Robert H Myers

The Greatest Of All Time (GOAT, for the uninitiated) share one trait – obsession. It’s not just skill, it’s an eternal wellspring of interest in their chosen field. More simply, it’s Love.

Jordan. Brady. Woods. Gretzky. Jobs. Gates. Armstrong. Mathers. Rodman. Ali. Phelps. Einstein. All, absolutely consumed by their adoration for the things they loved. They didn’t clock in and out. They lived it, every moment. And even when they failed a thousand set backs, their Love for their pursuits kept them going.

Larry Bird used to shoot 500 baskets in practice. He wouldn’t leave the gym until he’d made 99 free throws in a row. He didn’t force himself to do it. He Loved it.

As a high school student, Bill Gates woke up at 2 am to ride his bike to the University of Washington to get time on a mainframe. The only time it would be available to him. His parents begged him not to; he needed his sleep.

Charles Bukowski was a wildly prodigious poet and general misanthrope. His poem “Don’t Try” summed it up nicely; “Find what you love and let it kill you.” In the poem he urges the reader to abandon any pursuit they’re not fully obsessed with. This was a dude who lived in squalor. He wrote endlessly in the same voice. Few wanted to read it. Obsession is what propelled him through 49 published books, none of which were massive best sellers.

Being in love with something means you rarely stop thinking about it. You study every facet from all conceivable angles. This level of inspection gives the obsessed insights few others will ever uncover. That’s where the secrets to the universe are found.

A former mentor used to say “So easy when I want to, so hard when I don’t.” This would be offered anytime someone failed to do something necessary but wholly unappealing. You know, the stuff that keeps the world turning? That. And he wasn’t wrong.

“So easy when I want to, so hard when I don’t.” – Nathan Collier

He believed that if you could get yourself to want to do something then no motivation or discipline was necessary. That would be the magic trick. When we’re obsessed with something, that’s all we need.

So, how do you get yourself obsessed with the things that will improve your life? In my experience, action precedes motivation. Do the thing, see some results, and the desire to continue will start to flow. A trickle at first, then a flood.

I am obsessed with Operations. I’m endlessly fascinated by systems, where they fail, and how they’re deployed. It’s what led me to develop an algorithm for roommate matching, a logistical Turn system, and the deployment of a custom inspection app. No one asked me to do any of those things. Some would have preferred I never did them. Can’t stop. Won’t stop.

What are you obsessed with?

What difficult thing do you find refreshment and joy in doing?

What would you like to be obsessed with?

Do you think it’s possible to cultivate obsession?