It isn’t passion and it isn’t desire that drives the greats. It is pure OBSESSION that drives the greats.
The greats do not have an option to stop; they have an obsessive compulsion to achieve more, to believe more, to succeed more, to solve the problem or to lead more.
Everything else about how to be great is a lie. Be obsessed or don’t be in the business.
A copycat is black and white; a copycat can never fill in the gaps.
The obsessed see all; they can fill in the gaps and they can see full color while everyone else is still amazed at black and white.
Laser focus?
B&W people say “laser focus” because they can’t fill in the gaps and say what it really is – OBSESSED WITH BEING THE BEST.
It is not a matter of being better than the competition. The best do not see competition; instead, it is a matter of obsessive compulsion.
Forget about a reason because a reason is black and white and you already know that reasons do not sell as well as emotions do.
The greats just do because they’re driven to. Everything else is just entertainment. Enjoy the entertainment, enjoy the spectacle, but if you aren’t obsessed it isn’t possible to be the best.
Obsession is the ONE true divider that separates the best from the rest.
The Japanese Word for Ultimate Focus. I don’t know what that word is. I speak English and our word is simply “ultimate focus.”
This is how you achieve it: focus on ONE thing only, to the detriment of literally everything else.
If you’re wasting time figuring out what the Japanese word is then you’re just killing time. Who cares what the Japanese word is?
The concept is the same in all language. Age quod Agis – Do What You Are Doing.
Instead of multi-tasking, be in the moment and focus on the ONE task at hand. Like the zen masters say, ‘chop wood, carry water’.
B&W work can be completed by multi-tasking. Full Color work – the work that transcends – can only be accomplished with total focus.
When doing Full Color Work do not allow your attention to be divided. Keep your attention where it should be: on the light at the end of the tunnel.
With divided attention you are easily conquered by the #1 enemy of success – your own self-resistance.
Get Rid of Distraction.
To achieve ultimate focus, or the state of being “in the zone” or “flow”, you must get rid of all the big
distractions and only do the work that matters: the full color work.
Find the distractions that rob you of your most precious energy and ruthlessly remove them. Block them out and prevent them from popping up during your full color work period. It only takes one little annoying ‘ping’ to completely disrupt your state of focus.
Aimless vs Focused.
We all need obsessions and when we don’t have full color work to obsess on, we obsess over trivialities like movies, news media, gossip etc. We all need something to do, we all need something to obsess on and when we obsess over something we become a slave to it.
When you do not obsess over your own work you are a slave to something that does not better you. When you obsess over your own work it betters you.
We all have obsessions, and the choice is to pick between the two: Obsession that moves us forward or Obsession that keeps us still.
We always want to be moving forward so it is imperative to obsess over your full color work. Obsessions are what keep you in motion. Obsession is really just what you are interested in.
The choice is either to choose an obsession that keeps you sitting in the same spot or to choose an obsession that drives you forward and inspires you to create a work of full color genius.
The Magic of Endurance.
I made a million dollars from my blog and the happiest times of my life were when I was dead broke. Not because of the money but because of the adventure. Every time I was dead broke I was trying like hell to make a business happen.
Trying like hell = building momentum.
There was always such urgency and momentum that there was never a chance to ponder. Three times I went dead broke but thankfully only two times stuck. Each time I fell into the hole, I got up and climbed back to the top.
I could lose money a million times, but I would make it back a million and one times. Building is the best part. I climbed up the hill three times with four girlfriends – good little soldiers of the mission – and every time I remember only in fondness and happiness.
I was once so broke I couldn’t afford peanut butter. I recall those times being the happiest times of my life precisely because they were the hardest, the toughest and the meanest.
I’m a hard, tough, mean son-of-a-bitch and that’s why I love the tough work. The hard part is always the funnest part. The good life is great but hard times are the fun times.
Never allow yourself to believe you are going through hard times. Never allow yourself to even think that times are tough. Hard men do not whine and that is an iron rule of FRAUDS & LIARS.
We always say everything is fine and we mean it. Hard times are not hard: you “get through” the hard times by not allowing yourself to think of them as hard times.
Can’t afford peanut butter?
That’s not a financial disaster, it’s an adventure.
The day I couldn’t buy peanut butter was one of the happiest days of my life, but happiness is for marks and not sharks. In this game of good business everyone is a shark or a tiger out to ambush you.
If you adopt that attitude, you will always outlast the hard times.
What do they say in pro wrestling?
Hard times don’t last, but hard men do.
I’ve met a million weak men who just couldn’t stay in the game and I’ve met only a few tough men who endure – like true soldiers of the mission – and always outlast the hard times by being harder.
Today, all of those men are very well-off financially. The game is ruthless so you must become quite ruthless yourself.
Until next time.
Your man,
-Elijah “The Realist”
