As a typical A type personality, I've always been one of those ambitious, driven over achiever types. I think it comes back to knowing that from an early age my education was my inheritance and I was on my own two feet after that. Rightly so. My parents worked incredibly hard to send us to one of the leading schools in the Britain and they should be the ones enjoying what they’ve earned, not squirrelling it away for my brother and I.
Ultimately I don’t believe in inheritance. I don’t understand why many millennials feel a sense of entitlement to it. To me inheritance seems inherently unfair and it should be taxed to the hilt (as an inheritance tax lawyer, Mum is undoubtedly squirming right now.) A simplistic viewpoint agreed but why should one be granted more opportunities in life over another simply because of the family they were born into? Time living in Uganda highlighted that more than ever. It’s luck of the draw. And I wonder why I’ve been nicknamed ‘Red Elliott’.
Knowing not to expect any inheritance has taught me some invaluable life lessons including the importance of independence. I believe that it’s also what’s given me ambition. My brother and I are polar opposites – he travels across the world mixing with the upper echelons of society buying racehorses, I've lived in Uganda working for charity and feel passionate about the importance of equality. But a common trait between us both is our ambition, our drive to succeed and our refusal to settle. In the West ambition is typically regarded as a positive attribute yet the older I become, the more I ask myself is ambition a blessing or a curse?
Ambition enables you to dream, it is seen as the path to success. But does ambition mean that you’re never content, always looking into the future and never living in the present? Do ambitious people ever achieve and celebrate their accomplishments or are they always looking for the next opportunity? Is that feeling of success upon achieving your goals, sometimes to the detriment of others, worth it? Do I look at those I consider to be most ambitious and think they’re truly happy – probably not. I have no doubt that there must be a link between ambition and depression. But given the choice I’d rather be ambitious than not, at least you get sh*t done in life. As with most things, I think it’s a balancing act – I just haven’t quite found that balance yet…
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