Obsession, Expression, & Michelangelo.

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What’s up? LET’S GO!!! I was coaching my buddy earlier this week and we were talking about being obsessive with golf (AND FANTASY FOOTBALL). My guy, Slater has been making a ton of progress since we started working together in December. Along with solid training comes with some high quality conversations.

So question of the day was, what are you obsessed with? Slater hit me with a great comeback. It depends on the season. NFL = Fantasy Football long term keeper league with the fellas. Sunny summer time = Golfing addiction. Got it, got it, totally makes sense.

It made me start thinking about a few different things.

1. What are my friends obsessed with? What is their obsession? Inspired from Zach Pogrob’s writings on twitter and instagram (Check out why obsession is a good thing.)

2. What am I obsessed with?

3. How do I express it?

4. Discovering who we are and who we want to become?

Zach Pogrob recently posted an obsession starter pack meme which sick because it summarizes what he continues to put out into the world. This is such a gem if you have followed his work for the past decade.

So what’s your starter pack? What feeds your expression of obsession..?

It made me think what would mine be? Patigonia hat, saying “let’s go”, training to name a few. Post training Jiu Jistu gave me that “runners” high when I was driving home after getting submitted/my ass beat haha (AKA learning). I observed how obsessed the people were around me. They are better than me. They train more, more technical, and it isn’t going to cut it only training 2-3 times per week. My skills feel flat and stagnant at times. Still progressing but not a rapid rate. Do I accept this?

No judgement just being straight with myself. Can’t expect to be ballin out with 2-3 days per week. There is a trade off.

Less jiu jitsu so I can run with friends, train for marathons, go skiing on Mt. Hood, pickleball with the squad, go golfing with the fellas at Summerfield, get my lifting in, and write/podcast on my own. GETTING AFTER IT.

What I am realizing is there are these underlying core obsessions people possess and then the avenues in which you can express it. For athletes, it can be their competitiveness to be great. Like Kobe said he was obsessed with being curious and being able to discover how good he could be. Would it be better if I was only obsessed with Jiu Jitsu? Would life be more fun? Pick one thing and go all in?

I ask that because I love to improve and do fun shit with the people I love the most. Or as Jesse Itzler has said “Do the things I love with the people I love the most, more often.” Health, expression of self, figuring out who I truly want to be, being curious - are those all underlying themes. Then the waves of which one is the most important take over. More questions then answers here.

My good friend and roommate is similar. He doesn’t find time, he makes time to ski in the winter. Goes out of his way to get up on the mountain and get runs in. Then when the weather shifts so does the expression of obsession. Outside looking in is always way easier to assess. His obsession is being adventurous outside & racking up experiences. The expression is the skiing, surfing, rafting, etc

How do you live an incredible life through these things? The obsession and the expression of it help you discover more of who you are. I believe that is why I do it. In the moment it feels good to train hard, connect with people, and make improvements. Deep down though I imagine all the actions I take are me chiseling away at a big ass rock. Like the artist, Michelangelo creating the statue of David.

Dan McGinty shared this idea with me that Michaneglo said he doesn’t create the statues he simply lets them out of the stone… (chills). Let me say that again, the art is already in the rock he is just letting it out. He has four famous pieces that seem to be unfinished. However, he said that is all there was in the rock and he needed to move on.

LONG STORY SHORT. The art is already inside the rock. Just like we already have all the answers. Life is asking the right questions, figuring out those answers through expression, and then going all in to the obsession.

This thought has been on my mind a lot lately. First draft of getting this idea out of my head, not only on twitter and into your email inbox. If you loved this or connected with it in anyway please hit me up! Would love to chat with you more about it.

We are into the 160s of days training in a row for 2025. Hit me up about your training & health investments too! Would love to hear about it. Keep stacking those daily deposits and making every day the best day of the year, until tomorrow.

Ferate