What is my ambition?

A teenage friend of my neighbor asked me recently ... Uncle, what was your ambition? The young man was asking me what I wanted to be when I was at his age and he was a bit surprised when I told him that I did not have any ambitions. Really, I cannot recall if I ever had an ambition to be anything.

Maybe in primary school, the teacher did ask us to write an essay about our ambitions and I remember (at that time) everyone wanted to a doctor, an engineer or a pilot ... but that was just an essay to write ... nothing to be taken seriously.

It has never crossed my mind to want to be something or someone. When I was in school, I was just trying to finished schooling as soon as possible and get to work ...  not sure what kind of work I will find but as long as it pays.

So really, what I have was more like an objective ... to help put food on the table. Even during school holidays, I was doing odd jobs already. As soon as I left school, I went for the first job available ... I worked as an electrician apprentice not because I like it ... it is because I have to help put food on the table.

As time passed ... things changed, people changed, trends changed and I went from job to job ... as an electrician, a draughtsman, a photographer, an insurance marketing executive, a small advertising agency owner, a coffee shop partner, a marketing manager and finally a senior brand manager. Though my life changed but my objective did not ... it is still putting food on the table ... well, maybe I needed to also put a roof over our heads.

I have never had the luxury to have an ambition to be someone or something that I like to be ... I was everywhere, dabbling in everything ... I was like a Jack of all trades.

Many people have ambitions ... to be an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a politician, a scientist, an inventor, a designer, a writer ... all sorts.  Well, not for me ... all I had and still have is an objective of providing the necessities for my family.

But then again, if I look at it in another way, maybe I do have an ambition ... and that ambition is ... to be a good son, a good husband, a good father and a good man.