Lesson #2 from cracking the 2nd toughest exam in the world: “Be obsessed with the goal”
“Be obsessed or be average”
On March 15th this year, I shared my journey of cracking the 2nd toughest exam in the world — IIT-JEE.
I shared 10 lessons from that journey. Here is the link to the original post in case you also want to read that story:
My story of cracking the 2nd toughest exam in the world
In this post, I will be expanding on lesson 2: You must be obsessed with the goal”
It was 2008, 6 in the morning, I was ecstatic and nervous at the same time.
There was a math exam starting in 2 hrs and I hadn’t slept the whole night as I was studying, but it was not maths.
After 6 hrs (12 am — 6 am) of brainstorming, I had just found the solution to a ‘simple harmonics motion’ problem (physics) that I just couldn’t leave without solving despite the math exam waiting for me.
It was one of the most satisfying feeling I had experienced in my life.(I know, weird!)
As soon as the ecstasy settled down, I was nervous about the math exam but honestly, couldn’t care less at that moment.
But why?
The answer is Obsession with physics and the goal of clearing the engineering entrance exam- IIT -JEE.
Remember the last time you picked a book that you just couldn’t leave without finishing in one go? Remember the last time you sat down to write an article for 30 minutes and 4 hours passed in a moment. Obsession is the cause.
Obsession makes you do things that surprise even you. Obsession is a must when you want to achieve extraordinary things.
What does obsession with a goal do to you?
1. Lets you avoid procrastination effortlessly
When you are obsessed with the goal, you do not want anything to hinder your progress towards it. You approach every obstacle head-on. And what bigger obstacle than procrastination? During procrastination, you keep switching to non-productive activities, but when you want something so dearly, everything else would feel like a waste of time and a distraction.
Obsession with the goal will not allow your mind to have space to think about doing any other activity
2. Turbocharges you to easily outrun competition
Obsession with the goal makes working towards it effortless. Putting in hours will feel like play. You will be working 12 or even 15 hours a day enjoying your work while others will struggle to put 8. The hours put in will even beat talent.
It’s no secret that Elon Musk puts a tremendous number of hours into his work. How? Obsession with “Occupy Mars” and whatever crazy things he does.
“Times flies when work doesn’t feel like work anymore”- Tim Denning
3. Takes you above mediocrity
For extraordinary outcomes, you need extraordinary inputs. Extraordinary inputs rarely come from just liking what you do. It comes with the obsession.
“Be obsessed or be average”
4. Gives you that extra push in tough times
Goal obsession creates an intrinsic burning motivation. Many a time when you are in a tough phase of your journey toward your goal and you are on the verge of giving up, obsession with the goal fuels you to stay motivated for that extra push.
How to be obsessed with something?
Can we teach ourselves to be obsessed with the goal?
Yes, we can, but we don’t need to. The world that we are currently in says we don’t have to force ourselves to be obsessed with something.
There are so many options in the ever-so-connected world today that we can play around with a few ideas before we organically find the one where we go “Aha, this is what I can be mad about for a long time.”
Finding your obsession
Sometimes finding obsession is easier as it is passed on to you by your surroundings. For me, the entrance exam IIT-JEE was an easy obsession to have as it was organically created by peers, parents, and society around me. It was a socially accepted obsession.
While there are no straight ways to find your obsession and I am also in constant search of it, I have noticed these 2 patterns on how people end up with their obsessions:
1. Find mini obsessions:
Till recently I had been complaining that I was not able to find something that I could be obsessed about but then I realized, I haven’t been trying enough things to find even mini-obsessions.
Mini obsessions could be things that make you excited even for at least a short duration. For example, you saw a friend doing some finance course, a YouTuber making viral videos or a batchmate securing some start-up funding and you want to do something similar. Just go for it.
Don’t wait for an interest to give you that ultimate passion call before you act. Obsess about your interests for as much time as your mind organically allows. You will have your answer in some time whether it is the ultimate obsession.
Obsession doesn’t come out of just sitting on a rocking chair. (well it could but it will be because of some things you tried in the past)
2. Go all in your job
Another unconventional way is to find a route through your day job. When you go all-in in your job, you are considered more reliable and are showered with more responsibilities. High performers get better and wider exposure than their peers. They are more likely to attract like-minded and ambitious people. This creates greater chances of them finding their passion which can turn into obsession.
High performers have more likelihood of not being satisfied with a 9–5 job and find alternate options they can be obsessed about.
Tim Denning was a top-performing employee in his “boring” job before he found his passion in writing.
Responsible obsession:
Marrying goal obsession with love for process
Obsession with a goal can sometimes take you in the wrong direction. For example, people relentlessly pursue their goals, even when they don’t understand what they want in their lives. This can lead to some pathways that lead to the underutilization of people’s talent and create annoying behaviors like bitterness and jealousy.
So, it becomes important to choose your obsession well. The simplest way of managing the negative side of obsession is marrying the goal obsession with love for the process
(link to my last article on loving the process)
Learn to fall in love with the process
Yes, loving the process and obsession with the goal can go hand in hand. And I believe that it is necessary to have both.
How do we do that?
Divide your obsessions into 2 parts:
1. Long-term obsession with the end goal
2. Short-term obsession with the process
Focus every day on the short-term obsession and let long-term goal obsession fuel your short-term obsession.
Some of the healthy short-term obsessions one can choose:
· Obsession with daily incremental improvement.
· Obsession with the feeling of achievement when you complete your daily tasks.
· Obsession with delivering high-quality work or providing high-quality service.
· Obsession with taking full accountability for your actions.
· Obsession with staying honest with yourself.
I would love to hear from you. What is/was your obsession? How did you reach it? How do you keep yourself motivated on the journey to your goal?