Obsessive? You say that like it’s a BAD thing…

So last night I was watching the movie “The Number 23” again. It’s a great movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should.

But I got to thinking about the book in the movie. Same name, “The Number 23” but it’s got the tag line, “A novel of obsession”. The book is a major portion of the movie, so if you haven’t seen it…I’m not going to ruin it for you. :-)

But it got me thinking, as I said, about obsession. In all its varied appearances, obsession can be…and really IS…a driving force in most people’s lives.

Now, I’m not going to say that ALL obsessions are bad things. Some can be quite valuable. However, it’s the level of obsession that can be the bad thing.

Being obsessed with work, so that you’re driven to do your best and you work your ass off to move up, or in this time, keep your job. That can be a good thing. But, if you neglect your family and friends, think of nothing BUT work, and let your own life take a backseat, well…THAT is bad.

I could pull a dozen other examples, but I think you get the general idea.

We all obsess. We may call it something different so we can feel better about it, but it’s all basically the same thing.

So what do we do? How can we make certain that we have a “normal” level of obsession? :-)

Well…if you have close family and/or live with someone, the easiest way is to simply ask them. If you’re out of whack, they’ve probably noticed and wish you’d actually spend time with them.

Otherwise, you’ve got to do some self study and honest investigation.

A good sign is if YOU feel like you’re spending a lot of time on one thing, excluding all the others. However, since we are NOT our own best critics, we need to have a check to make certain that it’s not just good ol' fashioned paranoia at work. :-)

So, what IS a healthy amount of obsession then? Sounds kind of funny if you put it that way, doesn’t it?

Look at it this way…IF you can have more than one thing that you are obsessed about, odds are you’ve got them at a healthy level. If you can have a life, friends, family, and balance time with all that along with your particular obsession…then I think you’re good.

And the last REALLY big check for healthy obsessions…

Can you put them down and walk away from them for a day or a week and still function and take care of everything else in your life?

If you can’t, then you need to reevaluate the things you’re doing and where your time goes.

Just remember…

Gauge the return on investment of your time, just like any sort of investment. For me, looking into my son’s beautiful face and seeing him smiling and laughing, means that my time is VERY well spent.

Find the right priorities for you and your life and start working them.