EVERY GREAT IMPACT IS ROOTED IN OBSESSION
The most impactful events in history—be it good or bad—are always backed by the obsessive drive of a person or a group of people. The beginning of Christianity was driven by the passion of Jesus Christ and his disciples; even though the rulers of the lands repeatedly tried to halt their progress, they stood no chance against the obsessive drive of these men to impact the world on a massive scale. These men were willing to die for their passion, and in the end, most of them did.
The American Revolution and the establishment of a free America rode on the obsession of the founding fathers (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams among many others) with breaking free of the British rule and laying the foundation for one of the most powerful nations in the world today.
Before Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, all texts were written manually, and it sometimes took years to finish writing a book. Gutenberg was passionate about changing this, and after working on it for several years, he came up with the printing press. His invention is regarded as the most important of the second millennium, and it helped greatly in ushering in the scientific revolution.
The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, the invention of the internet, the invention of mobile phones and computers et cetera. The list is endless, and even though many factors combined to make these ground-breaking events happen, the one thing they all have in common is someone who was passionately driven to impact the world; someone obsessed with making a difference
Growing up as an orphan opened Collins’ eyes to what children without parents are forced to endure on a daily basis. He grew up at a shelter for homeless boys, and his childhood was riddled with hostility, malnutrition, and lack of familial (or any other) affection.
When he was eighteen, he got a scholarship to study law at the University of Ibadan, and on his last day at the shelter, he made a solemn promise to himself. “I’m going to study hard, get good grades and tie down a lucrative job.
Once I start to earn good money, I will build modern shelters for homeless kids all over this state, so that orphans from all over the country can enjoy benefits that I was denied. I will change the face of orphanages and make sure no orphan in this country goes through what I just went through.
On graduation, Collins got a good job, but it wasn’t the lucrative job he was hoping for. He graduated with a much lower grade than he hoped, and in truth, he was lucky to get a job that even paid as much as the one he got. After three years working for the firm, an office assignment took him to his old neighbourhood; where the shelter he grew up in was situated.
On passing by the home, old memories flooded in and he remembered the promise he made to himself the day he was leaving for the final time. He hadn’t done any of the things he promised, and all his dreams of impacting the lives of orphans like himself died when he couldn’t make the grade that would help him secure the job he always wanted.
After some inner reflection, he came to the realization that he failed along the way because his passion for the project fizzled out when he was in school. Far away from the suffering, he endured as a child. He lost the only thing that kept him inspired. He lost the drive to help make sure others didn’t go through what he did.
Collins is right about the fact that he lost his drive along the way, but he’s not so right about how he lost his drive. Collins lost his drive because it wasn’t strong enough, he really wanted to make an impact in the lives of these kids, but he wasn’t obsessed with it.
If he had been obsessed with it, the obsession would have stayed with him, it would have driven him to give his all in school, and he would have never been able to lose himself along the way.
To get straight to the point, Collins couldn’t achieve his big dream of impacting the lives of those orphans because he wasn’t obsessed with it, and without obsession, no great impact can be made.
Collins could have ended up being the man that changed the face of orphanages and shelters in the country, maybe even the world, but we’ll never know now. He lost his chance at a life of great impact because he failed to tap into the power of obsession, a power all men of great impact tapped into.
One can rightly say that Collins may have loved the idea of changing the face of orphanages, but he wasn’t obsessed with it, how am I so sure?
The answer is simple; if he had been obsessed with it, he wouldn’t have failed, he would have joined the ranks of men that impacted the world with their dreams and their obsession.
What is that great thing you’re hoping to accomplish? The wonderful plan you have for the world. What I’m telling you right now is; if you are not so passionate about it to the extent that you get obsessed, it’s likely you’ll join many others that have tried and failed in the past.
Without obsession, all that is left is passive patience, and you’ll never have any impact by being passive; nobody has ever had any meaningful impact by being passive; great impacts are born of passion and obsession.
If you look at people who have made a great difference in the world and you think any of them were able to accomplish what they did because they were “specially” favoured, or lucky, you’re making a big mistake; every great impact is rooted in relentless obsession.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” ― Ecclesiastes 9:10
This verse is talking about the kind of might applied when someone is truly obsessed with his or her goals. When you are obsessed, you do what you have been called to do with all of your might.
The people who do not produce exceptional results with their lives are the ones who apply half of their strength and might in what they do. Such people have not realized the productive power that comes with an obsessive drive.
To be continued Tomorrow, don’t miss it!
Excerpts from the Book “Obsession The Master Key To Leaving An Impact On Your Generation”. #DSABOOKS
This book can be found on dsabooksplanet.com and Amazon.com
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHURCH AND NATION
By Pastor Sunday Adelaja.
