I think about obsession often. And I wonder if it’s something that just grabs you, something you need to seek, or something more akin to a divine spark — born with it or not.
Can it be manufactured? Can you keep working on something enough until that obsession surfaces? Or, more generously, is it something worth exploring until found? When (if!) found, how can one hold onto it. Hold onto a raging bull.
My best advice at this point is that obsession is loudest when your mind is the stillest. Like your Seinfeld quote — let yourself be bored, or expose yourself to boredom, even. You’re an adult, you’ll be standing. After your sick mind stops crying for dopamine, what does your more sage spirit desire to produce and realize.
I admire these too, and anyone, really, who has found this obsession and channeled it into value for others. Thank you for the profile.
So often Frederik you take two disparate subjects and find the a perfect way to blend them together such that 1 +1 = 4. This is another beautiful example. Thank you. 🙏
Thanks! I didn't think about the generational angle but that's a great point. I think Kyla Scanlon touched on it in her piece on it which you might enjoy as well
Excellent. I have read the memo and listened/read several commentaries of it. In the beginning of the Mr. Beast episode on Joe Rogan, he recounts the early days and shines a light on how deep his obsession goes.
Great write-up. Thanks for connecting the two seemingly disparate personalities.
What I takeaway from this is that obsession is a must-have to create your life’s work. For Caro it's the Johnson book and for Mr Beast it's his YT channel.
But what I also note is that the obsession has to be packaged inside a layer of discipline. Both Caro and Mr Beast are doing this. In fact the Mr Beast doc is full of execution-related minutiae, all about discipline. So obsession and discipline is the recipe for creating life’s work.
I think about obsession often. And I wonder if it’s something that just grabs you, something you need to seek, or something more akin to a divine spark — born with it or not.
Can it be manufactured? Can you keep working on something enough until that obsession surfaces? Or, more generously, is it something worth exploring until found? When (if!) found, how can one hold onto it. Hold onto a raging bull.
My best advice at this point is that obsession is loudest when your mind is the stillest. Like your Seinfeld quote — let yourself be bored, or expose yourself to boredom, even. You’re an adult, you’ll be standing. After your sick mind stops crying for dopamine, what does your more sage spirit desire to produce and realize.
I admire these too, and anyone, really, who has found this obsession and channeled it into value for others. Thank you for the profile.
Hi Paul. Thank you for sharing - I've thought about this a lot as well.
I think the answer is both simple and very complicated. We all have that spark but few people live it.
100% agree with getting quiet. Finishing up a post about this :)
So often Frederik you take two disparate subjects and find the a perfect way to blend them together such that 1 +1 = 4. This is another beautiful example. Thank you. 🙏
Love the to the point conclusion.
This is such a great article. Thank you for distilling insights from two otherwise very different persons across a generational divide
Thanks! I didn't think about the generational angle but that's a great point. I think Kyla Scanlon touched on it in her piece on it which you might enjoy as well
Excellent. I have read the memo and listened/read several commentaries of it. In the beginning of the Mr. Beast episode on Joe Rogan, he recounts the early days and shines a light on how deep his obsession goes.
Great write-up. Thanks for connecting the two seemingly disparate personalities.
What I takeaway from this is that obsession is a must-have to create your life’s work. For Caro it's the Johnson book and for Mr Beast it's his YT channel.
But what I also note is that the obsession has to be packaged inside a layer of discipline. Both Caro and Mr Beast are doing this. In fact the Mr Beast doc is full of execution-related minutiae, all about discipline. So obsession and discipline is the recipe for creating life’s work.