Global Ambition: What If You Doubled Your Ambition?
There’s never been a better time: the tools are at our fingertips, and the world is our playground
Throughout human history, a consistent pattern persists: doubling. This powerful trend, seen from finance to physics, demonstrates an ever-present drive to amplify and escalate.
In Business and Beyond
Take the classic case of compound interest, where money grows at an exponential rate when interest earned gets added to the principal. Albert Einstein supposedly called it the eighth wonder of the world, emphasising its power in wealth creation.
In technology, Moore’s Law, proposed by Gordon Moore in 1965, became the backbone for predicting computing power’s growth. He observed that the number of transistors on microchips was doubling approximately every two years. This doubling has made our phones smarter, computers faster, and technologies more advanced.
Within society, the amount of generated information has been doubling, leading to the data-driven world we now live in. Every click, tweet, and post contributes to this growing repository of knowledge.
Looking to nature, we see bacterial populations doubling in size in mere hours, emphasising nature’s power and speed. Similarly, our cells, during certain life stages, undergo mitosis - a process that results in doubling.
And then there’s the chessboard problem in mathematics, highlighting the mind-boggling magnitude of exponential growth. By the time you place grains of rice on the 64th square, doubling each time, you’re looking at an enormous number that far exceeds global rice production.
In economics, we see the magic of network effects. As more people join a platform, its value doesn’t just increase - it amplifies, sometimes doubling or even more.
But what about ambition? Can it be doubled? And, why would a business leader or organisation want to?
Ambition: The Catalyst
Ambition is the fire that fuels dreams. It’s the force that pushes us to set bigger goals, strive for more, and reach further. In business and in life, ambition is the engine that drives success. It’s a knife that cuts through the dull, mundane, and competitive, lifting people to higher heights.
"If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian politician and economist
What if you doubled your ambition?
It goes beyond dreaming bigger. Doubling ambition might mean setting more expansive goals, diversifying your aspirations, or accelerating your timelines. It’s an intrinsic motivation to strive for more.
For instance, a local business owner with a modest ambition may be content serving their community. But double that ambition, and they might dream of expanding nationwide or even globally. This doesn’t just mean opening more stores but possibly exploring new markets, adapting to diverse consumer behaviours, or even diversifying the product range.
The Digital Age: A Playground for Ambition
We live at a time when our ambitions have the tools and platforms to come to life at an unprecedented pace. Digital connectivity and data accessibility mean that ambitious people and organisations can scale faster, connect globally, and iterate rapidly.
Imagine an author from a small town. In the pre-digital age, their readership might be limited to their community or city. But today, with the power of the internet, they can self-publish, distribute globally, and connect with readers worldwide.
Similarly, startups today go beyond serving local markets. With digital platforms, they’re typically born global. They harness the power of data for decision-making, use digital channels for marketing, and leverage global networks for growth.
Doing More With Less
It is not about working harder at all costs. Great ambition can come with great responsibility. It is crucial to strike a balance, ensuring that one’s ambition doesn’t lead to burnout or set unattainable standards.
Resistance to ambition can stem from the fear of increased workload and the perceived effort it demands. Yet, today, the emphasis is best placed on efficiency: doing more with less.
By leveraging the right tools and strategies, individuals can amplify their outcomes without proportionally increasing their workload and pressure.
The doubling patterns that drive exponential technologies enable us to do more with less.
Take generative AI, also known as generative artificial intelligence, a machine learning technique capable of creating text, video, images, and various other forms of content.
Used well, generative AI is a silent workhorse behind the scenes. It whips up content, moulds itself to specific needs, and tackles the tedious tasks we’d rather skip. It’s about turning small input into impressive outcomes, making our lives easier. ChatGPT and Midjourny are examples, and even Canva recently released AI tools to automate boring design tasks.
People-Led Progress
Ambition is the fuel that drives progress. It goes beyond social media engagement or a focus purely on financial gain. Ambition drives people to make societal changes, lead in scientific advancements, and shape cultural trends. It is the force behind innovations for the environment, advocating for human rights, and making a difference in various fields.
The Stakes of Slowing Down
What happens if we don’t harness this power of doubling? What if we don’t amplify our ambition? Is there a downside?
The reality is that in today’s fast-paced world, standing still is equivalent to moving backwards.
Business leaders and organisations that don’t innovate risk becoming obsolete. Those who don’t leverage the power of data might find themselves making ill-informed decisions. Sticking with what worked in the past increasingly delivers diminishing returns.
Blockbuster faced this fate. The once giant in the movie rental business failed to see the power of digital. They were soon outpaced by companies like Netflix that harnessed the power of the internet and data.
The Decision to Double
Doubling is a mathematical concept. And, it’s a phenomenon that we can see in various aspects of our world. Whether it’s in business, nature, or personal ambitions, the power of doubling is evident. We can each decide to double our ambition.
Reflecting on 2023, which aspirations remain unrealized? How could doubling your ambition transform your outcomes in 2024 and beyond?
I believe that amplified ambition drives global goals. There’s never been a better time to double ambition: the tools are at our fingertips, and the world is our playground.
Cool insights!