In my previous blog, I alluded to my natural obstination that sometimes pushes me to go over and beyond “the call of duty” and I was wondering how an unbridled obstinacy differentiate itself from determination and obsession and in the long run is a desirable trait to keep? It seems to me that the natural obstinacy I was born with, especially when tempered by reflection and rest, could be a source of creative breakthroughs and meaningful goals.
But it’s probably fair to ask when it serves me and when might it need some tempering or refining? I would agree that if obstinacy remains unbridled it can turn into a refusal to adapt, but when paired with insight and plenty of time to reflect as I’ve described previously, it can become a kind of creative defiance.
It can turn into the force that says, “I’ll find a way, even if no one else sees it yet.” In my opinion, some obstinacy helps when it protects your values from dilution or compromise, when it fuels innovation by resisting my giving up prematurely and it also helps me when I must persist through ambiguity or resistance.
Sure, it can turn into a huge negative when it blocks collaboration with others or blinds me to new suggestions and ideas, also when it becomes self-reinforcing without external feedback and of course when it leads me to emotional exhaustion or when it messes up my relations with colleagues, friends and family.
Determination is the trellis that’s always structured, goal-oriented and designed to guide the vine upward. Obsession is when the vine wraps so tightly it forgets the sky.
The bottom line is to tame our obstinacy to be creative, reflective and purposeful. It cannot be blind and must be interspersed with breaks, reflection, and a sense of purpose. That makes it not just desirable, but essential to our creative process.
It’s the engine behind our craftsmanship, our philosophical questions, and our tool to turn persistence into insight.
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