Obsessive vs. Persistent

Do not confuse these two, as they’re entirely different things.

I’m a very persistent person & a Taurus through & through; I’m fiercely loyal, often times stubborn & yet very persistent with the things I want to bring to fruition …

… but I don’t have a problem confusing it with being obsessive.

The culture can use the word obsessive to mean being passionate about doing something. For instance, I’m obsessive about watching people's behaviors, noticing & diagnosing them. It’s just something fun that I enjoy doing.

But the way that I’ve been taught to define obsessiveness within my work,  differentiates it from persistence.

Persistence is when someone will stop at nothing to create something they have in mind. It’s a creative & passionate notion that they want to fulfill on. They go over it, under it, around it & even through it if they have to, but they find their way.

However, with obsessive, they have the same type of mechanics, except if they don’t achieve the goal, it will mean something about them.

For example:

“If I don’t make a million dollars this year, I’m a loser.”

“If I don’t create a new business, I’m a failure.”

“If I can't get that girl to date me, I’ll be seen as not fitting in, having no value,  or stamped as unpopular.”

The obsessive is trying to solve an emotional issue, by trying to obtain the thing they’re pursuing.

The obsessive has a delusional kind of attention on a person, place or thing, thinking that if they obtain said thing, it will solve their emotional issue.

The persistent person does not make their endeavor mean anything about them; they’re not trying to prove something. They simply & creatively want to do something, but they’re not trying to solve an emotional issue, & it certainly doesn’t mean anything about them if they don’t “succeed.”