Obsession

Our bundle of joy is going to be a boy! For me this is awesome for many reasons but mainly because it means I have someone to…

1. Play football with
2. Have a beer with
3. Buy violent toys for
4. Take to Roots Hall
5. Play practical jokes against the Mrs with

There is a certain degree of pride in producing an heir to the Bennett empire. An empire which currently consists of a few guitars and a Ford Fiesta. I can envisage a trip in Brenda (the name for the Ford Encore) saying ‘One day Son, all this will be yours!’. Another benefit of not having a daughter is the awkward interrogation of the potential boyfriends and subsequent financing of the Wedding. Instead, I’ll be giving the boy advice on how to win over the Dads and then make the appropriate dash for it. I was thinking though, the only downside to having a boy is the pressure we may inadvertently put on him. As a boy, you automatically think of the possibilities of a Nobel prize winner, an author or a musician. This got me thinking about my own short fallings as a human. And you know what? I couldn’t find a single thing (just kidding).

My main problem, which I don’t think is that uncommon is wanting what the Jones have. I often look at the successful people in life and I wonder how they’re any different to me. Apart from the obvious gulf in talent, these people have one thing that makes them particularly different from me. Obsession. A real single-mindedness to accomplish what they need to. Bill Gates’s obsession with getting computers into every home, Warren Buffett’s obsession with mastering the markets and Lionel Messi’s obsession to become the world’s second greatest football player (me obviously being number 1, a career blighted with injury). The self-control to spend every living moment of your life dedicated to achieving your goal. Simply amazing and commendable.

I’ve met a few people in life that seem to have this obsession. Their complete ‘I don’t give a fuck what you think’ attitude is for me the most impressive trait. When I start to look at what these people have, I have to remind myself that it’s because when I’m playing FIFA they’re working hard. A lot of people expect success just to fall in their lap. Why should it? You’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve it! Maybe this is down to the sense of entitlement we have in this country. Why the dribbling heathens turn up on X Factor expecting to become the next Rick Astley. Why Dave and Tracy expect the state to move them to a nicer house after Tracy popped out baby number 8. Just because you aspire to be as useless as Jade Goody doesn’t mean you’ll reap the same rewards. The only REAL thing I feel entitled to in life is fairness. Even that seems like too much at times. If I say my P’s and Q’s so should you, you ignorant peasant. I pay my fair share into the system so when I need something back shouldn’t I have the same entitlement as everyone else?

I think you cannot force obsession. If you don’t want something badly enough you’ll never get to the levels of obsessions you need to accomplish it. So for Junior, I’ll love him and guide him as best as I can. I’ll be proud of him regardless of which life path he decides to take. Having never had an obsession before I can’t wait for him to be my first!