The Power Of Obsessing

Being obsessed tends to come with a negative connotation. If you have a problem letting things go or moving on, it’s seen as… well, a problem.

In certain contexts, that’s absolutely correct. It’s a big, nasty problem. Probably most contexts.

Can’t get your ex-girlfriend out of your head? That’s a problem.

Harping endlessly about some personal slight at work? That’s a problem.

If you’re spending your days in an endless cycle of emotional despair because of something you can’t directly control, that’s a problem. Go try some mindfulness or something and move on.

That brand of obsession is straight up poison. But it’s not the only way to obsess, and there are places where it is a huge benefit.

Like in business.

In business, you can use your obsession to your advantage. If something is bothering you or interesting you, you have the ability to obsess over it. 

You can take a problem and focus on it with true obsession. You’ll work relentlessly until that problem is solved. Then, you’ll make sure that everyone facing this problem now or in the future knows that a solution exists.

If enough people are willing to pay to remove that problem from their lives, you have the makings of a powerful business on your hands.

Obsessing isn’t just about problem solving though.

Perhaps something new and novel captures your attention for a minute. There’s a new technology that is interesting you, and you can’t stop thinking about it. 

“What else can you do with TensorFlow?” 

“Is the blockchain really that powerful?”

Begin the obsession.

Before you know it, you can’t stop thinking about it. A huge spotlight exists on your latest obsession and everything else seems so trivial and boring that you cant imagine working on it until your learning is complete. When you come up for air a few days or weeks later, you’re the resident expert and can this new and exciting tech in a way that only a few others in the world can do.

This is the power of obsession, and it can be both an asset and a curse.

It’s an asset for the obvious reasons: 

Using your super-human ability to deeply focus on something new and interesting, you can pick up a unique skill in a ridiculous timeframe. 

Want to learn a new programming language? If you’re obsessed, it’s done in a single late night or early morning. 

Do you absolutely need to build an app to launch your next amazing business idea? If you’re obsessed, a few weeks is all it will take to go from idea to launch. Too bad everyone else would take months.

All of these assets can also be a sort of curse as well.

Want to hit the gym extra hard this week? Sorry, too busy obsessing over this amazing business idea over here…

Need to do some boring house work? Can’t, I’m deep-diving into a hot new AI platform.

These are just two examples that happened to me last week.

Obsession can be a slippery slope of neglecting your core responsibilities if you’re not careful. But if used properly, it is the single greatest asset you can possibly have.

Use it wisely.