While most people acknowledge the importance and even the necessity of gratitude for a happy life, some people fear that if they are grateful for what they have, that will slow or even sabotage their pursuit of the things they don’t have. In other words, they wonder whether that gratitude and ambition are incompatible bedfellows. Actually however, if gratitude and ambition are not together in our heart, our ambition won’t take us anywhere – at least take us anywhere that will grant us any lasting happiness.
If we are driven solely by ambition which essentially directs our attention toward the things that we don’t have, then we will never be able to appreciate what we already have. Why? Because no matter how much we increase the things that we have, there will always be far more things that we don’t have as compared to the things that we do have. Consequently, ambition that is devoid of gratitude will keep us deprived of happiness. Such ambition morphs into insatiable greed which the Bhagavad-gita (16.10) cautions is the cause of endless illusion and tribulation.
Thankfully however, ambition can be coupled with gratitude. When we are grateful for what we have, then ambition drives us to share the good things that we have. If we have musical ability, for example, and we are grateful for having that musical ability, then ambition drives us to make beautiful uplifting musical compositions that can reach many people and enrich all those whom they reach. A similar dynamic applies for any other talent or resource that we have — we feel driven by ambition to do justice to our gifts and make meaningful contributions.
Empowering us to live with such purposefulness, the Bhagavad-gita (17.16) recommends contentment as an austerity of the mind. This guideline won’t keep us away from ambition; rather, it will keep us away from ambition that keeps us away from satisfaction.
Summary:
Ambition without gratitude drives us away from happiness; ambition with gratitude drives us to share our happiness.
Think it over.
- Why do some people think that gratitude and ambition are incompatible bed fellows?
- How can ambition drive us away from happiness?
- How can ambition drive us to share our happiness?
Audio explanation of article is here: https://gitadaily.substack.com/p/gratefully-ambitious
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17.16: And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
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