Dick Bolles started out an Episcopal priest—and lost his job in a budget crunch. He landed a denominational administrative position, meeting with campus ministers across the country. Many of their jobs, he discovered, were in peril, and they had no idea what to do. So he wrote a guide to help them find jobs and change careers. At first he gave it away. Then it caught on. What Color Is Your Parachute? is now the world's most popular job-hunting book.

It's ironic that I, who had little ambition, gained such influence, while others who'd kill for such influence, still seek it. You don't necessarily find something by going for it directly.

When learning to spot airplanes in the dark, the navy taught us that the centers of our eyes are blind at night. If you look directly toward the sound of a plane at night, you'll never see it. But if you look to the right or left of the sound source, you'll see the plane out of the part of your eye that isn't night-blind.

Ambition is like that. People who pursue ambitious goals often are highly frustrated. And those who succeed often are ruthless, leaving bodies scattered over the landscape. Those who pursue meaningful service, however, often reach their goals.

Still, for every achiever, an enormous number who years ago offered themselves for ministry have never come close to achieving their goals. So we have to offer ourselves to God to do whatever He wants us to do, and let the personal ambition go by the way.