Ambition

Dateline:  July 10, 2017

DEAR ABBY: My son, Allen, is 27 and a pretty good writer, mostly fantasy stuff. I don't like that genre myself, but I have enjoyed reading some of his work. He writes not only short stories but also entire books.

I have tried to convince him to submit his work to publishers to no avail. He has a college degree, but doesn't use it. He's content working a minimum-wage job when he could be doing what he loves and possibly make a living at it. Oh! And he still lives at home and does very little work around the house. Advice, please? -- FRUSTRATED FATHER

https://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/lifeadvice/dearabby/s-1974313

NOTE: This “Dear Abby” writer leaves out some key information … like whether or not the living-at-home son is paying back college debt, paying rent, or sharing other expenses.  If not, the price tag on household “Cost of Living” expense and associated effort should be assessed, according to his fair-market value ability to pay … which may mean cutting out any “discretionary” income and/or possibly getting a second minimum-wage job. 

am’biSH€n  noun

“A strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work :: determination to achieve success.

Synonyms: aspiration, intention, goal aim, objective, object, purpose, intent, plan, desire, wish, design, target, dream, drive, determination, enterprise, industry, initiative, eagerness, motivation, resolve, enthusiasm, zeal, hunger, commitment, sense of purpose 

"her ambition was to become a diplomat"

https://www.google.com/search?q=ambition+meaning&oq=Ambition&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4032j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Curiously, this posting includes an analysis of the usage of the term “ambition” in surveyed writings from 1800 through 2008, showing an 83.3% DECREASE in mentions of the word “ambition” during that period.  Stated in the reverse, usage of the term “ambition” was SIX TIMES as prevalent in 1800 writings as it was in 2008!  

But “ambition” is no less a challenge in 2017 AD than it was in 1800 AD or in 500 BC. 

“Whatever you do, do with all your might.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero (428 BC)

“Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression.

No man is free who cannot control himself.”

Pythagoras (560 BC)

In fact, it may be MORE of a challenge in the 21^st Century, due to the fact that there’s more of everything to be had – and it’s all more easily accessible with less effort, there is less “hunger and thirst” for a better world, more diversions, and fewer readily “graspable” new horizons to visualize.  In addition, the “lowest hanging fruit” has already been plucked, and there’s no sense of urgency to climb a ladder that many in the third world would consider to have already breached “reasonable possibilities”.   

But AMBITION still matters!  If we’re not “DRIVEN into action” by someone or something above and beyond ourselves, our personal world tends to become gray, small and shallow with increasing echoes of disappointment, regret and a feeling of betrayal … that this wasn’t really what we “bargained for” … and “nobody ever told us this could happen”! 

Ambition cures many ills, including depression, despondency, hopelessness, haplessness, helplessness, apathy, depravity, desperation, and orneriness. 

Some believe there is greater nobility and “peace of mind” in being satisfied and content with what “is” and with what one “has” rather than being discontent with what isn’t or could be. 

From this perspective, it is felt by many that the Almighty will supply whatever they need.  But there is a big disconnect at the interface between heaven and earth where man is given the charge to pull himself together and cultivate what he needs – with everything the Almighty has already GIVEN him – “by the sweat of his brow”. 

The story is told of a man of great Faith caught in a great flood.  Found clinging to the chimney of his house as torrents of water rush by, he sees a guy in a row boat come by to offer assistance, but he cries out, “God will save me!”   Shortly after, a Coast Guard rescue boat comes by, but, again, the man cried out, “God will save me!”  Finally, as he is about to go under, a helicopter shows up, but, once again, he cries out “God will save me!”  When he finally goes under and ends up at the pearly gates, he throws a fit because God DIDN’T save him.  He then hears a ponderous voice: “I sent you a row boat, the Coast Guard and a helicopter.  What else could you possibly have expected?”

We acknowledge the fact that ambition can easily bleed into becoming the Eighth Vice. 

