A month ago we talked about what it takes to do good work. Paul Graham released a series of essays which talked about the three things necessary to do good work, well as it turned out he also talked about what it takes to become a genius as...

A month ago we talked about what it takes to do good work. Paul Graham released a series of essays which talked about the three things necessary to do good work, well as it turned out he also talked about what it takes to become a genius as well. This was called the bus collection theory of geniuses. He mentions that determination and ability are necessary to become a genius but one third step is obsession. The reason he talks about bus ticket collectors among other things is their obsession with collecting tickets for nothing other than pure joy.    They didn’t collect the tickets because there was a monetary value associated, or status but rather a genuine interest in the tickets which then built the ability and cultivated determination. You don’t need determination or ability as much when you have obsession, because obsession drives you to do something regardless of the other two. He references people like JRR Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings books, as well as Darwin and his study of evolution on the Galapagos Islands. Each of these individuals were able to become geniuses in their fields and reap the rewards of their obsession with obscure things. They also remained irresponsible throughout their pursuit. They were willing to look like fools whilst nobody understood their elvish language or fascination with the lizards of foreign places.    Your curiosity has no guarantee of success, but it does have a guarantee of fulfillment. If you are constantly having to hype yourself with activities, relationships or work then the thought of sustainability seems impossible. Obsession on the other hand drives us regardless of how motivated or determined we are and especially outworking those with potentially more ability than us. Think about the obsessions that you have within your own life and how you can make them more of a guiding light for your own genius.

Follow Your Obsessions