The one quality that all creative people share.

After many years of working with creation in its different forms, from the crafting of new visions, strategies, new products and services, brand experiences and communication etc. I have realised there is one quality that matters more than anything else. It’s not curiosity. It’s not passion either. It’s not even creativity itself.

The quality I am talking about is obsession.

You might think obsession is a negative word. And for sure it can be negative. But let’s explore it for a moment. To be obsessed means to be preoccupied by an idea or thought. People who are obsessed about solving a certain problem or reaching a certain goal are the typically the people who make the greatest difference in this world. Need some proof? Steve Jobs. Obsessed to the extreme. Thomas Edison — 10.000 failures before cracking the light bulb…check. I could go on…

Obsessed people are focused. Obsessed people are motivated and committed. Obsessed people have grit, they push through despite set-backs and hardship. Obsessed people care the most. Is obsession really that bad?

I am sure you have experienced all kinds of people in work life. The normal people give things a go, maybe give things two go’s before they give up and doom something impossible. At the other side of the spectrum are the most driven, the people who seem to “work too hard”, or “take things too seriously”. They are often seen as slightly weird. “Get a life”. “Work is not everything”. These people don’t want to talk too much at work, they want to produce. They want to create. Yet they seem weird, because they are different. They are not like everyone else, the average people.

Being average is the worst place to be in business, whether as a business or employee. Average gets you, well average.

I see so many people trying to play it safe in the world of business. Yet, what businesses need now is boldness. Yet, so many of the same people complain about their circumstances. I think it’s because they intrinsically know that being normal kind of sucks. Well, it gets you nowhere. So why not try getting obsessed about something you are passionate about?

Give obsession a chance. Decide to pursue that one inner calling with massive amounts of passion, action and self-discipline. Being obsessed means you are merely combining all your best resources and your resourcefulness — your motivation, your focus, your self-discipline and curiosity. This, is what creativity is all about.