Is it possible to be extremely successful without being obsessive? At child rearing or anything ?--- sports, fitness, career, life? I hope so. Examples anyone?
I guess it depends on how you define "obsessive" and "successful." I think that there are many things that lend themselves to obsessive behavior. If you want to be successful in anything that involves physical or psychomotor skills (tennis, golf, neurosurgery, dentistry, playing a musical instrument) then you have to be somewhat obsessive. The more you do it, the better you get. There is no question that this happens. These are motor performance skills where neurological responses improve with repeated trials and associated critical thinking elements become sharpened with experience.
And then there are career situations that are competitive, time comsuming, and demand dedication.
But when it comes to child-rearing, it seems as though the inverse is true. Because the parents goal is for the child to become independent. To acheive this, the parent has to gradually and thoughtfully withdraw from the child. Though it seems sad, a parent is "successful" when the child doesn't need them anymore.
I wonder what you consider as "obsessive" behavior? Because I think, as a parent, one might spend a fair amount of time reflecting on family issues, without actually physically interfering with the family -- would this be obsessive?
And what do you consider to be "successful"? (Where does the professional athlete fit in - who is extremely successful in their field but hardly knows their family?)
RDU Sting Women's Basketball is looking to form a booster club and club administration that will coordinate fund raising events and arrange community service activities. See details
A weekly craft session designed for children ages 3, 4 and 5 years old. Each craft is theme based and coupled with a bibliography of fun titles to support the theme. See details
"The Carolina Mountains" exhibit, on loan from the NC Museum of History, looks at life in western North Carolina around 1900, through the words and photography of Margaret Morley. See details
RDU Sting Women's Basketball is looking to form a booster club and club administration that will coordinate fund raising events and arrange community service activities. See details
Write More Explorer Writing Camps are offered on Mondays and Saturdays in February - May. Classes are offered in various themes to inspire each student to write on exciting topics. See details
Comments
What a thoughtful and complex question!
I guess it depends on how you define "obsessive" and "successful." I think that there are many things that lend themselves to obsessive behavior. If you want to be successful in anything that involves physical or psychomotor skills (tennis, golf, neurosurgery, dentistry, playing a musical instrument) then you have to be somewhat obsessive. The more you do it, the better you get. There is no question that this happens. These are motor performance skills where neurological responses improve with repeated trials and associated critical thinking elements become sharpened with experience.
And then there are career situations that are competitive, time comsuming, and demand dedication.
But when it comes to child-rearing, it seems as though the inverse is true. Because the parents goal is for the child to become independent. To acheive this, the parent has to gradually and thoughtfully withdraw from the child. Though it seems sad, a parent is "successful" when the child doesn't need them anymore.
I wonder what you consider as "obsessive" behavior? Because I think, as a parent, one might spend a fair amount of time reflecting on family issues, without actually physically interfering with the family -- would this be obsessive?
And what do you consider to be "successful"? (Where does the professional athlete fit in - who is extremely successful in their field but hardly knows their family?)