Inventing Your Life's Meaning

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Ambition is only understood if it's to rise to the top of some imaginary ladder of success. Someone who takes an undemanding job because it affords him the time to pursue other interests and activities is looked down upon. 

 

A person who refuses a promotion because it would mean spending too much time away from his family is seen as not living up to his potential - as if a job title is the sole measure of human worth. 

 

I'm young, yet everywhere I look and everything I read seems to say the same thing in different words: "Keep climbing and never be satisfied. There's room for improvement and if you want to be successful, it's time to get going."

 

I expect to hear this same tune in inventive and creative ways for the rest of my life.  There's certainly some truth to it, and as somebody who values the work I do, it serves as a source of motivation. 

 

My concern is that this idea of ambition which we constantly encounter implies that this is the only way to happiness. It implies that if you don't reach the top of the imaginary ladder of success, you can't be happy. It's a mistake to conform to this type of thinking. Building the kind of life which you want to live and which brings you happiness, seems important.  

 

To invent your own life's meaning is not easy, and you'll probably receive a lot of criticism for it, but it's possible. I think it'll be worth it too.