Finding Success by Unleashing the Fanatic Buried Inside
One of my favorite authors Wes Moore argues in his book The Work that there is one trait that all wildly successful people have; they’re fanatics.
But what does it mean to be a fanatic? Well, the first and most important trait of a fanatic is that they’re single-minded. For example, if you’re fanatic about a sport like wrestling, this means you don’t like any other sport other than wrestling. If you’re fanatic about a team like the Philadelphia Eagles, then this means you don’t root for any other team other than the Eagles. Or, if you’re fanatic about solving a problem, then this means you don’t care about any other problem until you solve that problem.
There is both a good and bad side to being a fanatic. So, one must be careful not to let it get extreme. However, for those who struggle to find purpose in life, unleashing the fanatic inside is often the first step.
It may be your love for a music genre, art, sport, team or product. It could even be your love for a food or a type of entertainment. Whatever it is, go deep into that love.
Find other people and groups who share that love and talk to them as much as you can. Learn as much as you can about that love including the history and the modern-day influencers. Search for careers and volunteer opportunities related to that love, and then take steps to apply yourself.
It doesn’t matter how trivial the thing you love may appear to others. If you can’t help but spend your days and nights thinking about whatever it is, then don’t waste these thought cycles. Unleash that fanatic and let it be the purpose that guides you to success by finding your life’s work.