The inspiration for this blog comes from the book brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions by Eirc Maisel, PhD and Ann Maisel. They posit that there are both negative obsessions and productive ones. Negative obsessions are involuntary mental patterns which the psychiatric community deems "dangerous" and lead to compulsive and destructive behaviors. Productive obsessions harness the intense focus and drive of an obsession to a specific, self-chosen idea, topic, or goal. By productively obsessing about an idea of our own choosing, we are retraining our minds away from distractions, negative obsessions, and the minutia of everyday life. The resulting clarity of mind allows us to transform ourselves.
The best way to understand the concept and the process is to read the book. Many people choose to productively obsess about a lifelong dream or ambition, artistic endeavor, or work or life problem. You can also obsess about an idea or concept that you wish to understand more fully or employ in your daily life. As of the creation of this blog, my obsessions have fallen into that latter category.
I will use this blog to document my current obsession, whatever it may be. I have transferred the archives of a previous obsession here so that it will be an ongoing journal of my progress. There will be rambling posts as I delve into the meaning of each obsession as well as discussions of books, movies, and other things that apply to that obsession and lists of goals, task lists, and other steps that I take in the process of obsessing. There will also be reflections on the difficulties and so-called failures along the way. When an obsession ends, I hope to do a wrap up of how it went before moving on to the next one. However, since this is an organic process, any and all of this is subject to change.
The initial goal with each obsession is to tackle it for a month. Some will be abandoned after a few days or weeks as not worthy of obsessing while others will be extended for another month and then another, if the subject matter warrants further exploration.
I will keep a running list of My Obsessions, so that you can easily see where I've been. It will include a list of orphan obsessions that I have considered but not chosen (at least not yet).
Perhaps my obsessions can inspire yours. If so, please let me know in the comment section.
