In the flowering season of youth, people often harbor vanity and ambition. Vanity may be a gorgeous cloak of self-esteem, and ambition is the desire of the heart. When you are young and frivolous, everyone may have dreamed of flying high. But as self-awareness deepens, people will gradually recognize their talents, strengths and weaknesses, and let go of superficial vanity and overly ostentatious ambitions.
Vanity is the outer glory, the self in the eyes of people. As children, we may have longed to be the center of attention. But as we grow up, we realize that true glory does not come from the gaze of others, but from inner satisfaction and peace. We have seen people who fight for face, but in the end they lose their peace of mind and happiness.
Ambition is the ambition for the future, and it is the indomitable force. Once upon a time, we had the dream of conquering the world, hoping to leave our mark in every corner of the world. However, as the years go by, we gradually realize the vastness of the world and our own insignificance, and begin to let go of those unrealistic illusions and focus on the small steps in front of us.
Maturity is the shift from external vanity and ambition to inner goals and pursuits. It's not that we don't have dreams anymore, but we know how to pursue them with our feet on the ground. No longer blindly following in the footsteps of others, but firmly following your own path.
Youth is short, but as long as we can grasp the opportunity of self-knowledge and transform vanity and ambition into inner motivation and goals, then, no matter how old we are, we can proudly say: I was once young, I used to live for myself.