“obsession is gonna beat talent every time."
not in life
“Obsession is gonna beat talent every time.
You've got all the talent in the world, but are you obsessed?
Is it all you ever think about?”
This is a quote from the movie Hustle, and I believe it perfectly encapsulates what I see as the Athlete’s Mindset: obsession above all.
Obsession is the driver.
Obsession is the motivator.
Obsession is the path.
And it’s what gets you to the top.
I’ve always found this mentality intriguing. The endgame in sports is to be the undisputed, undefeated best. And talent alone isn’t enough to get there.
Football (soccer, for those who call it that) is the biggest sport in the world. The only one that unites billions of people across every corner of the globe. A sport so massive, yet small enough to cherry-pick a handful of elites from the hundreds of thousands of players.
From such a large pool, the greatest feat is to come out on top. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi managed to do so. A debate that’s spanned years, one that people around me often framed as obsession versus talent.
The beginning of this already told you my stance on that debate. But the point here isn’t to fangirl or pander to the greatness of CR7. What I want to do is break this mentality down and explore why applying it outside of sports can be harmful and even counterproductive.
Obsession in sports is rewarded because the system is built to filter for it: performance is everything. The metrics are clear: win, dominate, repeat. But in creative fields like writing, this tunnel-vision mindset often leads to burnout, self-doubt, and stagnation. Creativity isn’t a race. There’s no clear finish line. It doesn’t thrive on conquest, it thrives on collaboration.
In sports, results are tangible and often disregard external factors. Look at how many top players came from poverty. Look at how scouts find talent in the streets and favelas. If you’re good, you’re in; if you’re great, you stay. That’s not how it works elsewhere. In most fields, it’s opportunity and resources that prevail.
Even in business, the hustle and grind mentality is glorified. But for every obsessive who "wins," there are thousands who burn out in silence. The difference? Sports have objective rules. Life doesn’t.
That’s the nature of sports. It thrives on competition. But contrast that with literature, for example, and obsession becomes a hindrance. Writing needs love. It needs passion. It needs patience. Obsession is none of those things.
Yes, obsession is a type of devotion, and you can absolutely devote yourself to writing but not the way athletes do to sport. Writing doesn’t require domination; it requires persistence, regardless of the outcome.
In sports, there's only one top spot everyone is fighting for. In writing, there isn’t. We share the space and build each other up. It’s individualism versus collectivism. Obsession is often isolating, and most human endeavors require community.
Obsession might win the game. But in life, it’s often patience, empathy, and collaboration that lead to the most meaningful victories.
- with love, T (2025)