September 18, 2007
The Motivation Of Obsession
written by Steven Barrymore

Obsession, more than just a fragrance.

PLEASE REPEAT THAT

I listen to a lot of motivational speakers and have read books on finding your passion. To become motivated to follow your bliss. And from the energy of the speech or the words in the book, I have at times felt motivated to a great extent to find my passion, and follow my bliss. Yet that passion and bliss fade once I have removed myself from the motivating input. It takes another speech or book to re-ignite that motivation within me. This is not to say that becoming motivated is not good. Motivation is important in life to move in a forward direction towards a goal. But motivation unto itself does have limitations and you become dependent on the motivational resources to re-ignite the passion, and that finding of your bliss.

Are you motivated?

• Feeling of wanting to do something of interest.
• Taking a class, attending a lecture, listening to an audiotape, or reading a book on how to be motivated.
• Starting out on your motivation.
• Getting stuck.
• Having to take another class, attend another lecture, listen to another audiotape or read a different book on how to be motivated.
• Motivation needs continued support from other people.

CAN’T STOP ME NOW

When I developed StevenBarrymore.com, a lot work and energy went into the process of creating the web site. Long hours of research on web site design. The programming language to allow the pages to communicate with each other. The creation of graphic elements. Developing a flow, or navigation style to the web site. Implementing a foundation for purchase and payment of products offered. Formatting the web pages so they would be compatible across a broad range of Internet browsers in use. My time spent in the development process did not require the energizing words from a motivational speaker, or a paragraph from a motivational book. The process took on a life of becoming obsessed with the completion of the web site.

Are you obsessed?

• A deep desire to develop a project.
• Not needing to be motivated, because, you are obsessed !
• Working with your project through adversity and obstacles.
• Completing your project.
• Obsession is self-sustaining.

What lead me to follow this web site project with such an obsession? What attracts a person to the motivational side of following a desire? Perhaps the obsessed person has a need to prove to themselves the value of their desire, a belief in themselves. While the motivated person needs continued support due to an inability to believe they can be successful with their desire.

WORLD OBSESSION

Our cultures were built on obsession. Our achievements, glory and tragedy have come from obsession. Was Thomas Edison motivated to create the light bulb? I would say that he was obsessed. Was the push for civil rights generated from motivation? Or an obsession. Was World War II a motivational act?

I recently saw a movie called the Astronaut Farmer (copyright 2007, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc). In this movie, actor Billy Bob Thornton plays Charles Farmer a Texas rancher who is obsessed with space flight. So obsessed he builds his own rocket to take him on a trip around the Earth. Not all is good with this obsession as Charles Farmer nearly loses his family and the family farm. Losing interest in what was near and dear to him as he focused on his obsession.

There are good and not so good aspects of obsession. The good, an obsession that leads to an outcome that is beneficial and healthy. The bad, an obsession that leads to a destructive outcome such as the one Charles Farmer nearly created.

Should you choose to be obsessed? Will this obsession enhance your relations and life or distance you from the people you care for creating destructive elements in your life?

Is being obsessed the right thing for you to do? Can you handle being obsessed? Maybe you need to be obsessed to find that out.

Copyright 2007 Steven Barrymore. Being of Life — the Blog. All rights reserved worldwide. This article and /or pictures may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission from the author Steven Barrymore. View the magical photographic print collection from Steven Barrymore at Images Magical http://www.imagesmagical.com/