Today I am puzzling over ambition.

When is it too much? When is it not enough? And just what the heck is it, anyway?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ambition as: “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work,” which seems a perfectly reasonable definition to me. 

I have known uber-ambitious people in my life. And I have known people utterly lacking in ambition. There are two people I know, in fact, who come to mind immediately, each embodying the polar opposite ends of the ambition spectrum. 

I will call the first one Unambitious Ursula. She is whip smart. Knowledgeable on many subjects. Gets bored watching my favorite quiz show, Jeopardy! because the questions are too easy. Can converse on politics and current affairs better than some of the paid pundits on TV.

At the same time, Ursula seems to have absolutely ZERO drive to achieve anything beyond staying employed and watching a lot of TV.

Then there is Abe. Ambitious Abe, I will call him. Abe is not nearly as smart as Ursula. Doesn’t read much. Can’t tell you much about much about the world outside his very narrow field of interest. Abe also isn’t particularly skilled in any of the social graces.

But the guy sure is ambitious. With a capital “A.” He moves from one scheme to the next without breaking a sweat. He is always hungrily prowling for new opportunities around every corner. He eats risk for breakfast (Risk Flakes, anyone?) Has the word “MORE” tattooed on his forehead. For Ambitious Abe, relationships are just steppingstones on his way to The Next Big Thing.

My “spidey sense” tells me the sweet spot of ambition rests somewhere on a line between Ursula and Abe. But the nagging question I keep coming back to is: WHERE exactly is that sweet spot?

Maybe we can start, not by looking at what is so different about Abe and Ursula, but at what they have in common. If anything. I will submit that what they have in common is their LFP, or Life Focal Point. Abe and Ursula – wildly different though they be – each seem to be focused primarily on THEMSELVES. 

Ursula’s central life question seems to be, “What do I feel like doing right now?” And most of the time, her answer is, “Not much, really.”

Abe’s question, on the other hand is more like, “What more can I achieve?”

In both cases, you will notice, the focus is ME. Neither Abe nor Ursula stops to ask themselves questions like, “What does my neighbor need?” Or “What kind of action would make the world a better place?” 

It would be too easy to whip up a formula that says, “Ambition is more Christ-like,” even though through his life and ministry, Jesus of Nazareth brought more transformational change to the world and to history than anyone who came before or after him. 

I believe it is also a cop-out to say, “Lack of ambition is more Christ-like,” citing Christ’s rejection of wealth, or his frequent mountain-side prayer retreats.

But flip back to the top of this post for a minute and revisit the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of ambition. Jesus was certainly determined. He certainly worked hard. But I am also pretty sure he was not driven by, “… a strong desire to do or to achieve something.” 

Was he?

I’m going to go with, “Nope. Not even a little bit.”

I believe the secret to Jesus’ highly effective total makeover of this world was just this: the purity and singularity of his focus on his God-given purpose.  He summed up that purpose in his answer to the rich, young ruler when he said: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39, NRSV).

How is that for ambition?

Abundant blessings;