I've written before about the power of obsession and addiction. That is why I love the tone of this article by Nance Rosen. She is a voracious and compulsive reader and seems quite proud of it.
"I read a lot of things (publications, the backs of cereal boxes, anything except instructions to technology that I also am driven to purchase) that have no reason to be interesting to me other than the fact that my brain noisily demands to be fed, like the way your stomach spasms and makes noises when you’re hungry."
"I can’t escape this drive to be relentlessly educated. It’s why I can’t wake up without lots of newspapers, real and online. It makes my Sunday ritual of having lunch out just an excuse to wend my way to a bookstore and come home with six books that I could probably get from a fellow publisher if I could wait (I run Pegasus Media World). My brain won’t let me wait."
Her drive to read the backs of cereal boxes really resonates with me. Shortly after getting married, my wife cleared off the entire table during a meal and then asked, "do you have to read everything? What is so interesting about the back of the ketchup bottle?" It wasn't until later that I learned that one of my top five strength themes from the Strengthsfinder profile is Input. I just love to read. It is who I am. But enough about me, let's get back to Nance . . .
"If I’m not growing I feel like I’m dying. That’s why being a lifelong learner isn’t something that’s nice for me, it’s essential – like air, water and food." Nance needs to read. Like all of our strengths, this is both a blessing and a curse, a strength and a weakness.
"My partners, clients, associates, fellow instructors, suppliers, employees, family and the panoply of people who surround me in my working life (which is 90% of my life) both benefit and suffer from my having this trait." Isn't it cool when someone uses "panoply" in a sentence? That is a well-read person.
Nance ends the article with this question. "What is YOUR driving trait? I’ve revealed mine in its most manic light, because I want you to see that the basis of your brand isn’t a choice, it’s your calling." Your uniqueness and your greatest opportunity for success can be found in the activities that you are compelled to do, those that you simply can't avoid.
Nance's obsession with reading and learning serves her well in her career as an author, speaker and publisher. She has found and created an environment that rewards her for being herself. She can flaunt her apparent weakness because she has found the right spot.
What is your addiction? What is your obsession? How can you turn it into a career or a business?
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