Brilliant forward-thinking movers-and-shakers all have one thing in common.

It’s not our IQs. As if you need to be highly intelligent in order to be considered brilliant.

It’s not the years of education under our belts. As if quantity matters in the school of life.

It’s not the people we associate with. As if the only reason why you are brilliant is because everyone else around you is brilliant.

It’s not the particular methods we choose. It’s not the foods we eat. It’s not the size of our hips, the color of our hair, how tall we are, what our citizenship is, our birth order, how white or black our names sound, whether or not we drive on the left or right side of the road.

Those who do anything worthwhile in this world, that is, add value and who makes the world just a tad bit brighter, are those who are positively, literally and completely obsessed.

A burning obsession.

An obsession that will not go away overnight, nor do you really want it to.

An obsession that no matter what people say, you cannot ignore.

An obsession that drives you to extremes.

Do you have this obsession within you?

It’s not a disease, unlike OCD, which is a chemical imbalance. It’s not something that should be shunned. When channeled in proactive ways, positive obsession can lead you to newer horizons, breakthroughs in science and technology, discoveries that would’ve never been unearthed unless the obsession led you to that point.

Just 5 examples out of countless people:

Christopher P. Gardner. You may have heard of him if you’ve read his memoir The Pursuit of Happyness or seen the movie with the same title. He was obsessed about becoming a stock broker. To not be homeless while raising his toddler son. To not be so damn poor.

Tenacity, utter persistence, a blinding focus, and the obsession to be better than who he was and more importantly, to give his son a better future, Gardner got himself out of homelessness and got himself into a bright and solid career. He would sleep in the bathroom, sleep under his desk, work ever so hard, to make it. And the rest is history.

Edwin C. Barnes. The man who incessantly and constantly pursued his one obsession: to become partners with Thomas A. Edison. Not to work for him, but to work with him. This obsession and burning desire led him to travel by freight train to the offices of Edison and started nominal work that no one else wanted to do. But to Barnes, he was obsessed and relentless in his pursuit. Finally, he was able to sell the one thing no one else wanted to sell: the Edison Dictating Machine (Ediphone). Edison noticed. And the rest is history.

Harvey B. Milk. The American politician who was responsible for passing a stringent gay rights ordinance in San Francisco. Milk was obsessed with the vision of a righteous world for all, and took proactive steps in making it a reality. He unfortunately was assassinated in 1978 after serving only 11 months in office, but was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Li Cunxin. One of China’s — and the world’s — best dancers, who defected to the U.S. in a hostile intervention that even George Bush, Sr. and the FBI were involved in. Without his resilient perseverance and downright obsession with becoming the best dancer in the world, he wouldn’t have made it out of rural Qingdao, China, where people were so poor they ate tree bark in order to survive. His subsequent autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer, and film of the same title, solidified this man’s early obsession to be the best there ever was. And the rest is history.

Luke Montgomery. Gay rights charity crusader and media maven behind FCKH8.com and Good Ideas For Good Causes. It says it all on his site: “Obsessed with leveraging the power of savvy marketing and ‘good ideas for good causes’ …” And the rest? You got it. He’s making history.

Personal examples:

I became obsessed with Shotokan Karate starting in 2006. I would dream about the Japanese phrases we’d use in the dojo, constantly repeating them in my sleep, until I memorized every phrase and could recite them without a beat. I would envision my matches before they’ve even played out in real time, and see my future self defeating my opponent. I would practice and train incessantly, logging in so many hours at the dojo that I’d practically sleep in my uniform. I ate, drank, breathed Karate. End result: USA NKF, ASKF and ISKC certified 1st degree Black belt in 4 years’ time, 2009 U.S. Open Gold Medalist and winner in dozens of national/international tournaments.

I became obsessed with minimalism (and still am) in the summer of 2008. Devouring everything I could get my hands on regarding the topic of minimalism, simplicity, anti-consumerism, etc., I gleaned the best of the best from the works of many before me, and developed my own personal lifestyle and philosophy, which I still live by today. I continually self-evaluate, demanding the why behind the purchase, behind the consumption. End result: Radical minimalist living out of a bag and a changed mindset of one that does not hoard and haggle over tangible things.

I became obsessed with reading and writing ever since I was 4 years old. And I still am. My father would check out a stack of books 2 feet high from the library each week, knowing that would barely keep me busy until the next time we visit. I started typing at the age of 6 using the oldest of oldest typewriters, pounding away short stories and poems that were housed in my small 6-year-old brain. I wrote a story every single day for many, many years. Dedicating a great number of hours every day to the literary arts, I am now able to gradually watch myself transform and evolve as a writer. I did things which I thought I never could, or would, do. Like write my first, full-length novel. End result: I am now a writer. And my heart rejoices.

I became obsessed with stuffed kittens as a child. Funny thing is, I’m actually more of a dog person. But that didn’t stop me from lugging Kitty around with me wherever I went, including holding her by the tail out the passenger’s side while my dad yelled at me to stop dangling her out of a moving vehicle. Good thing she wasn’t a live cat. End result: Kitty survived.

I became obsessed with the idea of moving to Taiwan back in 2009. So obsessed that I made it a reality, taking firm steps in the direction of my goal. I would ask around, do research, envision myself living and breathing Taiwan. End result: I now have a Taiwan passport, a home base in Taipei, and am taking steps in attaining citizenship here (but will still retain my American citizenship).

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When you become obsessed with a certain idea and you will stop at nothing until that idea has been thoroughly wrung dry of its contents, discoveries and experiences, you reach breakthroughs unimaginable.

Lives can change, most noticeably your own. Our world as we know it can change. The way we do things can change. Why we do things can change.

Positive obsession can literally rock your world.

What are you obsessed about?