Obsession isn't a bad word.

Growing up, I heard obsession as something to avoid. It's an internal force that possesses you, that captures you, that can sweep you away from your self.

When people talked about obsession, it was usually vices — other people, media, some kind of compulsion. And any association with a vice warrants caution.

The truth is, I do obsess. Ideas get in my head and won’t let go.

I used to see this as a bad thing. Whether it was getting caught up in a video game, a crush, or any other new fancy, I would feel a pang of frustration. Why can't you just keep your focus on what's important instead of these totally fleeting things?

A recent diagnosis put things into perspective — last year, I got evaluated and confirmed as someone with ADHD. When I grew up, I was told ADHD was a myth created by pharmaceutical companies. When most people experience qualities of ADHD — lack of focus, trouble concentrating, etc. — it's easy to dismiss this as a catch-all dysfunction with an overprescription of stimulant medications.

Fair enough — the condition is more subtle than that. What really got me to identify with it — aside from a few professionals I respect confirming that it's not just some made-up thing — was the tendency to hyperfixate. I used to think ADHD was all about not being able to focus. But the flip side was true — people with ADHD can over-focus. They can get obsessed.

Something clicked. I’ve pushed myself to dig out of obsessions just to keep up. Don’t deep dive into Greek mythology — how in the hell is that useful when you need to make money?

These tendencies weren’t signs of failure — they were just how my brain works.

And yes, they can become an issue for everyday functioning in society. Probably not a great idea to do an intensive study of Buddhist philosophy when you've got a work deliverable in a week.

But there's room for us and our way of being too. I actually see this tendency to obsess as a superpower. When we go deep into something, our energy carries us. It's a powerful momentum. I think it's one of the only reasons I can get from start to finish on making an album.

The trick is that these obsessions need to be channeled. Guard rails are our friends here. Friends and loved ones can protect us from falling too deep in the rabbit hole when we have other obligations to tend to — whether it's a check-in, a reminder, or just presence.

I don’t have a playbook for how to channel these fixations. All I know is that I'm in a season where I'm letting myself pull these threads and see where they lead. I think of it as an experiment — can following these passions lead me to a better place than a more rigid approach?

So if you're struggling with ADHD or even just a tendency to get caught up, I'm here to say — it's not all bad. Learning to love this part of yourself — this tendency, this latent superpower — can be all you need to reconcile the way you work and the way the world is.

There’s no formula here. Just curiosity, patience, and maybe a little self-trust.

Remember: obsession is a powerful gift when mindfully directed.