Secrets of Ambition - Time Magazne Story

By Mark Ijlal on November 11, 2005 4:32 PM

Cover story in Time Magazine about what makes some people ambitious and some people content. I was disappointed in their story. 8 pages and all I got was that wolves and monkeys also show signs of ambition.

But 2 other interesting quotes for us:

At Washington University, researchers have been conducting brain imaging to investigate a trait they call persistence--the ability to stay focused on a task until it's completed just so--which they consider one of the critical engines driving ambition.

It is my observation that most real estate investors give up too easily, too quickly in pursuing their dreams. Sure there is a fine line in being a persistent and being a stubborn idiot. Although Nora will have some comments of her own here about me. :-)

But almost all the time, all the good things in life – love, children, and good food – take some time and persistence to get. I have always wondered if one of the reason we love our children so much is that it takes patience, waiting for nine months, the expectancy in the air for them to come in our lives.

Look I am as guilty as probably as anybody. I want the whole cake too and damn it I want it right now. But I see in my 2 businesses that if I stick around for a while, put some “good systems” in place then money and success just comes keep rolling in.

Persistence equals lots of money in my world.

Next quote is even more interesting. Reminded me of Rich Dad, Poor Dad – when Kiyosaki is talking about the difference between how the middle class differs from the rich in spending their money.

“When measuring ambition, anthropologists divide families into four categories: poor, struggling but getting by, upper middle class, and rich. For members of the first two groups, who are fighting just to keep the electricity on and the phone bill paid, ambition is often a luxury.

For the rich, it's often unnecessary. It's members of the upper middle class, reasonably safe economically but not so safe that a bad break couldn't spell catastrophe, who are most driven to improve their lot. "It's called status anxiety," says anthropologist Lowe, "and whether you're born to be concerned about it or not, you do develop it."

You can look up the article at www.time.com (subscription required to get the entire article).


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