But Dreams are not the sole province of kings and conquistadors.  They are the most democratizing forces in human development and in civilization at large!  If America has become less “Great” than it was in the past, one might conjecture that it has become so largely due to a loss of DREAMS and a shortage of AMBITION!   Further, much of the ambition in America is now imported.  But, to be fair, most of the ambition that made America GREAT in the first place was imported! 

What DRIVES you?

What DRIVES ME …

·         To make my mother proud!

·         To BECOME everything I CAN become

·         To KNOW

·         To UNDERSTAND

·         To be IN CONTROL / COMMAND of as much of my own Destiny as possible

·         To be RESPECTED / certifiably “Esteemable”

·         To “OWN” some corner of the universe

·         To justify other’s high EXPECTATIONS

·         To justify MY OWN EXPECTATIONS

·         To expand NAVIGABILITY

·         To expand NEGOTIABILITY

·         To MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE than it was when I came into it

·         Simply to BE OF USE … to be of SERVICE … to offer some level of PAY BACK

“Winning” certainly isn’t the end all and be all in life.  But winning SOMETHING is really important … even if it’s “winning” against abject failure.  Our sense of wellbeing, control, navigability and negotiability are all at stake.  But we have to be circumspect about faux winning strategies … like simply trying to “Beat the System”.  The “System” can be “beaten” any number of ways in any number of microcosmic “battles” – up until the entire macrocosmic “war” has been lost. 

One of the most disconcerting circumstances is not having opportunity – nowhere to meaningfully direct ambition.  It is moderately alarming that, even in increasing numbers of “first world” countries, it can be said:

"… life offered few opportunities for young people with ambition."

But here is where we must look beyond “givens” … beyond the obvious … beyond “low-hanging fruit”.  Thank goodness for Dreamers who are constantly looking for new frontiers in science, engineering, medicine, social justice and the environment – along with many other areas of engagement.  If you can’t find and formulate your own Dream, latch onto somebody else’s Dream that’s more than big enough to share.   While opportunities in the orbit you now inhabit may be extremely limited, it’s neversomuch too soon to begin moving toward a higher orbit.  I expect to see you heading toward the stratosphere in the near future.  Make your mother proud!  Quartermaster

Onion Skinning

In our barbershop chorus, The Kentuckians, our Director keeps challenging us to keep our pitch up and stay on key by imagining the addition of “onion skin” layers of higher frequency sound, particularly when holding notes of long duration.  Without acute consciousness of this kind, the pitch will invariably drop in unaccompanied vocalization – no band, no keyboard, no orchestra to help maintain the proper key. 

It’s kind of a metaphor for life:  Without acute consciousness in execution – and with no supporting band or orchestra – our performance tends to sag.  So it would do us a world of good to do some “onion skinning” toward higher levels of performance in our everyday pursuits – certainly in the ones that count the most.

The question of the day is: What can we do to get the “Better of Ourselves” engaged to the fullest extent to get the fullest return? 

This narrative follows the progression of an international championship barbershop quartet, Forefront, featured in The HARMONIZER magazine, May/June 2017. 

Organized in 2009, this quartet went through multiple “onion skin” layers of development – both collectively and individually – on their way toward finally winning the Gold in Nashville in 2016. 

Early in the game, a couple of the guys were “dealing with some personal issues.”  One admits he “had a lot more diva” in him early on. 

NOTE: “Personal issues” often involve insecurity, intolerance, a “diva” mentality / attitude, “Tribal” tendencies, and lounging in a “comfort zone” apart from positive engagement with significant others.

When the “diva” mentality/attitude began getting in the way and wasn’t working anymore, there remained enough more “winning” to be had and more than enough “losing” to avoid that things began to change.  “I quit smoking and all that stuff to come back and say, ‘Let’s give this a shot.’”

One more thing about “Personal Issues”:  So often I have seen major “Difference Makers” who had incredible “personal issues” cope by burying themselves in their work to a point that work became their salvation.  Sometimes that’s merely running away from dealing with the vicissitudes of life, and it’s not necessarily recommended for everyone.  But it can help take the “edge” off some very sharp corners of life, especially where noble enterprise is involved. 

