This I Believe: Ambition opens endless possibilities

By: Toby Hutson | Special to the R&L
Published: February 01, 2012

We all, at some point in our lives, desire something. To some it is a tangible object to which all may see; while to others it may be an idea that is born only from self ingenuity and grasped by our intellect. When this desire grows within ourselves and becomes a part of us, we can distinguish this as ambition. Ambition, in my eyes, is what revolutionizes the world. It is what allows the world to change and to magnify the ideas of the bright minds that inhabit it.

I have a life that most people can relate to through one aspect or another. But one thing that contributes to my individuality is my personal ambition. I have personal dreams for the present and the future and none of these dreams could have been created without ambition. My ambition is what allows me to get up every morning in hopes of making someone's day better and putting a smile on their face. This same trait gives me the motivation to excel in my classes and push for success. It is my ambition that allows me to dream and think of the possibilities in life.

For all of the people who think the last chapter of their lives is closing, it is ambition through which they change their minds and do something else that they personally feel is meaningful. Ambition is the driving force that has brought people to find vaccines for diseases, ways to walk on the moon and everything in between. All ambitions should be seen as equal, for they all drive the human mind to explore and push for something beyond the paradigm.

Ambitions can come in all sizes and shapes. One person’s ambition may be to open up a bakery where they can have all of their friends come and enjoy their recipes. Someone else's ambition may be to create a foundation for children suffering mental illnesses in their hometown. The world can find unity in the ambitions that people have. An individual may have an ambition that opposes another person's. These people do not have to agree on the each other's ideas but they can respect the idea that they both have a passion and were given a chance in this world to follow their dreams and find their ambitions.

Leaders are clear examples of people who have found their ambitions in life and followed them. By becoming the followers of our ambitions, we can all become leaders. For me, ambition opens a limitless hall of doors with opportunity in every direction. I believe that ambition should be one of the most treasured gifts within mankind.

Toby Hutson is a junior at North Iredell High School and is a member of the Youth Leadership Iredell Class of 2012.