Be obsessed to make progress

Obsession creates rapid progress.

We all speak of finding a balance in our many life endeavors. But in my experience, a balanced approach brings more slow and steady results, and in today’s world slow and steady just doesn’t cut it.

In fact, throughout my whole life, I have had a tendency to approach things with pure obsession and passion, but also putting in methods so not to burn out too soon.

To me, this is my balance.

Instead of going through life at a constant steady climb like jogging up a hill, I prefer to switch between a flat out sprint and a steady walk.

Think about when you go for a run, that slow jog is soooooo boring, it’s not too fast, not to slow. It’s a moderate challenge, without exerting much pain at all.

Now sprinting that requires maximum effort - It’s a measure of power, strength, skill and endurance. There is always a lot of pain involved. It’s the fastest path between point 1 and 2, and you tend to have NO distractions. You have a clear vision, tunnel vision. You can’t possibly be thinking of anything else.

This is when you're focused on only the task at hand, this is execution time.

Walking is at the most opposite end of the scale. You are purposefully taking it easy, recover and relaxation time, time to look back on the sprint phase and re-zero your target for the next task. Here my mind is free to explore, observe and wonder. This is my time for brainstorming and reflection. For me, this is a holiday, a day at the beach or mountains, time with my family.

The word obsession comes with a bad stigma to some but for me, it’s how I live my life, do you know the actual definition of obsession

1. An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.
2. A state of which someone thinks about someone of something constantly or frequently especially in a way that is with a huge amount of passion
3. An activity that someone is very interested in or spends a lot of time doing

You might think I am crazy but I don’t think that description sounds too bad, to be honest, it gets me excited and hungry for my next project, my next entrepreneurial venture. The value of obsession comes down to what that person is obsessed with. My obsessions are what drive me to be successful, living a healthy progressive lifestyle and being successful in business whilst creating opportunities for others is a priority for me. Stop looking at obsession in the wrong light open your eyes to the fact that it’s only as good or as bad as the things you are obsessed with.

I remember my first obsession; Playing FIFA football on my PlayStation. Controlling how quick those players could make decisions and play the ball with pinpoint accuracy. Seeing the play on screen before it happened.

I wanted this in real life, I wanted to be able to think that fast in real life, I wanted to be able to react and play that sharp. I was obsessed with being as good as a virtual reality football player.

So what did I do?

I would spend every spare minute of my time playing down the local football stadium with the a football at me feet. Practicing as hard as I could, reacting to everything and being super focused which in time improved my reflexes, touch and accuracy. I would conduct sprints outside my house to increase my speed and power, sometimes dragging a rubbish bin or two to add more weight. And I would continue to study the game both on the PlayStation and Sky Sports, every last detail of the player’s moves.

I would be the captain of every team I played for (and I did).

I was absolutely obsessed with this for a period of time until I felt I had reached my peak and built a solid foundation of knowledge. Then it was time to look back and reflect and choose my next task, this is pretty much how I have approached everything I have ever been interested in. When I am at this stage I won’t limit how many hours a day I commit to the tasks needed to progress and learn, which means I learn fast and progress quickly, when you're obsessed you can go from a beginner to advanced in a very short space of time on the task at hand.

My biggest take away from here is when you immerse yourself in something, you will progress fast and succeed quickly, don’t hold yourself back or let anyone else hold you back, chase your dreams no matter how crazy they may seem, yes this could take focus away from other areas of your life, but it’s OK you can make these up later.

Stay dedicated to your passion in Life.