on (the absence of) ambition

I love people with drive and ambition. For real, I love them, it may as well be the sexiest trait I find in people. In this noisy, could be dictating world, it is extravagantly refreshing to see someone who knows exactly what they want and pursuing it. Top that with good communication skill, I bet you could get to a lot of places.

But in my process, I also often find successful people who proclaim that they have no ambition whatsoever. No, they don't plan their life ahead. They don't assess what is on the table and cherry-picking stuff. Most of the time, they don't think things out unless they are prompted to. They just do. 

I am convinced that someone out there has written about this - how the role of ambition plays out in the success of our life. But I'd like to pour over my perspectives from the people I have had the privileges to learn from (though I am most definitely will look up some books).

These are the characteristics of those successful-and-non-driven people that I have identified:

• They pay a lot of credits to their lucks

It just so happens. So they said. Of course, luck is there, and you know how some people are just lucky.

"I happen to have a really good supervisor who hugely contributes to my development."

"I didn't apply for the scholarship but suddenly I was offered."

"I am no way smart - moreover as smart as you. I am mediocre. But I was in the right place at the right time."

I don't know about you but something crawls in me whenever I come across similar statements. Yes, life could be as random as throwing out multiple dices on a board game, but... but?

But you and I know those people. I know someone who has never created a CV because she was constantly referred by someone else for jobs - out of boredom she then landed multiple acceptances for a Master's degree on the first try, with one of the company's paying for it.

What feels like a life-battle to a person, to others might be handed over to them on a silver plate.

But let's not get sentimental. Up next.

• They are not bitter

Perhaps because of that and acknowledging their fortune, they are not bitter, in fact, they are among the most lively or nicest person you will ever meet. Now, at this point, we can think that this only compounding their luck, but let's not jump into conclusion now.

• They tend to focus on the present

Again, these people rarely have a long-term plan. If any, they are really vague and not at all binding. This behaviour makes them focus and a get-go on what's within their eyesight. 

• Might not be the best person on that field, but they are good at it

They are not the one and only expert you have. But nobody ever asks for that these days, no? By now, you might have realized it rarely takes the brightest person in the room, but a person with a good, balanced mixture of everything. You need to be smart, and well-articulated, and a people person. And this works perfectly with these types of people. They probably are not the best, you can picture some other names you think might be smarter or more diligent whatsoever, but in its totality, with their character, you will opt for them. I guess it's relevant to put out the quote that says, you can teach skills but not characters. They are fairly good at what they are doing - perhaps slightly above average, but there is something about them (perhaps the mentioned two characters above?) that lift them up.

• They think for themselves

They may or may not read a lot (people I based this writing on have a 50:50 division on reading), but they are not those who will get swept off the stream. You know what I mean? Throw them an idea, or a norm, or questions on the reasons they do what they do. They are careless - and so careless that they rarely bother what other people think hence have this habit of filtering out things and decisions by their own thinking first. In the process, they will look up for input but they believe in the way they see things, first and foremost.

Now, after I laid out all those things above, I started to think. Perhaps all these successful-non-driven people are really not at all different. First off, I think we all have our own portions of luck. Or put it slightly differently, opportunities. And then it all boils down to our characteristics and how we seize that opportunities are what matter.

Ambition is one thing - but being able to act it out is what counts.