To the obsessed,

Happy Saturday.

I'm writing from a beautiful backyard in California. It's insanely beautiful, and even more-so visiting from NYC.

Contrast makes life fun.

Now, let's get to the bullets.

PS: I just went on Ever Forward Radio Podcast with Chase Chewning.

Chase is an incredible podcaster. He let me rant about obsession for 45 minutes, and I learned new things about myself along the way. It's a rare skill for an interviewer to do that. We talked about visualization, finding new paths in life, and how I think about creativity.

Go watch, leave a comment, let me know what you think.

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1. On a good vs. bad obsession:

A bad obsession is an act of consumption.

A good obsession is an act of creation.

Find something that feels selfish, but serves others, and the world is yours.

2. On why people listen to Huberman Lab:

"The easy explanation for the Hubermania is that everyone likes to feel smart, and listening to a Stanford neuroscientist talk for hours about neurons and circadian rhythms and endogenous opioids scratches that itch." - Jamie Dumarche, How Podcaster Andrew Huberman Got America to Care About Science​

A great line from Huberman on his obsession:

“It would have to be not about what I want,” he says. “It would have to be, my body is a vehicle to accomplish a very specific set of things that I feel I need to do and the world needs. It’s a compulsion for me to learn and to teach."

3. On the animal:

"The thing most commonly linked with success: "Can you describe this person as an animal? - Tom Littler, Twitter​

4. On young Arnold's communication:

"I'm shocked. I'm kind of scared that this guy so addicted to discipline, goals, and acclaim. He grew up without running water. Now, he has the ability to channel his focus into an activity that will make him and his unborn grandchildren wealthy, and you find it surprising."

"My response [David Senra speaking] to this is of course he is like this. And Arnold does exactly what I think if you're this driven, monomaniacal maniac, what you should do, clear communication with the people in your life about what is important to you."

​- Founders Podcast, Arnold Schwarzenegger Before He Was Successful​

This is a great podcast, sharing the perspective of Arnold's girlfriend before he became 'Arnold.' It holds a massively important point- one of the hardest parts of being obsessed is never apologizing and wavering from who you are. It takes raw, relentless honesty, which Arnold never lacked.

A lot of the obsessed never become who they're capable of, simply because they lacked the courage to say, and act, like who they want to become.

5. On Kodawari:

Kodawari (こだわり): This Japanese word roughly translates to 'a sincere, unwavering focus on what you're doing, with the aim of making it perfect while knowing that perfection is impossible.' It's a term often used by sushi chefs, artisans, and others who dedicate their lives to mastering a single craft.

I like this word. It's kind of the Japanese version of obsession- chasing an impossible perfection. With a relentless focus on the game, for the game itself.

6. On charisma:

“Steve had this ability to reach out to find the absolute best, smartest people he felt were out there. He was extremely charismatic and extremely compelling in getting people to join up with him and he got people to believe in his visions even before the products existed… He always reached out for the very best people he could find in the field. And he personally did all the recruiting for his team. He never delegated that to anybody else." - John Sculley on Steve Jobs (h/t Dylan Jardon for sharing)

Charisma is a massively underrated piece behind ultra-successful people. Mind-control is real. It's how they get killers to believe in a vision. And, to leave behind their own. But most importantly..it can't be taught. It's the result of relentless authenticity, that's very rare to find.

7. On weekends:

“I disliked weekends. Everybody was out on the streets. Everybody was playing Ping-Pong or mowing their lawn or polishing their car or going to the supermarket or the beach or to the park. Crowds everywhere. Monday was my favorite day." - Charles Bukowski

8-9. On what James Cameron loves:

"I think it comes from my desire as a kid to do something artistic that would amaze people, you know? I would go to movies that would amaze me, whether that was a Ray Harryhausen film or Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. I wanted to do nothing less than that. Those are the projects that I love: figuring out what might just be possible but hasn’t been done yet. I have always wanted to create new things." - James Cameron Profile, All My Movies are Love Stories​

Another great line: “It’s important to not get too absorbed in the tech and to remember to actually tell a good story.”

"Maybe it’s boy meets girl, maybe it’s father-son, maybe it’s husband and wife undergoing a divorce. Where the story is set we can relate to these universal kinds of relationships. Then that relationship must be tested. I always say, 'All my movies are love stories.'"

10. On saying no:

"To become 'successful,' you have to say 'yes' to a lot of experiments. To learn what you’re best at, or what you’re most passionate about, you have to throw a lot against the wall.

Saying yes to too much 'cool' will bury you alive and render you a B-player, even if you have A-player skills. To develop your edge initially, you learn to set priorities; to maintain your edge, you need to defend against the priorities of others." - Tim Ferriss​

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I’d love to know what you thought of this edition. Reply toy this email, or tweet me at @zachpogrob.

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Stay obsessed,

Zach

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