Do you think ambition subsides as a person gets older?

Not for me, not for my closest friends.

I think as people age, they believe they can do less and less, and that they have a small chance of fufilling those ambitions. In my opinion, people give up way to easily though. It doesn’t matter whether your 7 or 70, you can still do anything.

I was a slug until I was in my thirties. When I was close to 40, I started doing all the things I always wanted to do. I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been in my life. I have more hobbies, and meet new people all the time. I’m finally living. Every day is a new opportunity.

Financially/materially, I’ve settled down because I am now comfortable, and I choose my work for the happiness it brings me, instead of the few extra bucks I could get from a promotion.

No. I was probably more eager and quick to try new things and make changes when I was in my 20’s, but I’m much more focused on what I want and how I go about getting it now (in my 30’s). I hope the only reason this feeling subsides is because the distance to my goals decreases and the task ahead of me less of a mountain to climb.

I don’t think ambitions subside, only that priorities shift….

Mine sure flew out the window…

What a loser. ;-)

If you keep yourself fit, then your mind responds in like and you will remain competitive. You must work harder as you age, but your wiser mind will motivate..like as you asked this question..

Welcome to Fluther, @dannyc. Good insight.

I went from focusing on what would impress others to what makes me happy. I don’t care about money now. Now I just want to hang out outside and read.

No, their bodys ability subsides.

no for everyone, some people, realizing certain lessons or that death is closer or that they’re aging get a new fire going inside them

I am not less ambitious, but my goals are different. I went to school, I have a decent job, I met the man, I have a nice house.

I think I am more settled

…it may smell that way…if it does, it just may be a sign to throw out the trash…

In a way, that is true, but I have found that most of my earlier ambitions were immature and transitory anyway, and I now have everything I ever needed.

Depends on the strength of their initial ambition.

@NaturalMineralWater I don’t think it is the strength of the original ambition, I think it depends upon what the original ambition was & the reasons it was aspired to – personally, I discovered that despite my success, my ambition had caused me to over-look the needs of my family & in the end when you put your ambition ahead of your family, you lose a lot more than you gain. As said by TaoSan, your priorities shift & your reality is adjusted.

@Linda_Owl The reason for the original ambition and why it was aspired I combined and labeled “strength”. So yes, I agree with you.

Not for me.

Absolutely not.

My outlook has changed. I am more focused on using my experience to help others than in personal advancement.

Very GQ, @Linda_Owl – not for me. I get more ambitious as the years go by. Now in my early eightees, I still try to learn something every day – setting goals for myself – trying new foods, learning and reading. You are never too old to study or advance yourself.

Ambition for the most part don’t change with age for most people. When you are young you don’t have the experience to know what cost, mental, physical, or financial your dreams will cost. Some people settle for less or scale down their dreams because they see it as more obtainable. Many lack ambition from the start because they think in linear ways about how to achieve success and that linear thinking do not have the umph to do it.