— QUARK. PROPHET MOTIVE. Stardate Not Given

For many of us, “ambition” carries as many negative connotations as positive. In its neutral sense, the word simply refers to the inner drive that impels people toward their goals. But that drive is often seen as self-serving and ruthless. Ambition is the proverbial bull in a china shop, the loose phaser, the win-at-all-costs, take-no-prisoners assault that tramples anything that gets in its way.

This kind of ambition values goals over people, the “end” rather than the “means,” the destination more than the voyage—or what we learn during the voyage.

In one of his more reflective moments, Quark puts ambition in its place. We should strive not for trophies or achievements, he implies, but for the personal development required to earn them. We can easily misinterpret the ambition we feel as directed toward some external objective, toward the “thing” we’re doing. But if that’s so, we haven’t given our subconscious minds enough credit. Because the real objective is always internal, and what we’re really “doing” is improving ourselves.

The more we become conscious of this fact, the more likely we’ll discover what it is we need to learn—and then make our primary goal learning it.

Hidden within my external goals are clues to how my inner Self wants me to grow. I will focus less on “achieving,” and more on learning my lessons.

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The above meditation is taken from Going Boldly on Your Inner Voyage © 1999-2004, IF Books.

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