Passion or Obsession?

Henry Ford once stated, “I had plenty of time, for I never left my business. I do not believe a man can ever leave his business. He ought to think of it by day and dream of it by night.”

There is no denying that people who become obsessed by a task or a career or a cause get a lot done, and they often do it efficiently, but what is the difference between passion and obsession?

A passion is a strong liking for an activity or something else. An obsession is when you are constantly preoccupied with an activity or something else.

“Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” ~ Julia Child.

Lets think about an Iron man – an Iron man can be summed up as one of the most narcissistic, selfish, self-absorbing, time consuming, financially, physically, and mentally draining sports the general public can participate in voluntarily. That being said, for those of us who understand Iron man and its’ journey we know the sense of accomplishment is immeasurable. I challenge you to find another product that sells out a year in advance, one hour after it goes on the market.

“The least we can do is figure out what we hope. The most we can do is to live inside that hope.” ~ Anonymous

The more I watch and read about those that are successful, the more obvious it is that there is a fine line between passion, and obsession. And, the truly successful are those that are doing what they do all the time, and when they’re not doing it, they are thinking about doing it. Why do you think business people who make millions are so good at? They are always doing business – the same holds true with the greatest writers and painters. They obsess – if you want to be good at something, you need to be passionate and mildly obsessive about what it is that you do.

“The kind of commitment I find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work. Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step.” ~ Jim Collins