Every individual is fired by ambitions and has a vision of what they want to do with their lives. For some, their ambitions are short-term, for others, long-term. For some, the ambitions may encompass only themselves. For others it may include their family, friends, city, nation or even the world.
This doesn't imply of course that one cannot be perfectly happy with whatever they already have in life. I firmly believe that happiness is a quality of our inner nature, and not something that we have to acquire from outside. But for many, outside situations and successes can trigger happiness within, and so, ambition and vision do have a place in our lives. And besides, if you are one of those looking to craft a better life for many others, maybe these tips/ideas will come in handy for you.
#1 Is Your Goal Really Your Goal?
How often has this happened to you? You want something, so you set yourself up and do what you have to do to get that "something." Once you have it, it's fun for a while, and then you lose interest. Haven't we all shifted from a good phone to a great phone to a greater phone, only to find that at each stage, we always look for something better after that brief "honeymoon" phase?
Often, what we want in the short-term isn't always in line with what's good for us in the long-term. Ask yourself why you are trying to achieve what you wish to achieve. Try and put aside all the social influences. Tune out what everyone else is saying and just focus on yourself. It may help to take a break and spend some time alone -- no phone, no internet, no TV!
Go through this process and see if what you want is really needed either for yourself or for those around you. Will it really have an impact on your life two years from now? Once you answer these questions, and if you find that you still want to get to where you want to go, starting your journey will be that much easier. To put things in perspective, here is a beautiful quote by Mahatma Gandhi: "Distinguish between real needs and artificial wants and control the latter."
#2 Find Inspiration in Everything
The key to stoking your creativity and letting it blossom is to find inspiration in everything around you. Creativity isn't just about painting or film-making or any other artistic pursuit. Creating the right kind of software is creativity too. Look at the fine job Apple does with their computers and OS! You can be creative in everything you do, and thanks to nature's infinite variations, you have an inexhaustible well of ideas to draw from. So the next time you're stuck in a rut, take a walk in the park and pay attention to the synchronized chaos that nature unleashes every moment.
#3 Prepare Your Body and Mind
Success isn't just a byproduct of one's desire. Success also requires capability. If you are really serious about achieving what you wish to, developing the right kinds of capabilities, whether of body, mind or both, is essential.
Fortunately or unfortunately (depends on who you ask, I guess) there is no short cut to making yourself capable. Some are lucky to be born with certain skills, but most successful people get there thanks to effort and determination. So find out what you need to do with yourself to get where you want to be, and build up the necessary skills. A wonderful quote from Buddha says, "If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking." So set yourself in the right direction and keep walking!