Ambition: Why It's Good to Want More and How to Get It

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“Big results require big ambitions.”

Heraclitus

Steve Backshall was working as a freelance writer for Rough Guides, the travel books, when he realized that what he really wanted to do was be a wildlife presenter on television. He had loved adventurous travel and exploration ever since he was a child. But he had no television experience and knew he would need to find a way to show producers that he really had what it takes.

So he bought a cheap home video camera and flew to the most exotic and frightening place he could think of – Colombia. He spent a few weeks in the jungle filming himself with snakes and scorpions, then sent copies of the tape to lots of people in the television industry, along with a proposal ...