August 3rd, 2020
In 2004, I got my first Apple product, a Mac Mini loaded with the industry-changing Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
When I turned on the computer, I fell in love.
I spent hours toggling every setting in System Preferences because I wanted to see and know EVERYTHING that I could do with it.
I became an Apple fanboy overnight. My Safari home page was set to apple.com. I watched all the product keynotes. I even worked at the Apple store.
Life was Apple, and Apple was life.
I was obsessed.
My obsession with Apple is not unique - my three decades on earth have been filled with hundreds of obsessions.
The word "obsession" may have a negative connotation, but I do not see it that way. For me, obsession is a very strong dose of curiosity and passion.
When I think back on these obsessions, I do not cringe. I'm actually nostalgic. I was living life to the fullest. I was learning, I was present, I was passionate, and I was doing exactly what the fuck I wanted to.
You might also be the type of person that obsesses over things. Maybe this doesn't sound all that crazy to you.
We are not crazy, but we're also not normal. Most people don't obsess over things to the level that we do.
Think hard about the people around you, your coworkers, friends, and your family. Sure, everybody has things that they enjoy, but are they crossing that line into obsession?
Many people say they love Kanye's music, but do they know every lyric from every song on every album? As well as the story and media behind how those songs came to be? I do.
When I turned on the computer, I fell in love.
I spent hours toggling every setting in System Preferences because I wanted to see and know EVERYTHING that I could do with it.
I became an Apple fanboy overnight. My Safari home page was set to apple.com. I watched all the product keynotes. I even worked at the Apple store.
Life was Apple, and Apple was life.
I was obsessed.
My obsession with Apple is not unique - my three decades on earth have been filled with hundreds of obsessions.
The word "obsession" may have a negative connotation, but I do not see it that way. For me, obsession is a very strong dose of curiosity and passion.
When I think back on these obsessions, I do not cringe. I'm actually nostalgic. I was living life to the fullest. I was learning, I was present, I was passionate, and I was doing exactly what the fuck I wanted to.
You might also be the type of person that obsesses over things. Maybe this doesn't sound all that crazy to you.
We are not crazy, but we're also not normal. Most people don't obsess over things to the level that we do.
Think hard about the people around you, your coworkers, friends, and your family. Sure, everybody has things that they enjoy, but are they crossing that line into obsession?
Many people say they love Kanye's music, but do they know every lyric from every song on every album? As well as the story and media behind how those songs came to be? I do.
You're not passionate about half the shit that you into.
- Earl Sweatshirt
Our affinity to obsess over things is not a learned skill. It is something we are born with. It is a gift (if you want to look at it that way).
The term "obsessed" has many negative connotations, for good reason. It can interfere with our mental health, as well as our relationships. Watch out for that.
But, how much would life suck if we didn't get obsessed? Life would be so dull.
Most great creatives, entrepreneurs, and leaders are obsessive.
As we get older, we can learn to channel these obsessions away from outside things (such as artists, brands & politics) and into becoming obsessed with our own creations.
Obsession is part of our default settings, we shouldn't ever fight it.