According to Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and a Stoic philosopher, “A man’s
worth is no greater than his ambitions.” This sentiment holds true as ambition is, simply put, the
desire to achieve a goal. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that a man’s worth is based off of his
ambitions. Furthermore, humans have sought to achieve goals since their very beginning. In
other words, goals allow humans to reach a higher level of accomplishment. Thus, it is only
natural for man to have ambitions. Therefore, ambition continues to be a major force in enabling
hard work for successful results. It is prevalent in schools where students strive to earn grades,
on the sports field where athletes compete for a win, and in the workforce where workers strive
to earn a promotion.

Driven by ambition, students attempt to gain knowledge, earn good grades, and become
involved in clubs and activities in order to attend a prestigious college. In school, a student’s goal
is to learn more about the world around them. This goal is achieved by the student’s ambition to
gain knowledge in the humanities, the technical sciences, and in the world of art. Students strive
to earn high marks in order to attend an esteemed college. As a matter of fact, Ivy League
schools and other reputable universities look for students who not only have high GPA but also
have taken challenging courses. Such challenging courses allow students to obtain further
knowledge in a specific subject matter. A prime example of this is taking Advanced Placement
Spanish as opposed to taking Honors or College Prep level Spanish.

In an AP Spanish course, a student is expected to be able to read, write, and speak in a fluent
manner regarding complex topics. This means that, in order to succeed in an Advanced Placement course,
the student must have the ambition to learn sophisticated vocabulary and complex linguistic structures.
This enables the student to communicate in an advanced manner. However, this is simply not enough
to accomplish the goal of attending a prestigious college. Colleges also look for students who are
involved at their school.

This is the case as prestigious schools want students who are involved,
problem-solving leaders to attend their schools. Therefore, students ought to have the ambition to
join selective clubs and activities such as Ambassadors and Student Council. All in all,
a student’s ambition to do well in school allows him to reach his fullest learning
potential by attending a prestigious university and contributing to society.
Ambition is not only useful in school but is also a means of success on the sports field
where athletes compete in order to beat their rivals and advance in their careers. Athletics brings
out the ambition to beat a close rival.

A prime instance of this is when Seton Hall Prep, an all-boys private high school, competes with Delbarton,
an all-boys private high school. This combination presents a rivalry between the two schools.
Therefore, while competing, each team strives to play well so that they may beat its rival in order to prove its
athletic dominance over the other team. Another reason why athletes have the ambition to perform well is that
athletics involves prize money and recognition. For example, Serena Williams, a professional
tennis player with a current net worth of 225 million dollars, showed great ambition and
persevered to become the greatest female player of all time. As a matter of fact, Serena, at a
young age, would practice tennis with her father in the tough neighborhood of Compton,
California so that, one day, she would be able to compete for prize money. This shows that
Williams had always wanted to succeed in tennis and achieve her goals by working hard.
Furthermore, she persevered through every obstacle, which made her success in professional
tennis inevitable. Thus, it is clear that ambition is necessary for success in athletics.

Ambition in the workplace empowers workers to earn promotions and beat their own
personal goals. It is well-known that employees often strive to impress their bosses in order to
receive a promotion. Promotions allow employees to earn more money, receive recognition, and
gain more power and flexibility in their work schedule. Thus, employees strive to complete
projects in a timely manner and court favor from their bosses. This is the case as all businesses
promote those who contribute the most to the company’s success. Thus, those who work hard
and have good relations with their boss will most likely earn a promotion. Employees also have
the ambition to attain personal work goals. Such examples maybe to win an award for an
accomplishment, receive recognition for a job well done, to do work on time or before the
deadline, to do the next work project better than the last one, and to help a fellow employee who
maybe struggling. Steve Jobs, for example, was able to revive Apple with the launch of the iPod,
iPhone, and iPad in 2000, making Apple the most valuable company in the world.

The ambition to succeed in the workplace continues to prevail and shape the professional world.
Ambition is the means by which one can accomplish goals at school, in the workplace,
and on the sports field. Therefore, students’ ambitions to earn high marks in advanced subject
matter and participate in clubs an activities that involve problem-solving and leadership skills
earn them a greater chance in pursuing their career goals. Additionally, athletes’ ambitions to
perform well on the sports field enables them to beat their closest rivals and earn prize money
and recognition in their professional career. Finally, employees’ ambitions to work hard and put
time into work allow them to beat their own personal goals and allow them to earn a promotion.
In conclusion, ambition continues to take place in schools where students strive to earn grades,
on the sports field where athletes compete for a win, and in the workforce where workers strive
to earn a promotion.