Several changes in Forefront personnel were made along the way.  Life happens, and it’s extremely difficult to find four guys from anywhere who are compatible in voice, social associativeness and a sense of Mission, never mind sustainably accessible for a major lifeline commitment. 

It also turned out that there was much more to “learning the trade” of Champions than they had imagined ... or had accepted for themselves, “being as ‘untouchably good’ as they were”.  But they committed together to take on the mantle of ownership for becoming the absolute best they could possibly become. 

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, how experienced you are,

you don’t know everything.”

Remember: These were not novices.  They had “been around the block” of a cappella music with years of experience plus a significant amount of formal training under their belts.

However, to make it to the next level, they needed some serious coaching from top vocal coaches.  Coaching emphases included technical accuracy, expression and expressiveness, stage presence and presentation, persistence toward consistency, and affirmation (they needed all the positive reinforcement they could get for the difficult stuff that didn’t come easy, for breaking unproductive habits, and for encouragement through the interminable repetitions to exhaustion.)

“We believed we could win

because she [Coach Jean] believed we could win.”

The winning formula turned out to be: First, BE COMMITTED, then work like you’ve never worked before and become EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD, and, along the way, submit to being SUPREMELY COACHABLE! 

“I found them to be supremely ‘coachable,’

being flexible and agile, willing to try new ideas,

and having the savvy to grasp and master subtle musical points.”

Coach David

But there were still significant personal benchmark hurdles to be overcome; the closer to perfection, the more difficult the bars are to be cleared.  [“Onion Skinning”!]   

“It felt more like a psychiatrist session than anything. 

I made excuses and fought him and didn’t want to give in.

He pushed me as a performer into areas that I had never gone before,

and I hated it.  He didn’t give up. 

Eventually, though, I accepted the fact that, to do the things we wanted to do,

I had to get [through being] uncomfortable.”
Aaron

Here’s a Boulder-Sized Challenge for us: Becoming “vulnerable”, while, at the same time, becoming strong enough – good enough – that vulnerability is not only a non-issue but a slingshot accelerator to higher orbit performance. 

“What’s nice now is that when we make mistakes,

we acknowledge them, we work to fix them,

but we don’t let them get to us.”

Aaron

That’s higher orbit “onion skinning”! 

So practice “Onion Skinning”.  BE COMMITTED, become EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD, accept VULNERABILITY and become SUPREME COACHABLE to help navigate rough water, keep you from going under, and accelerate your move to higher orbit functionality.  Quartermaster    

Quote of the Week

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Tool Musings

“Every new DIY project justifies the acquisition of a new tool!”

Herbie Halfmaster

[After all, the savings on labor and on avoiding subsidization of someone ELSE’S tools

more than makes up for the cost of whatever you need to do the job yourself …

… at least up until one has to be bailed out by a REAL expert!]

I’ve found, so many times – like today, that having the right tools to do a job is an indelible key for both getting projects off the launch pad and getting jobs done. 

I once had the enviable offer from a former boss to take on a moonlighting job for an ancillary organization whose Board of Directors he chaired.  His enticing conjecture was “You could run this place out of your back pocket!”  He didn’t entirely appreciate how many of my “back pocket” tools were already totally committed to my “sunlighting” job at the place I was already IN!  So I gratefully declined.  

What “TOOLS” are you carrying in your personal toolkit – in your “back pocket”?  And how up-to-date and relevant are they for what you need to do and where you want to go?  Here are some suggestions:  

KNOW-HOW is one of the first best.  But it needs constant sharpening, “pruning” and updating with the latest “software”, and it needs constant expansion.  “Know-How” includes knowledge, specialized skills and aptitudes.  It makes tough stuff easy!

A DETECTIVE’S INQUISITIVENESS: Daring to ask the tough questions: Where is the evidence that “I’m Special”?  How does the world really work?  Where is the best opportunity for growth and for the realization of my true potential?  Am I really being as efficient/effective as I can be?  Am I doing the “important” at least as much as I’m doing the “urgent”?  What’s possible?  What’s next?  What am I missing?  

A MARINER’S SEXTANT and COMPASS – to measure the “trueness” of our position in relation to the most reliable guiding star we can find, and to help maintain our direction toward our ultimate GOAL. 

