13/06/2025

Ambition

I define ‘ambition’ as an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.” 

My own ambition, far from abating, is to reach heaven at the end of my journey to eternity. (Ref 2 Cor 5,9) Within my heart there is a fire, The Holy Spirit is there motivating me.

Though handicapped by the country of my birth in any ambition in politics or the military, and by my height in sport, soon after my Eriskay Experience I decided I would aim to become a saint by helping God make this world a better place – hence my studying Civil Engineering at Imperial College. In this quest there were no external handicaps. 

To achieve my ambition, I need to keep working on my self-awareness; knowing that the state of my PIES – the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual dimension of my life - affects my perception and behaviour. To be of service to others I need to listen , accept opinions of others and communicate clearly, resist negative social pressures and seek help when I cannot manage on my own.

I am on earth  to learn to live to love through using my PIES helping God make this world a better place.

“We remain young to the degree that our ambitions are greater than our memories,” stated Canadian Dan Sullivan, who has been coaching entrepreneurs since 1974.

When you decide to take up a sport, take  a look at your  physical and mental assets as you read Mt 25, 14-21: 'It is like a man about to go abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.

To one he gave five talents(*) to another two, to a third one, each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out on his journey.

The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made." His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

"Champions keep playing until they get it right. Then they play more." Declared  Billie Jean King (born 1943) also known as BJK,  an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups.

“A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions” wrote Marcus Aurelius(121-180ce).

We were remined by Theodore Roosevelt (26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909) that, “Believe you can and you're halfway there."

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."Wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson(American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalist

movement of the mid-19th century).

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing." stated Vince Lombardi(1913-70, considered by many to be one of the greatest coaches and leaders in American sports.)

Christian D. Larson(1874-1964, American founder in the New Thought movement) encouraged us with, "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

 "Dream big and dare to fail."Challenged Norman Vaughan (1923-2002, English comedian who led a long and successful career in the television and theatre).

"Whatever the mind of man( I add, ‘and woman’) can conceive and believe, it can achieve."Stated  Napoleon Hill (1883-1970, author of, among many other books,  ‘Outwitting the Devil, the secret to freedom and success’).

Colin Powell(1937-2021,American statesman and a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army) wrote, "Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence."

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen."Admitted American architectFrank Lloyd Wright(1967-1959)

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.” Decraed Maya Angelou(1928-2014, American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist.

Thomas Alva Edison(1847-1931, American inventor and businessman warned us that, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” 

We were encouraged by Henry David Thoreau(1817-62, American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher) to,"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined."

"There is hope in dreams, imagination, and in the courage of those who wish to make those dreams a reality," stated Jonas Salk(1914-95), American virologist and medical researcher who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines.. 

Winston Churchill encouraged us with his, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.

"Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them:  a desire, a dream, a vision,"stated Muhammad Ali. (In case you are too young to remember,  he is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.)He frequently emphasized the importance of internal drive and motivation in achieving greatness.

“Veni, vidi, vici.”(I came, I saw, I conquered.) boasted Julius Caesar (100-44bce) as he massacred vast swathes of Gauls on his ambitious quest to become Emperor back in Rome.

"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in". taught Bill Bradley, (born 1943) an American politician and former professional basketball player.

“Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true Kingdom for each of us; and true progress is to know more, be more, and do more", stated Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

"Never give up. It's like breathing: Once you quit, your flame dies to let total darkness extinguish every last gasp of hope. You can't do that. You must continue taking in even the shallowest of breaths, continue putting forth even the smallest of efforts to sustain your dreams. Don't ever, ever, ever give up", encouraged Richelle E. Goodrich(born 1968), Book Writer & Illustrator.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great,” warned Mark Twain (1835-1919).

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination."stated Tommy Lasorda(1927-2021) who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 1997

"As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want."Declared Mike Tyson(born 1966) American former professional boxer who competed primarily between 1985 and 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' "admitted Michael Jordan (born 1963) also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association. In 2025, according to Forbes, he is worth  $3.5billion. He also said that "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."

"You have to believe in the long-term plan you have, but you need the short-term goals to motivate and inspire you."A statement attributed to Roger Federer (born 1981) Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals for 310 weeks, including a record 237 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is."Is attributed toVince Lombardi (1913-70) American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League. Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in American sports.

We were reminded  by Vidal Sassoon (1928-2012)  British hairstylist and businessman that."The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." True for business. True in sport.

My favourite quote from Roger Federer is one where he shared his recipe for success: "If you have a passion for what you do, stick with it.Believe in it!Reach for the stars, stay positive, surround yourself with the right people, and just try."

My ambition is, through helping God make this world a better place, to become the best possible version of myself. To die young at an old age.

(*) a talent was worth about 6,000 denarii. A denarius was the usual payment for a day's labour. At one denarius per day, a single talent was therefore worth 20 years of labour (assuming a 6-day work week, because nobody would work on the weekly Sabbath).