Aristotle doesn’t linger too long on the virtue of ambition.
In fact, he finds it hard to designate an actual word to what the virtue and vices are.
This virtue comes down to having the right amounts and correct kind of ambition.
Having too much ambition can be a vice.
Similarly, having no ambition or drive whatsoever is also a vice.
So the virtue is between too much ambition and not enough ambition.
As you’ve already spent a week concentrating on the other virtues, particularly that of pride, you have probably already naturally developed a noble ambitious drive or at least started to have thoughts about where your ambition should go.
The very fact that you’re undertaking this virtue program shows you already have the virtue of right ambition within you.
No one without ambition would ever embark on this virtue program.
And those with ambition in the wrong areas would be putting their energy, concentration, and focus elsewhere.
So let’s talk about how we figure out what right and wrong ambition is.
To Aristotle, ambition all comes down to honour and where one derives honour.
honour may be desired more than is right, or less, or from the right sources and in the right way. We blame both the ambitious man as aiming at honour more than is right and from wrong sources, and the unambitious man as not willing to be honoured even for noble reasons.
You can crave honour from the wrong sources.
You can also crave honour more than what is appropriate.
You shouldn’t get your sense of self-worth from external sources.
And, as we saw in the discussion of the previous virtues, you should actually scorn praise and honour from unworthy sources.
Being honoured by criminals is nothing to be proud of.
Seeking the honour and praise of losers just makes you a big loser.
Again, like with all the virtues, there isn’t a definitive list of worthy sources of honour.
It comes down to the individual’s inner compass.
Case in point: for a long time, the Nobel Prize was considered a grand honour to receive.
It’s a recognition for the work of one’s lifetime and if you receive the honour, you are in illustrious company.
This is the same award that was bestowed upon Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Mother Theresa.
But recently, and not for the first time, the prize has been brought into question. Specifically the Nobel Prize for Literature.
When Bob Dylan was silent upon hearing about his receiving the award, many began to question whether the Nobel Prize was indeed an honour to receive.
Dylan did eventually accept the award, but had he not he would have been well within his right to consider the honour as coming from the wrong sources if that aligned with his inner compass.
The fact that he was silent for so long is, in my opinion, indicative that Dylan has the virtue of right ambition.
He took his time accepting the award or evening responding to it, showing that he certainly doesn’t crave honour more than is appropriate.
when we praise the quality we think of the man who loves honour more than most people, and when we blame it we think of him who loves it more than is right.
You may be ambitious.
Plenty of people are.
But are your ambitions aimed at achieving the highest most noble honours?
Few people stop to think about honour.
In fact, it’s scary to think about.
Why bother thinking about the highest honours if one’s not completely confident in their ability to achieve them?
When we hear the word “honour”, we think of ancient warriors slaying their enemies on the battlefield.
We think of kings and queens bestowing titles upon knights with bended knee.
Could we really achieve honours of the most noble kind?
Most people, having no honour to pursue in their life, will use their ambitions in order to secure the praise of people in their lives.
Bottle service at the club to impress your inner circle and a smattering of inebriated strangers.
Going into debt for a Mercedes so you feel important when you park up.
Schools give trophies and certificates just for participating, training the younger generation to be pleased with praise just for existing.
It’s no great honour to be praised just for existing.
We know that.
But it’s a harsh truth that few have the strength to integrate into their mindset.
What about art?
What about advancing mankind?
What about being an unstoppable, impossible-to-ignore force in your chosen craft or industry?
If you’re in science, would praise and recognition from Elon Musk be an honour for you?
Why?
Because an honour from Elon has weight. It actually means something.
If you’re a filmmaker, would winning the Palme d’Or be an honour for you?
Would being praised by Herzog mean something?
These honours might have more weight to one kind of filmmaker than another.
If you think about what the highest and most noble honours would be for you in your particular and unique situation, it will force you to analyse your ambition.
You’ll likely find a disconnect between what you’re doing on a daily basis and these honours.
Are you taking consistent steps towards attaining these honours?
Or are you putting too much stock in other “honours”?
You might end up reevaluating your whole life plan.
You might discover you need to cut out certain habits that are blocking you from going in the right direction.
Let’s get into the virtue assignment for this week.
Virtue Assignment for Ambition:
THIS WEEK:
– We’re going to spend more time introspecting this week.
Obviously, thinking too much isn’t great.
But thinking that leads to action is the best kind of thinking.
So once we’re done introspecting, we will begin taking action.
Think about your goals. Think about where your life’s work is headed.
What is your legacy? Or what would you like your legacy to be? What honours would you like to receive in your lifetime?
Think big.
What are the most noble and praiseworthy honours in your realm?
Brainstorm at least ten potential honours, ones that are noble and given only to those who have achieved noble things (again, you can designate what noble means).
Now turn the long-term thinking into the short-term.
What five potential actions for each honour could you take TODAY?
What habits could you implement on a daily basis that could lead to that honour?
Not everybody thinks the Oscars are honourable. But if you come to the conclusion that it would be a honour to receive one for your acting, what five small steps could you take on a regular basis to perhaps one day secure one?
Off the top of my head: you could make applying to auditions a weekly habit. You rehearse using the principles of deep work for a minimum of an hour a day. You could network with 3 new people every day.
– We are what we repeatedly do.
Virtue is a habit. Ambition is a habit. Not a state of mind. You need the state of mind of aiming towards what is noble and honourable, but that alone is insufficient.
So what habits can you implement starting today and all through this week that will get you closer to your goals?
For me, I’m a writer. But last year, I stopped the daily habit of writing. So I ceased to be a writer. And a future in which I might one day win recognition for a screenplay disappeared.
How could I say I was ambitious if I wasn’t acting on it every day?
Now I write every day. First thing in the morning. Whether I feel like it or not.
What habits do you need to implement?
– This week you’re also going to cut out some bad habits.
It’s much easier to adopt new habits if you cut out old bad ones.
We’re full of habits that don’t serve us.
Yes, they’re hard to break. They’ve become instinctual. But we must weed them out and get rid of them.
There’s nothing wrong (in my opinion) in playing some video games every once in a while to relax. But habitually playing video games every single day for long periods of time, at the exclusion of real work or real connection, unless you’re goal is to do it professionally, is a bad habit and displays the vice of unambitiousness.
Brainstorm ten stupid things you’re currently doing and, using the 80/20 principle, circle two of the biggest ones and start there.
What habits do you currently have that if you were to cut them out would improve your life the most?
– As always, keep journaling through this week.
We often don’t know what we think about something until we’ve spoken about it or written it down.
So spend time contemplating about honour and ambition and get your goals and priorities straight in your mind.
READING HOMEWORK:
Next week we’re focusing on the virtue of good temper.