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Most people know the movie Annie Get Your Gun, Which tells the story of Annie
Oakley, the sharpshooter, who lost a match on purpose to “get her man.”
The movie is a myth created in Hollywood. The real story is that Annie was a
sharpshooter by the age of twelve. After her father died, she provided for her
mother, brothers and sisters by supplying game for local hotels. The town entered
her into a shooting match promoted by marksman Frank Butler. She won. Butler
is quoted as saying, “I never shot better in my life, but never did a person
make more impossible shots than did that little girl. It was her first big match
— and my first defeat.” They became a team; they married, she shot
while he managed her successful entertainment career until their deaths, three
days apart. They say he died of a broken heart.
Annie was ambitious. She had to be in order to provide for the entire family and become an internationally known sharpshooter. Ambitious is defined as “having a strong desire for success or achievement” and “requiring full use of your abilities or resources.”
Ambitious doesn’t mean being pushy and insensitive to others, nor does
it mean having no concern for whom you trample on in order to reach your goal,
although there are people who act that way. To be ambitious and reach your goals
you need to know what your talents and your resources are, truly desire success
and never give up.
Every woman can be an ambitious Annie. Women become ambitious at various stages
in their lives. Some are ambitious from the time they are little. Others chose
to focus on their families first but then they become ambitious in their careers
later. Others are still waiting for inspiration to become ambitious.
Are you ambitious? Do you want to be? First, let’s determine how ambitious
you are. Answer these five questions:
1) Do you want to improve your life, increase your earnings and upgrade your
surroundings?
2) Are you willing to ask for help? Are you willing to put your ego aside and
ask for advice?
3) Based on a scale of one to five, how would you assess your determination
to go after your dream (Five is very determined — one is not really interested)
4) Do people describe you as ambitious, a go getter or out for yourself?
5) Are you willing to give up behaviors, beliefs and friends who don’t
support your dreams?
If you answered yes to four or more, you are very ambitious. If you answered
yes to two to four answers, you are becoming ambitious. If you answered yes
to one to two, you are waiting for the right time.
It’s okay if you aren’t ambitious however if you want to improve
your life and have you need to develop an ambitious streak. Why is ambition
so important? It is the propeller that drives you to take risks and to learn
new things that will help you later. Ambition is the catalyst to meet new people,
who may lead you to the next step. Ambition is the fire that makes you jump
and grab opportunities when others let them pass by. To improve your life you
need to follow four concrete steps, which will not only help you become ambitious,
but will also increase your level of ambition. Know what you want. Do you want
a promotion? What kind of promotion? What kind of life would you have if you
got the promotion? If you want to run for office, what office do you want? What
will you feel like when you get elected? You may not know every detail but you
need a vision (even if it is a cloudy vision) of where you want to be and what
you want to obtain. Ambitious people know what they want. They are focused on
the golden key and know they have to keep moving to get it.
Identify needed resources. Now that you have a vision you need to make a list
of what you would need to achieve it. As you list everything you will note that
some things appear to be totally unrealistic. They can almost feel like pipe
dreams. That is okay. Right now you are writing the list. Include on the list
people you know who can help you, people you know who have connections. Also,
think of distant friends and family relatives who can give you advice and guidance.
What kind of financial resources do you need to accomplish your vision? Ambitious
people know they need financial resources to get what they want. They know they
can’t accomplish their goals by sheer wit. If you need to learn new techniques
to meet people at functions, conventions and parties, you can receive the free
e-book Go Fish! For Friends, Family and Opportunities at www.pegine.com. Ambitious
people network and connect so they can find the human resources and fiscal resources
they deserve.
Create desire within yourself. By seeing, feeling, tasting and connecting with
your vision, you make an emotional connection with your hopes and dreams. Doing
so is critical for anyone who wants a successful life. Take time out of your
day to spend time with your vision. Try to connect with your vision with all
of your senses. By evoking your senses you create an intellectual, physical
and emotional connection to your dreams, thereby creating desire. Desire is
created because you want to feel the way you imagine you will feel if you achieve
your dreams.
Develop persistence. Ambitious people are tenacious. They use desire, resources
and their dream to stay focused. When obstacles come their way, they work through
them, push them aside or focus on their past successes. The CD The Art of Persistence
($19.95, call 904-280-8806 to order) details how you can develop your persistence
skills.
Annie Oakley knew what she wanted to be a world famous sharpshooter. She found
the resources to help her (her husband, Frank, who managed her and the traveling
road show circuit). She developed the desire to reach her goals then finally
she gained persistence; she was not going to give up when difficulties came
her way, and they did.
You can become an Ambitious Annie. Just start following the steps outlined
know what you want, identify needed resources, create desire and learn to be
persistent. You deserve success and you deserve to be an ambitious Annie.
Pegine Echevarria
www.pegine.com