My Dear Friend,

Today’s letter is going to be a “one-shot“ write.

Usually I spend 10+ hours building out the weekly letter, but today, I’m sitting down and writing this straight from end-to-end with no edits.

Most of the past letters have been “practical” and with accessible topics for anyone that strives to become better.

However, today’s letter is not practical and falls into the “advanced“ category. And I will struggle to find all of the words to describe the power of this topic.

You’ve been asking for a pocket knife and I’m about to hand you an AK-47.

But if you want access to this potent tool, then read closely, because I’ve got deep experience with this one..

How This Letter Is Structured

1. I’ll describe Obsessive Focus, a wildly powerful and dangerous weapon you have access to at every moment.

2. I’ll tell you about the big, juicy benefits that can come from wielding it correctly.

3. I’ll caution you with the very real dangerous that obsessive focus can bring.

4. And finally, I’ll give you some general guidance on how to wield it safely.

Obsessive Focus

The way Obsessive Focus has revealed itself in my life is as the flow state on steroids. This is when you have channeled your mind and body towards a specific goal - to the complete exclusion of everything else that is happening around you.

It is when you run through walls, not because you can, but because they are simply in the way.

It is a state of mind that is challenging to enter and easy to fall out of.

The Biggest Benefits Of Obsessive Focus

Novel Idea Generation

But something magical happens when you enter this state. Your mind starts generating novel ideas at a startling rate, and even more incredible, your body takes action on those ideas.

The biggest, most unique ideas I’ve ever come up with have come to me in this state of mind.

You start drawing crazy, unexpected connections between your past experience and your interests.

I won’t even try to outline all of the wild ideas that have smacked me upside the head, while in the Obsessive Focus state.

Boundless Energy

When you are in this state, you pop out of bed like a jack-in-the-box and you have to force yourself to shut things down at the end of the night.

You are able to run full-tilt with near-limitless energy for inhuman lengths of times.

Hours feel like minutes.

Eating feels like an hassle.

Taking breaks feels like an inconvenience.

Problem Solving

Because you are moving with so much intensity, you drop all of your preconceived notions on how things should be done - your only focus is to accomplish your initiative.

Obstacles that would be insurmountable to normal people are nothing more than low fences for you to hurdle over.

There was a legendary (and dangerous) mountain man from the 19th century by the name of Kit Carson. Illiterate but skilled beyond measure in navigating the unpredictable world of the unsettled west.

He was famous for his ability to fiercely solve ANY problem thrown at him when the stakes were especially high and lives were at risk.

There is a phrase he would use to describe his ability to both DECIDE and ACT simultaneously, he would say: “it is ‘done-so’.“

To him, making a decision and taking an action were one and the same.

One of the biggest challenges that people have with accomplishing a task or goal is the GAP between making a decision and taking action. The wider the gap between your DECISION and your ACTION, the more likely it is that something will slip in between the two and impede your action.

When you are in an obsessive focus state, the gap between decision and action is nearly non-existent. This results in a dramatic change in your output.

Couple this action-orientation with novel ideas and boundless energy, and you start accomplishing things that you once thought were impossible.

Obsessive Focus Comes With Big Risks

Now, let’s pause for a moment.

If you have made it to this point and you are thinking: “this sounds great, I want this superpower in my life.“, then I will caution you and ask you to read this section very closely.

Entering a state of Obsessive Focus can destroy your life.

If you wield this weapon incorrectly, you WILL cause some deep self-inflicted wounds. You can do some REAL damage to yourself and the people around you.

Obsessive Focus has brought me abundance but it has also caused me a great deal of pain.

Proceed with caution.

Health Risks

Remember how I was saying that you have boundless energy? Well, guess what? You are still human. The tank will eventually run dry. The engine still needs fuel and lubricant or it will fail you. I’ve experienced this first-hand.

You can only push yourself for so long. The lack of food and sleep comes at a steep price.

After once spending weeks in this state in isolation, exploring and developing a big idea, I was reduced to a weak, skinny, depressed guy with a hands full of gems.

It actually took months to recover from the damage from this period of time.

Unless you have a rock-solid routine, when your in an obsessive focus state, your habits will collapse around you. This is one of the reasons, why I am so rigorous with my habits (See: Letter 8).

My routines protect my health no matter how turbulent my life is.

Relationship Risks

This is the biggest problem with Obsessive Focus. It is inherently selfish, and as a result, you spend very little time cultivating the relationships that matter and serving other people.

Your relationships will determine your level of happiness and need to be protected at all costs.

When you are in an Obsessive Focus state, you are oblivious to the needs of other people and incapable of being present during a conversation.

This will erode your relationships like acid, if you aren’t careful.

Wielding Obsessive Focus Like A Weapon

Okay, if I haven’t scared you off yet?

Alright, here are a few ways that I lean on to get me into (and out of) this state of mind.

How To Enter The Obsessive Focus State

As I said earlier, this is like the flow state on steroids, so everything that applies to getting into the flow state applies here. You know, the general advice...

• Eliminate distractions

• Have a goal you are trying to accomplish

• Fully engage in a single activity that is just outside of your comfort zone

That is pretty cookie-cutter, advice, so once you've applied all of the above, these are the things that I do to take myself from "flow state" to "obsessed"...

• Music. I have a playlist of songs that really amp me up. Most of the time, these are songs that I've listened to so many times that the lyrics just blur into the background. I like hip hop, dance, etc. Doesn't really matter what you listen to, as long as it gets you "hyped".

• Privacy. This goes along with "eliminating distractions", but goes a bit deeper. When I'm obsessively focused, all of my strangest antics and mannerisms come out to play. The stuff that I don't feel comfortable revealing to everyone else. Dancing, singing, humming loudly, and just generally... vibing.

• Stimulants. For me, it comes in the form of coffee. Caffeine is proven to increase focus and attention. A little goes a long way, but it is great for taking your mind a little further, taking you out of your normal thought patterns. Whatever you choose to get your mind going, remember to take care of your body. You only get one of them.

• Purpose. This is the biggest one and there isn't really any substitute for it. This is what makes Obsessive Focus so much more than just "working on a task". This is the spark that lights the fire. For me, the purpose that reliably gets me into the Obsessive Focus state is pursuing an idea of deep interest or meaning to me. Something that just gets me excited.

How To Exit The Obsessive Focus State

At the beginning of this letter, I mentioned that it is easy to fall out of the Obsessive Focus state. When you are first shifting into this state, this is definitely true. At first, it is easy to get distracted and start wandering off in the wrong direction.

But, once you've been in this state for a while, you want to stay there, this is where all of the problems come from. It feels awesome to be in this hyper-productive state. You don't want it to end.

This obsessive focus state can go for hours or days, depending on how much you are willing to sacrifice. See the "risks" section above.

When it comes time to wrap things up, this is where the people around you can help you out. If you care about them, and they care about you, it is a lot easier to "shut things down", when you have gone for long enough.

Knowing when and how to say "enough is enough" will come from experience.

Cut the stimulants, shift your attention to something completely unrelated and get yourself OUT of wherever you have been. Go for a hike with some friends, make dinner for your family. Get back on top of the habits, routines, and relationships that were put at risk by being consumed by your work.

That is it, everyone!

I have nothing more to add on this.

Coming up…

For the past 2 months, I’ve been working on an incredible gift for my son. I’m thrilled to tell you more about it, so tune in next week.

I'll be sharing the "Part 1" of a really amazing 2-part series about how to craft magical gifts that your loved ones will treasure forever.

All the best,

Cliff