A Video Essay/Masterclass

Why it pays off when you are obsessed with one thing

When you devote yourself to one thing and improve consistently, you get the benefits of focus, depth, and compounding

In this video essay and masterclass, I will focus on the virtues and implications of being passionate — even obsessed — about something.

Obsession is sometimes seen as a negative thing as it is something that excessively preoccupies the mind. However, it can also be seen as a powerful and positive mental state. It can be used as a fuel for sustaining passions, hobbies, curiosities, and learning.

The human brain works best if it is deeply immersed in challenging goals. Humans love striving and it is the journey that counts after all.

If you can keep achieving flow in your work, you are set to achieve breakthrough results.

The deeper you delve into your work, the more satisfaction and learning you will achieve.

When you devote yourself to one thing and improve consistently, you reap the benefits of focus, depth, and compounding over the long term.

Gary Keller and Jay Papasan have written a book titled ‘The One Thing’.

The premise of the book is that you should cut through the clutter and focus on the one thing that matters to you for the long term.

If you sustain deep work consistently over a long period of time, then you will build momentum and achieve mastery in this field. However, you should not be afraid of thinking big and starting out with a grand vision before you start working on it. It is also important to distinguish what to prioritize and focus on: Everything you do should help towards your one thing — your big vision.

According to the authors, multitasking does not work. It is much better to pick one thing and give it undivided attention. Willpower is like a fuel tank — it does not last forever. Therefore, you need to say no to all unimportant tasks (which are ‘nice’ to have) and only focus on your long term vision (which is a ‘must’ have).

Therefore, it makes sense to be obsessed with one thing only. In this way, you will be able to focus on just what matters and ignore everything else that does not support your big vision.

In this post, I share an exercise to help you envision your one thing.

Exercise: What is the one thing that only you can create and bring to the world?

Please look at the doodle poster below.

What is the one thing that only you can create and bring to the world?

What is most important to you?

In which areas do you wish to achieve the most success?

To find your one thing, you will need to brainstorm all possibilities and make a list of them.

You might want to make a list of your passions, curiosities, and hobbies.

Please consider your unique strengths, talents, gifts, and background. Make a list of all the things that give you a comparative advantage.

Please also think about your inner voice. What does your heart desire?

Where are your creative itches, aspirations, and interests?

After you make a long list of all the things that come to your mind, please write a letter to yourself and describe where your big contribution will be. Where do you want to go in the long term (let’s say 10+ years)? What is the one field that you will make your contribution? How will you go there?

Please brainstorm possibilities, make your list, and write your letter now.

You will need to prioritize your one thing (the area you are obsessed with) rather than doing hundreds of other things.

You need to have a firm and unwavering commitment to your big vision.

You should say no to all the things that do not support your big vision.

You need to put aside all your excuses and do your work consistently every day. You need deep work and immersion, as well as a commitment to your long term game.

A good way to keep yourself on track is to keep a notebook on your goals and ideas. A notebook will give you clarity on the future you wish to create. You will design, visualize, and conceptualize your contribution one page at a time. As you write in your notebook, you will activate both your conscious and subconscious minds. The more you write, the more you will make your dreams closer to reality. You will make your dreams deeply rooted in your being and this will help you sustain your motivation during challenging times.

You will be obsessed with your long term vision and contribution. In the words of Grant Cardone:

“I suggest that you become obsessed about the things you want; otherwise, you are going to spend a lifetime being obsessed with making up excuses as to why you didn’t get the life you wanted.”

Harley and the Davidsons were obsessed with motorcycles. They invented not only a fresh brand, but also an exciting lifestyle:

When you develop interest, skills, and confidence in your field through hard work, you will also develop passion in this field. You will be excellent in what you do and you will develop a deeper appreciation to become valuable in your service contribution.

Vidal Sassoon developed competence and skills in hair design. He became passionate about hair. He was obsessed with his job:

Cal Newport calls such commitment ‘deep work’.

Newport says:

“The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare, and at the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. … the few who cultivate this skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive.”

When you commit to your game, you are in the zone. You experience ‘flow’ — you even forget about time and space.

Steve Madden was committed to the shoe business. He was obsessed with shoes. He continued pursuing his dreams and managing his business even when he was in jail:

Clark Little was passionate about capturing the movement of waves in HD cameras. This was his dream, and it was an insane commitment that kept him tied to his dream and vision:

Tony Robbins is able to inspire lots of people because of his mad commitment. He is obsessed with unleashing one’s potential:

Vivian Maier worked as a nanny, but she also had a secret hobby: She was passionate about photography. Nobody knew of the impressive street photography collection she has created until her death. It turned out that Vivian Maier was one of the best street photographers and artists of this century.

Joseph’s obsession is to make useless machines which have delightful absurdity. These machines have gone viral:

So, as we see, again and again, weird obsession is the source of creative confidence and power. You need to embrace your weirdness, not censor it.

So, here is your question again:

What are you obsessed about?

Think about what you love. Think about what you love doing.

Write down your:

◦Obsessions

◦Hobbies

◦Curiosities

◦Passions

What can you do about these to bring something new and fresh to the world?

Please think about this question and this exercise in detail. Make a committed decision about who you want to become and where you want to be after 10+ years. You then need to align your everyday actions with your long term vision and contribution. You should never underestimate the value of your obsession or passion. Passion is the most sustainable fuel you can use during this long term journey. It gives you momentum and it helps you to remove obstacles.

Where will your best contribution be? What will you be obsessed with? What is your one thing? You need to always keep this as your number 1 priority.

In most cases, the world will try to stop you from being engaged with your priority. There will be obstacles, meetings, excuses, busyness, fear, and anxiety. All will try to prevent you from reaching your best potential. That is why you should remind yourself of your priorities every day.

For your priority projects (i.e. your obsessions), you should allocate time every day in your calendar. These will be your Pomodoro sessions for your one thing. At the start of each session, you should clearly define what you will accomplish in that session and write down small tasks you can easily finish. Make sure they are easy things to accomplish. These tasks will give you incremental success and momentum. Remember: You should have a relentless focus on your passion project and not get distracted.

The most ambitious entrepreneurs constantly plant seeds for the future. You should be also planting your seeds for your future. You should always aspire to be helpful, generous, courageous, resilient, and creative. You were born creative. You were very creative as a child. You need to reclaim your creativity.

You should ask yourself: How can I contribute? How can I be of service? How can I help other people? How can I solve problems and meet the needs of others?

Remember: Happiness is not your destination. Happiness is your journey. It is the hard work and the process to keep getting better.

You should keep learning, hacking, improving, and compounding yourself for the long term.

You need to be the best version of yourself and keep creating new and fresh things that will excite you and help others.

Sincerely;

Fahri

Fahri Karakas is the author of Self-making Studio. You can explore more here.