Self-motivation: Ambition as an ally

In today's world, it can be more difficult than one would think to motivate yourself and achieve your dreams. But it's not impossible, not with ambition.

It's a truth universally acknowledged that when one sets their mind to something, when they visualise what they want to achieve, they can. Turning something you once believed to be unattainable into something achievable and tangible is possible.

But you have to put in the work.

I class myself as a Slytherin in terms of Harry Potter houses. Now, for anyone who isn't familiar with the houses of Hogwarts and their attributes, they are as follows:

Gryffindor:

Gryffindor is probably the most famous of the houses at Hogwarts. Its house symbol is a lion, which probably tells you all you need to know already. Those chosen to be a part of Gryffindor are often:

• Courageous

• Determined

• Brave

• And those that stand up to others

Ravenclaw:

Ravenclaw is another of the houses, notable by the eagle emblem. It's typically a house that includes the smartest of minds, so the Ravenclaw traits include:

• Intelligent

• Wise and Witty

• An Overachiever

• And not afraid to be their unique selves

Hufflepuff:

Hufflepuff is probably the least well-known house and one that people underestimate. The house's symbol is the badger and traits of those who are Hufflepuffs include:

• Humble

• Hard-working

• Trustworthy and Loyal

• And having a strong moral compass

Slytherin:

Slytherin is one of the two most well-known houses but also the most notorious for having a bad reputation. However, there is more to it than that. I embody a lot of the traits that represent those in Slytherin, which include:

• Ambitious

• Cunning

• Resourceful

• Shrewd

Credit: Pinterest

I used to always say I'm a Gryffindor but looking back I'm definitely a Slytherin. However, I also have traits of all the other houses too.

But the point I'm trying to make is that Slytherins are known for being ambitious. And it's this ambition that everyone can use a bit of.

Ambition as an ally

In life, there are times when we know exactly what we want to do but there are times when we also have no clue. Neither situation is better than the other in the grand scheme of things. Planning meticulously can be helpful but so can going with the flow.

However, having ambition can only be a good thing.

Having that desire to achieve something, to be successful and proud of yourself, can help increase self-motivation.

The other day, I was scrolling through TikTok when this video of Kevin Hart appeared. It was him explaining his mentality in life and describing himself as a "life goes on" type of guy.

Personally, I found the video actually rather inspiring and it got me thinking.

Life goes on, it's not going to stop for you to do something or sort things out. It carries on. But if you use your ambition, use your desires, your dreams, and motivate yourself, you can achieve so much in life. If you make mistakes, who cares? Learn from the failures and the errors, don't let them define you.

If things take longer than you would have liked, it doesn't matter. Life goes on and one day you will get to where you want to be.

So long as you have that drive within yourself to keep going and keep working hard, nothing can stop you.

Kevin Hart's exact words were:

"Sun don't stop for nobody, man. Sun don't ******* stop. Sun gonna be up in the morning regardless. That sun is gonna be up in the morning regardless of how I ******* feel and how depressed I am.

"The Sun is gonna ****** shine in the morning and at night time the moon gonna be there and you gonna look up, these days gonna keep going by.

"So do you let the days go by and look up and you wasted a year doing what? Or do you just pick it up, alright, I figured I made some mistakes, life goes on. Let me figure out life from this point. I'm a "life goes on" type of guy."

Until next time...