Obsession is as mysterious as a game of double-dutch to a kid who has never succeeded in playing before. It appears enticing, like some energizing ritual every single time the kid approaches. Often the most uncoordinated, but willing to prove themselves, they don’t understand the fundamentals of playground hierarchy and lose sight of the fun in the game when handed the ropes as a duty to turn them, since they are beginners and must first prove they can do this correctly.
Once they’ve graduated from turning properly, they must jump in, but they still have yet to comprehend that this requires a precise technique: eyes open, focused and alert, feet ready to spring up each time a rope comes close to touching them, and breath placed. Without any thought of the timing of when the ropes rise and fall, the kid closes their eyes, leaving gaping holes of opportunity. They muster some guts to jump anxiously into the two ropes to escape the perceived social pressure of not being good enough, and above all to challenge themselves. The child over and over again neglects directions on keeping their feet high in order to enjoy the game, and grows upset knowing they will remain on the same level. The child doesn’t feel a sense of sportsmanship but rather failure every time the ropes abruptly stop and hit the asphalt. So they give up on the game of twirling ropes for something with instant gratification, like a hula hoop that stays close to them, moves when they move, and only drops around them, but can be picked up and ordered into movement by their own control — until the next time they grow tired of the simple hoop, and want something that requires their undivided attention, competition and a spirit of creation.
Obsession can be the most profitable, humbling and educational sport in any arena, at any age, and is not for the faint of heart. Obsession keeps you active, searching and, in time, can make you rich in many ways. Like the ropes opening, opportunity comes from obsession and can only be seen with eyes wide open that are fixated on getting in and keeping up. How does obsession make you financially free? When speaking in terms of the American Dream, obtaining a monetary fortune is what people become obsessed with. This is where people wreck the entire equation. Lack of residual income is the root of all evil. Money is modern-day slavery, but can be worked in one’s favor, as mobility. The quote “The love of money is the root of all evil” continues to say how men fall for foolish desires and into destruction by longing for money. Working 40 hours a week for an idea that isn’t yours to get paid by the hour (active income) is foolish, destructive to creativity and is barely mobile. Once all bills are paid, food purchased and the remainder spent on whatever commodity, it’s back at square one, hips working vigorously into the hoop to make sure it stays up. If the hoop falls, or active income is lost, acts of desperation may/will occur.
At any point, active income grows tiring and you want to do something that makes your heart race, makes you feel excited and young again — free. Something on your own time, with the option of endless sick days, vacations and breaks. Something people will appreciate, and that will leave a mark long after your death, whether that’s a form of visual/performance art, design or any type of craftsmanship. Become obsessed with yourself, your talents and what you can produce. Obsession with one’s self has a negative connotation that being egotistical will cause one to miss out on life, from being so engulfed by their success. I say that’s how legacies are made. Only let it occupy your mind if it has potential to multiply. Being obsessed means you’re not only unapologetically loving yourself but paying close attention to what makes you happy and expressing whatever passion you have pent up inside of you.
Obsession means around-the-clock snooping for canals and bridges of business, building a sustainable, more profitable brand, finding the honesty in yourself, learning new tricks to enhance a skill set. Being fixated means you’re paying attention to trends so you have the timing of business right, or will catch the rhythm once the ropes swing over your head a few times. Obsession equals constant growth, new developments and discoveries. Once obsession has produced a product/invention or piece of artwork, it can be mass-produced, copyrighted and you make money all over the world. You only had to create the piece once, and now are being paid around the clock for it, the coveted residual income.
Having money around the clock affords you mobility to move and shake as you please and, in turn, creates financial freedom to travel and not work for another’s obsession. It’s said that “obsession is a young man’s sport” because there are levels to this, and you must have the energy to feed the fixation. Each new level will command a deeper, more complex you, and you must be so obsessed to develop yourself to find exactly who that is, within the ropes while keeping your feet up.