. If so, please do […]
[…] is a great, to-the-point blog recently posted by my friend, Hugh Macleod: Ambition is for Amateurs in which he said, “I think it’s too easy to confuse the AMBITION of doing something, with […]
That was worth commenting on! I like it, Hugh.
Not so! Before action must come decision, and before decision must come desire-“ambition” if you will. Consider this, from W H. Murray in “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1951″
.…” the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way”…
The decision to act IS the first act of any creation.
have you heard of down-shifting? i think it’s great.