I was fortunate enough to see both paperbacks I wrote become Amazon best sellers in their day. However, when I look back, I made some lousy decisions, because the closer I got to the end, the more “obsessed” I became with just getting the year-long process over with. So I ended up making foolish, costly mistakes.
I have a client who has become obsessed with his new software start-up. So much so, that sadly, everything else in his life takes a backseat to his obsession; health, friends, clients, etc.
Being obsessed is an illusion that makes us think we’re working harder. But we’re not. We’re actually working smaller. We develop “tunnel vision” which clouds the big picture and excludes all other possible outcomes, except the one we’re obsessed with.
Important because I’m all for commitment, and I think without it nothing gets done. However the difference between commitment and obsession is that a commitment is actually an agreement or pledge (to yourself or others) to accomplish something in the future. While an obsession, is a persistent, disturbing, preoccupation with “proving” something in the future.