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:  This absolutely essential “tool” provides an ability to work through difficult times/circumstances while maintaining some semblance of equilibrium and still forging productively ahead despite barriers and disappointments.  It also provides an ability to recognize, respect and maintain rapport with others amid diverse emotional states on all sides.  EI is essential to support calculable risk-taking in moving toward new horizons, associations and possibilities.      

PURPOSE/MISSION/PASSION:  An incontrovertible “reason for being and doing” … an uncompromising INCLINATION toward advancing the most noble “Agenda” we can muster.

“GRIT”: Unwavering  commitment, determination and persistence required for making an indelible “Mark” in the universe.  (Ref. Angela Duckworth) 

A DEFINABLE POSITIVE:  To draw us unflinchingly toward our goal.  It could be the GOAL itself or the associated satisfaction and affirmation derived from a job well done.  

A DEFINABLE NEGATIVE:  Something to be avoided … like destitution, failure, disappointment, regret, embarrassment … like having to say “I coulda / shoulda been a contender!”

BLINDERS: To shield us from distractions.

A VALUE RULER:  To assure true worth of what we do – to help make Gold Star choices.   

A REFLECTOSCOPE: Asking the questions: Does this make sense?  Is this important?  Let’s do a REALITY CHECK!

A MIRROR: To see how well we are measuring up as Masters of our own Destiny.

RETROCHRONOMETER: To help count time in reverse … so we can get the truest “reading” on how long something is going to take.

An “OWE ME” VOUCHER:  This voucher provides us guaranteed access to preferred indulgences LATER as we engage DELAYED GRATIFICATION in tending the more compelling business(es) of NOW.

An “ORGANIZER VISER”/THINKING CAP: A tool to aid in “Getting our act together” … promotes Strategic Planning and the generation of Tactical Ways and Means.

A TID BIT – A wrist band reminder:  Time Is Disappearing /\ Begin Insightful Trajectory

This novel tool helps take best advantage of UNSCHEDULED TIME. 

A BOX OF INVITATIONS: To assist in recruiting significant others.

A CONSULTING VOUCHER: To get the best advice and guidance that our “Stock in Trade” can conscript.

A Pair of “BY-GOD ARMORALL COVERALLS”:  A vestment for imponderably difficult jobs … a vestment that confer invincibility of intentionality … a vestment which permits no excuses, no options for side-tracking … only option is full steam ahead! 

A JUMP STARTER: To get us GOING!

A LICENSE to do “THE RIGHT THING”: An indemnification against censure for anything and everything that justifiably needs to be done to assure best outcomes.

One of my collaborators along the way – who was much more experienced in the “Ways of the World” than I was – repeatedly declared that he was not about to be anyone else’s “tool” … meaning that he had taken himself out of the running to do anyone else’s bidding for anyone else’s personal gain.  However, there were other times he had to concede that he was, in fact, submitting to or had otherwise been knowingly used as a “tool” to further his own purposes. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What if you had in your tool box a MASTER TOOL that could perform its own maintenance, transform itself into multiple specialized tools for specialized purposes, clean itself, put itself away where it could always be found, regenerate its own energy, make its own bed, prepare its own meals, solve problems, be self-programmable, mow the lawn, perform complex and ever-changing algorithmic functions, program a computer, is self-driving, can be constructive or destructive /\ compliant or defiant depending on circumstances and pre-programmed coding … ?!?

It turns out that we actually DO have such a tool at our command – it’s US!  But the “commanding” is generally the problem (as is the pre-programmed coding!)  Our Executive Function has been so conflated and confuted by emotional and emergent undulations that we simply default to comfort zone languishing.  ENOUGH ALREADY!   Let’s grab the reins of Executive Power and take over commanding control of this MASTERPIECE which is US UNBRIDLED … “BRIDLE” it and start a revolution of total intentional, meaningful, purposeful engagement!  I just started this new paradigm in my own universe and the results, so far, are awesome!  YOU, Inc. is about to move into higher orbit!   Quartermaster