[Jedi_sena]

Do you see yourself as ambitious? I have never felt much drive to make something of myself, at least not in the way defined by the world in general. I suppose the answer will depend largely on the values adopted by each INTJ, but I thought I'd throw it out there and see who is like-minded.

My husband always wonders at me because I am intelligent enough to achieve bigger goals than I push myself toward. Though prefectionistic, I am very content having little and it puzzles him.

[colmdubh]

One question to ask is what drives people to be ambitious in the first place? I think if someone is content they tend to be less ambitious towards a goal unless their contentment comes from their ambitious. If I have a good reason to do something I am pretty ambitious toward whatever goal it may be. Some people tend to be less ambitious if they can satisfy their job requirements for instance with little effort compared to most people at their workplace. For me no challenge = little ambition

[EsoteriEccentri]

I used to be ambitious, when I was younger. Though my lack of assertiveness and my shyness worried me. Back then, if I couldn't be the very best I got rather disillusioned. I wanted to begin a business and become the richest person in the world.. All for selfish pleasures, and just the feeling of having achieved something in this short blip of a life. You see, it was my own insignificance that scared me, and if being remembered on Earth was the only way I could "live on" it's what I had to pursue. I wouldn't take second richest.
I was a nice little girl on the whole. I didn't behave selfishly, even though I was. So perhaps not so nice inside? I told everyone I wanted to be rich so that I could give money to charities. In a way it was true, I didn't see the problem with giving so long as I could invest the rest of the money. But the real reason was that it was the closest I could get to immortality. (I also had some idea of investing the money in inventing an "immortality pill") xDD
I suppose it's not real ambition, just fear.

I guess that sounds funny. ^^ It certainly does to me, now I'm "old." If there is anyone at all that can count fourteen as old. Fifteen in June. As I've said so many times before... I'm dreading it. ;_;

Anyway, ambition. I have very, very little. I suppose if I could find my purpose ambition in some form would accompany it. Now the scenario I talked about above would be my worst nightmare. No, not ambitious. At all. All that drives me to do anything now is fear of disappointing others.

[Aronnax]

It depends on your definition of "ambition".

I have a great deal of ambition when it comes to fulfilling my personal goals. I don't really fill the normal social definition of "ambitious" since it's associated with the corner office and a seven figure income.

[Monte314]

I think Aronnax is right -- at it's heart, ambition is about self-promotion... but that means very different things to different people, so manifests in different ways.

[mkay]

I live to experience new things, learn, absorb, stretch. I'm happily living out my ambition.

[Antares]

I think I'm ambitious; or rather, ruthlessly so. My parents want another child; but my reason is quite unlike what I gave years earlier (which is, you'd be unfair to me then).

It was:

"Assuming I have a brother; what you can't provide for him? Would the responsibility fall to me then? [affirmation, incredulous that I might ask such a question] Well, I don't want anyone to hinder my career or my ambitions. If you do decide to have another child, then by all means do. But don't expect me to help you in any way. If you can't provide his education, don't ever come running to me."

On that note, I think I would probably grow soft over a new brother, as I did with a new cousin (he's just SO cute). That's why I want to nip the problem in the bud. I'm afraid of my Fi.

[PRBori]

I'm very ambitious in personal and career goals. The reason is that I have two little ones that depend on me only, and therefore I must reach my goals in order to make sure they are taken care off.

That said, I'm not ambitious in a materialistic aspects, but within myself on what I need to do to take care of my family and offer them the life I've only dream off as I was growing up.

Don't take it the wrong way... again is not materialistic, is more like providing a stable environment, providing them with the opportunity to develop their senses, intelligence, and everything else that's important for a human being outside of the material world.

[IgnoranceIsKind]

I am extremely firm in my ambitions. To date, I have come up with multiple plans and strategies for my dream; though so far only only a few has been materialized, one thing they have in common is that they are radical. I refuse to adhere to the commonly placed notion of 'working hard'. No, I can't take that. Not so much the inability to undertake hard work, but rather the burning desire to prove everyone wrong that with proper and precise planning and cutting corners, the end results are pretty much the same. I have absolutely no respect for people who deny revolutionaries simply because it is against social norms. My intuition tells me that this is simply jealously; an anger that is a manisfestation of weaknesses because they don't have the guts to make that leap of faith.

Of course, I must clarify that I am not annulling hard work. In the right time, menial procedures are due and must be done. However what counts is that you optimise it to a minimalistic extent. That is what I am trying to do now. But until I can come up with a fool-proof plan, spending two hours studying for an economics test sounds fine to me.

[mkay]

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I think I'm ambitious; or rather, ruthlessly so. My parents want another child; but my reason is quite unlike what I gave years earlier (which is, you'd be unfair to me then). It was: "Assuming I have a brother; what you can't provide for him? Would the responsibility fall to me then? [affirmation, incredulous that I might ask such a question] Well, I don't want anyone to hinder my career or my ambitions. If you do decide to have another child, then by all means do. But don't expect me to help you in any way. If you can't provide his education, don't ever come running to me." On that note, I think I would probably grow soft over a new brother, as I did with a new cousin (he's just SO cute). That's why I want to nip the problem in the bud. I'm afraid of my Fi.

I can understand you're saying, but you might want to consider the possibility that having a sibling is unlike any relationship a person can have. Maybe it's different with a big age gap; I wouldn't know about that. And obviously everyone doesn't love or get along with their siblings. ... All I can say, based on my relationship with my brother, is that I wouldn't trade it for money, time, anything I can imagine.

Besides my husband, he's the only person I love no matter what. And I'm not a big feeler. ... It's an amazing thing, to have someone who shares such history with you, who gets where you're coming from, no matter if you have very different personalities. I have had good friends, of course, as my brother does. But there's a bond there that is wonderfully unique and unshakable.

We're not Hallmark-y types, we don't see each other much, we talk every so often, we only email infrequently. None of that matters because the love is strong. My brother is a part of me in a way no one ever can be (and I don't mean DNA).