The Relationship Between Gratitude and Ambition

Here is a phrase I want you to remember: Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.

Most people think gratitude and ambition are opposites. That if you are thankful for what you have, you must be settling. And if you are ambitious, you must be ungrateful for what you already possess.

I have found the opposite to be true. The most ambitious people I know are also the most thankful. And the most thankful people I know are also the most ambitious.

Gratitude Is Not Settling

Let me be clear about what gratitude is not. It is not complacency. It is not saying, "This is good enough." It is not an excuse to stop growing.

Gratitude is the foundation from which you pursue what you want. It is the solid ground you stand on while you reach for something higher.

Think of it this way. A tree with deep roots can grow tall. A tree with shallow roots topples in the first storm. Gratitude is your root system. Ambition is your reach toward the sun. You need both.

The Scarcity Trap

Here is what happens when you pursue ambition without gratitude. You achieve something, and it is never enough. You reach a goal, and you immediately feel empty because you are already looking at the next one. You acquire possessions, but they do not satisfy because you were never thankful for what you had before them.

I have met wealthy people who were miserable. Not because wealth is bad, but because they pursued it from a place of scarcity instead of a place of appreciation.

The person who cannot enjoy the view from the first floor will not enjoy it from the penthouse either.

Both at the Same Time

Here is the discipline I want you to practice. Every morning, before you work on your goals, take sixty seconds to acknowledge what you already have. Your health. Your relationships. The skills you have developed. The lessons you have learned — even the hard ones.

Then pursue your ambitions with everything you have got.

Related: 5 Simple, Practical Ways to Become More Grateful

You will find something remarkable happens. When you pursue goals from a place of gratitude instead of a place of lack, the journey becomes as meaningful as the destination. The happiness is in the becoming, not just in the having.

Be thankful. And be ambitious. They are not in conflict. They are partners in building an exceptional life.