Ambition Is Good, But Wisdom Is Better

I feel like a lot of people get caught up doing things they don’t love to do because of fear. 

They’re afraid to venture out on their own to start their own businesses or to leave a comfortable office because they might not like anywhere else. 

Truly, this is a prison of their own making. 

But, alas, they are not the only ones that have experienced fear. 

I too have succumbed to fear many times. I’d quit positions because of fear of failure. 

I’d give up on dreams because of fear of the unknown. 

Yes, the certainty of control grabbed me like it has everyone else. 

Yet, when I truly got down to it, I couldn’t imagine myself working somewhere for years to come when my heart was truly in other things. 

Not saying it hasn’t been tough to let go of the grasp that I wanted on my own reality, but it has become easier one day at a time.

However, the biggest gift that I have come across. The most satisfying bit of knowledge is that ambition is good, but wisdom is better. 

I used to think that chasing after my dreams were giving up all sense of stability and doing whatever I could to make those dreams come true.  Although some Cinderalla stories start and end well like this, I live in a reality where that equation doesn’t work. 

You see, when there are mouths to feed and people counting on your support for them, it doesn’t really work to make rash decisions that might leave your loved ones out on the curb with no heat or place to go. 

So, what do you do if you’re in a position like mine where people depend on you each and every day to take care of them? You don’t make unwise decisions that will leave everyone starving. No, you take care of what you can take care of and take baby steps to get where your goals are. 

My grandfather in law was a stonemason. They say his hands were as big as a man’s head and he was one of the hardest workers you’d ever meet. 

He dreamt of building a house for him and his family to reside. So do you know what he did? He worked. 

Every day he worked at building things and every day he’d take the extra brick from his jobs and lay it aside. 

After a while, he had enough brick to build his own home which eventually he did. 

He worked hard. He made wise decisions. And he achieved his goal. 

He also had some money left over to put in the stock market which eventually made him a millionaire. But, he was humble. He worked hard and was wise with his time and his money. 

Ambition Is Good, But Wisdom Is Better.

The problem I see in myself and some others like me is that we rush things. We jump the gun. Our society applauds these rags to riches stories and we eat them up. 

Not only does this sometimes leave us making unwise decisions for the dream, but truly it delays our goals from really happening. Obviously we learn from failure, but to make wise decisions in the first place, that’s something that needs to be applauded.  

When I first became a Christian, the one thing I wanted more than anything was wisdom.

I prayed for it. I studied it. I wanted it. 

Yet, the first gift that I got on all that was a valuable look at myself. Showing me how unwise I really was. 

When I was young, I took opportunities that I thought would pan out, and although some benefit came from them, I should have been more set on establishing myself rather than chasing the wind. 

In this, I’ve been able to see what really matters and make those SMART goals our teachers were always telling us about. 

I still have the tendency to not make wise decisions sometimes both in life and in business. However, the realization that I do this changed me and helped me grow. 

So now, approaching my 30’s, I am not perfect, but I am better able to asses certain situations and make the best decision to benefit me and my family at the same time. 

The point of this is telling you to not give up on your dreams. But to also not embrace folly and chase after the wind because it’s “popular”. 

Ambition is good, but wisdom is better.

Until Next Time, Stay Pushing

Tia 

The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. Proverbs 19:8