You lack mission and purpose. Do this to become obsessed
Individuals obsessed with their craft go down in history. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant (mamba mentality), Thomas Edison, Vincent van Gogh, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Shigeru Miyamoto, Akira Kurosawa, Vivian Maier, and many more.
Become obsessed
Obsession is the ball you shoot at greatness.
- Doing the work is not enough.
- Daily showing up is the entry fee.
- Silencing “the Resistance” is the bare minimum.
You have to be living and breathing your craft. To be immersed in it. To be thinking about it all the time. To fall asleep planning your next steps and waking up trying things and experimenting.
It needs to become part of you, a part of your identity.
It’s pointless to plan your day if you don’t have a plan for your life.
Do you have an obsession?
If you know what you should be doing, double down. Do more of it, specialise, and set more ambitious goals. Risk more. Experiment more. Don’t settle. You have been blessed with this gift! Don’t squander it.
If you haven’t found “it” yet, there’s still time, but remember this:
- You don’t find an obsession—you cultivate one.
Passion doesn’t bestow upon you.
You become passionate about your craft through practice. By practising, you become obsessed.
Don’t wait for passion to strike you before you start.
How to find your obsession
The best way I know is:
- Write a list of the top five activities you’d see yourself doing.
- Next to each activity, write the reason why.
- Ask, “Do I see myself doing this activity daily for the rest of my life?”
For #2 (the why), your reasons shouldn’t include fame, money, family, or perks which come with the job. The reason should be because you simply enjoy the process.
For #3, if the answer is “no”, then find a different activity. Or do a sub-analysis why not. What aspects of the activity don’t you like? Could you swap those?
- If you don’t enjoy tinkering with small gears or watch hands, watchmaking isn’t suited for you.
- If the process of sitting long hours alone with your thoughts and beating yourself up trying to write coherent sentences doesn’t sound like fun, writing isn’t for you.
- If working with clay and getting dirty repulses you, skip pottery.
- If you don’t like when your muscles ache, becoming an athlete is not for you.
Analyse the process of the activity. Can you enjoy it?
You will progress much faster if you enjoy it.
How do you know if you’ll enjoy the process?
You don’t know until you try.
You have to try it first. Treat it as an experiment.
Give yourself a deadline.
Try the activity for one month, three months, or six months. At the end of the deadline, evaluate the process.
You won’t find the perfect practice. There are aspects of the activity which will be annoying to you. But overall, you should enjoy most parts of the process.
Keep telling yourself:
- “It’s the process that counts, not the outcomes.”
In the beginning, there will be little momentum, nothing will happen, and you’ll get rejections.
Remind yourself it’s about the process, and carry on.
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
— Zen Proverb
You have one life.
You’re destined to do more with your life than pay the bills, pay taxes, and then die.
Try things. Find your why. Cultivate your obsession.
We need more people obsessed with their craft.