Take work as an example. Aiming for a senior management position may be exactly where you would like to be and from where you think you could show the world precisely how able and qualified you are, but promotion is not something you can control or predict. The management’s rules for selection may not be governed exclusively by choosing on ability. And changing jobs by moving to another company is no easier. At forty-plus work abilities are rarely questioned, only age. Aim too high and disappointment may be inevitable.
And although we are inclined usually only to see ambition in the context of work, aspiration and expectation also apply equally to money, love, fame, travel, acquisition and future success as much as to the frivolous matters of life like sex. Of course aim high in what you wish to achieve but not so high that even on a good day disappointment is certain. Have ambition because it is vital to your life; but adjust your sights so that if you fail the blow to your ego is one you can take, not one that stuns you. Then, make plans again.
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