Obsession

There is a profile of Bill Simmons, writer for ESPN.com known at "The Sports Guy" in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine. Written by Jonathan Mahler (author of the excellent "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning"), the piece does not provide much additional insight for Simmons fans, but it gets to the heart of a matter I have been pondering lately. That is, that successful people are not just motivated and driven, but that they actually have some obsession that makes them pursue their goals and dreams.

Simmons, as the piece mentions, began his career as "The Boston Sports Guy," writing a column for AOL in which he took the role of everyman Boston sports fan. The role was driven by Simmons' obsession with all things Boston sports -- especially the Red Sox and Celtics. This was not merely fandom, but Simmons appeared to truly obsess over Boston sports. This obsession bled into his writing and not only improved his appeal, but I believe allowed him to continue to be successful, because he was writing about a topic with which he was obsessed.

Over the next several posts, I will continue to explore the relationship between success and obsession. Please let me know if there are certain individuals you think share this success/obsession link.