The revelation was twenty-years in the making following the resurrection of a friendship.

The accusation of an overly-ambitious nature troubled me and forced ongoing consideration of alleged behaviour.

The trouble manifested in different ways: fidgeting, pensive, distracted, and procrastinating to a stop.

In my defence, I have always thought for those who work in my fields of interest, a moral imperative is the driver of ambition.

Acting to make a difference when underpinned by a clear set of principles which guide decision-making remains crucial.

Ambition is an extremely interesting field of study that features far more in literature, academic research, and the arts than I initially recognised.

And while I no longer consider myself overly ambitious, there is still room for goal-driven behaviour which is now more generalised rather than professionally pointed.

One of the most ambitious of them all, Emperor of France and General, Napoleon Bonaparte offered: "Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them."

I have always prided myself on the principles that direct me.

Being ambitious in Australia is often viewed as arrogance. We don't like show offs and we struggle to tolerate those who appear ego driven.

It's not quite tall poppy syndrome, successful people facing unwarranted criticism, rather, a derivative where showboating or becoming a bore through oversharing your aspirations or achievements are frowned upon.

As Dr. Rumeet Billan described in a 2018 study, "egalitarianism and humbleness can be linked to Australia and New Zealand's culture...there is an expectation people should not be boastful."

This is different to the US for example where we often view interactions as over the top.

There is a frankness to the way they go about their lives with unintended disclosures to all and sundry commonplace as they delve into their lives on phones, in workplaces, and in hotbeds of social interaction like cafes and restaurants.

Americans value and promote the importance of individualism, assertiveness, progress, and achievement. They praise those who are successful far more comfortably than we do.

At times, this can be galling but there is also something admirable about the way they are comfortable with acknowledgment.

Instead of chipping away at those who we consider too big for their boots like most of us have been guilty of, Americans unite to tell their story as individuals, as states, and as a nation.

And for those thinking of former president, Donald Trump as I describe a country vastly different to ours, it is a quintessential description of the world's most powerful and boastful nation that a convicted criminal could again become president.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the US, a leader who ended slavery and became a hero of the Union during the Civil War, served for four years before he was assassinated in 1865, offered:

"Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say, for one, that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellowmen, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying ambition is yet to be developed."

I am convinced that ambition changes as you collect experiences and develop wisdom.

Lincoln wanted to be worthy of esteem and saw this as an ongoing journey. He would die a hero and remain a revered figure in the US and across the world.

A troubled soul like many leaders who achieve greatness, he displayed a level of humbleness and humility perhaps different to other political leaders from his country.

Abraham Lincoln was driven by the need to end slavery in a highly volatile period in US history where political disagreements and conflict led to Civil War.

Being overly-ambitious is often a folly of young leaders.

It is easily recognisable because there are moments when it is not underpinned by the principles that should drive those determined to make a difference.

But it is also an important learning experience to strive and strive again, fail, and then pick yourself up, and learn from your mistakes.

As author and activist, Helen Keller wrote, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

Many years ago, I was deeply passionate about my profession. It occupied all my waking hours from the daily grind to holidays where I would devour all of the information I could lay my hands on.

I wanted to be good at what I did to make a difference and that drove me and my decision-making.

And while that passion remains, it is more balanced and considered because of an awareness that with additional responsibility comes additional pressure.

Brains are not infinite in their capacity and require shutdown much like our device screens.

But as surrealist painter Salvador Dali, whose 1931 masterpiece of a dripping or melting clock titled The Persistence, said, "Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."

Ambition has its place.