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Desire vs Ambition
They’re not the same
According to Buddhism, when Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, his insights taught him the underlying cause of sorrow and despair in humankind. Desire, he realized, is the cause of sorrow — the second of the Four Noble Truths — which comes from this thing called Trishna. We desire something because we have Trishna, and we feel sad when we don’t have that thing. The cessation of Trishna is thus the true path to happiness. This is, of course, way easier said than done.
Buddhism associates desire with inaction, i.e., the cessation of activity. Desiring means doing little. It is a craving, a want, and a longing. There is a tug at the heart, but no action.
Ambition, on the other hand, is the longing to achieve something or create something that generally requires work. It may be a spin-off of desire, but there appears to be vision and action involved.
Take some examples, like if you want to start a business, publish a book, or play in the NBA. These would qualify as ambitions because fulfilling them would mean achieving something, and thus feel more meaningful. Which is not the same as having desires, because desires are just things you really “want”, but may not be willing to put in the work to achieve, make plans for, or be willing to sacrifice for.
