Obsession is Overrated
Stay obsessed, and you’ll lose your mind
Photo by Bobby Mc Leod on Unsplash
Obsession is hailed as this end-all, be-all you need to succeed. If you’re not obsessed, you’re doomed to fail.
There’s this idea that you must be obsessed over your work to succeed. It permeates the work and hustle culture. It sounds like this:
“I only got 3 hours of sleep last night.”
“I was at the office until midnight.”
Our obsession with the grind is just that — an obsession. But obsession is unhealthy and overrated. Refrain from obsession because it’ll kill you.
Obsession is Unhealthy
When it comes to obsession, it tends to consume you whole. You go down the rabbit hole and forget to eat, sleep, and take showers. Why is this considered good?
Obsession is an extreme answer to loving your work. But you can love your work and not be obsessed.
Obsession is unsustainable. You can’t carry that level of intensity for long periods without burning out or physical repercussions.
You think you should want to work all day, every day, if you love what you do. After all, isn’t that the point of life? To find the thing that you want to do permanently and do it. Not necessarily.
Life is more than work. And if you get consumed by it, other important things go by the wayside—things like your health, relationships, and hobbies.
It’s a scare tactic to tell you it’s the only way. It’s obsession or the highway, the highway being average. And nobody wants to be average. It scares you to be average and unfulfilled.
But the truth is most people are average. That’s why it’s called average. There are a few exceptional people at the top and some danglers at the bottom. The rest of us are average.
That’s not a bad thing. You can still be successful, but you need to balance yourself.
Obsession Will Overload You
When I get obsessed with something, it consumes me whole. That is the point of obsession. It’s something you can’t get enough of, you can’t stop thinking about it.
When I was into running, I researched all different types: sprints, tempo, threshold, hill, and more. I planned my runs meticulously and charted my progress.
I kept track of my mileage and made a note of my distance and speed. I was obsessed with running until…
I developed an eating disorder.
When I started crocheting, I was verifiably hooked. I couldn’t put it down. I was crocheting everything that wasn’t glued down. I was obsessed with crocheting until…
My work went by the wayside, and I couldn’t pay my bills.
But then, I stagger off. The obsessiveness doesn’t hold. When I obsess, I don’t have any control. I don’t have any filters. I’m like a beast. But it’s not sustainable.
And maybe that’s a good thing. When I’m obsessive, I’m overzealous. I go hardcore, all in.
But then I burn out. After spending so much time and energy on something, I get tired. I consume myself in whatever thing is my current hobby of choice.
Pure, unadulterated obsession isn’t good. It leads to bad things happening.
Obsession Must Die
So, why bother with the obsession? It’s bullshit. It’s burnout central. It’s obsession overload. It’s you, crushed under the weight of it. What do you do instead?
Writing was the first thing I wasn’t obsessed with. It’s also the thing I’ve stuck with consistently for the longest time. It’s because it’s not an obsession.
When I started writing, I was eager. I went into writing every day, noting all my ideas and spending most of my time creating content in my mind.
Obsession was waiting in the wing, waiting to take the stage. But something else was piqued.
I’ve been obsessed in the past, and it never ended well for me.
Screw Obsession
I don’t want to be obsessed. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to be successful. It doesn’t mean I’m a failure.
It means I’m willing to let go of the fantasy of living for work.
Late nights, early mornings, missing meals — that’s not a fantasy. And it’s not the dream either. It was never something that was meant to be long-term.
The truth is you don’t want to be obsessed, you want what it gives you. Your life will be better lived without it.
So, pack up your obsession, ship it off to Timbuktu, and let it go.
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Maggie Kelly is a freelance writer who writes about mental health, self-help, and psychology. Contact at maggiepkelly@gmail.com
