On my ride to work this morning, I asked myself what this was. The thought was something like: Gbolade, what is that one thing that is at the center of it all? Why do you do what you do? What is the idea, the vision, the big picture, the ideal, the burning passion, the foundational value? What is the magnificent obsession?

The reason I thought long and hard about this is that I knew this is what keeps any great man going. I just saw the Spotlight movie last night and there was one sentence that made the movie one I’ll remember for a long time. The new editor of the Boston Globe was addressing the spotlight team and said something like; “This is the reason we do what we do”. That touched me in a very special way, I understood in that moment that the reason why something is done is more important than the activity itself.

So I took this idea and put it in other scenarios, and I ended up with a truckload of questions for myself. The reason I started my company is more important than the company itself, the reason why I live is more important than life itself. What is my reason. That reason that directs me, that chooses my activities, associations and work for me unconsciously. Of course, I had to come up with an argument that supported this theory so I went back some steps in the scientific method and tasked myself to observe great causes, organizations, religions and countries.

My observations led me to a fact. There’s always a reason for greatness. It doesn’t just happen, there has to be a driving force, an idea or ideal that the greatness is supposed to bring into manifestation. That magnificent obsession when found can express itself in diverse forms. It typically leads to doing the same exact thing in several ways.

I started asking myself what this magnificent obsession was in my life’s work. Why do I work 10 hours a day, 7 days in most weeks. A sudden fear came upon me. I hope I’m not doing this just for money, so I dug deeper and looked through some of my past ideas and events, and this I found. My Magnificent Obsession has always been to evolve towards perfection, and in the process, birth ideas and turn them into reality. Perfection of course is quite temporal and vague, perfection itself evolves with time and perspective. The second part (birth ideas and turn them into reality) is what perpetuates my obsession. Technology is one of my favorite tools employed to achieve my magnificent obsession. I am beginning to learn of another tool which is quite mind-blowing, and that is people. I employed my first set of co-workers this year at Mactavis and it has been amazing evolving with other people, reaching for a higher ideal.

So what’s your magnificent obsession and how does it permeate everything you do. Share in the comments below.