Bill Gates famously removed his car radio from his Porsche because he didn’t want to be tempted to get distracted from Microsoft, Sylvester Stallone painted his windows black to focus on writing Rocky for three days, Conor McGregor famously lost his mind to the game (MMA).
Is obsession emergent or planned? Is passion emergent or planned? I’ve always flip-flopped on this and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference, since the narrative can be crafted later on anyhow.
Definitions feel free to skip Emergent: You notice you like something, you don’t think about the outcome, you’re naturally drawn to it as an interest, it turns into an obsession (video games are a canonical example). This is how an addiction forms Planned: You start with a goal in mind, and by chasing the goal relentlessly, you fall in love with the journey (exercise + good diet fits here)
I’ve quieted my mind and opened up my schedule to allow emergent obsessions to take place, but through that, one cannot think their way to obsession. I believe obsession is planned, more than it is emergent. A goal motivates you to take action (i.e. making money) and by acting towards that goal, you fall in love with the process and parts of the journey.
Let’s go back to the Gates example. Is there anything you’re obsessed about enough to remove a car radio? Or to flip it on its head, should you remove the car radio first because you want to craft obsession? (The inherit assumption here is that the boredom will drive artistic inspiration or maniacal focus)