Codie Sanchez Says Obsession is Key to Success. Says Who?
Okay, so Codie Sanchez – ex-Wall Streeter, runs some "Contrarian Thinking" thing, apparently worth $17 million, and has a bestselling book – is telling us that obsession is the key to success. Right. Says who?
The Gospel of Grind: Is Obsession a Prerequisite for Success?
I saw this thing floating around – Codie Sanchez, preaching to her nearly 2 million TikTok followers, about how obsession plus "relentless action" equals inevitable success. And if you give it 3-5 years of absolute dedication, you're golden. Ten years, and you're practically Scrooge McDuck swimming in cash.
Give me a break.
Look, I get it. Hustle culture is alive and well, peddling the same tired garbage that if you just grind hard enough, you'll make it. We've heard it all before. Mark Cuban went seven years without a vacation. Jeff Bezos was pulling 12-hour days, seven days a week. And don't even get me started on Steve Jobs going into "founder mode" – which, let's be real, probably meant screaming at people until they cried.
But here's the thing: correlation ain't causation. Just because some successful people were workaholics doesn't mean that every successful person needs to be. It doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice your mental health, your relationships, and your entire life to chase some arbitrary definition of "success."
And frankly, this whole "obsession" thing sounds like a recipe for burnout. A quick Google search shows Codie Sanchez previously worked for Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, and State Street. Is she speaking from experience? Is this some kind of justification for her own past choices? As The uncomfortable secret of successful people: Forget work-life balance, you have to be ‘obsessed,’ ex-Wall Streeter and business coach says - Fortune notes, Sanchez is an ex-Wall Streeter who now preaches the gospel of obsession.
The Contrarian Take: Or Just Another Hustle?
Codie Sanchez is the founder and CEO of Contrarian Thinking, a media and finance education company. She also runs venture fund Contrarian Thinking Capital. So, she's selling something, right? And what better way to sell something than to tell people they're not working hard enough?
It's a brilliant marketing strategy, actually. Tap into people's insecurities, make them feel like they're falling behind, and then offer them the "solution" – your product, your service, your course on how to be more "obsessed."
And let's not forget the glorification of billionaire status. Ten years of obsession, and you too can join the elite club of people who hoard wealth while the rest of us struggle to pay rent! What a dream!
Seriously, are we really still buying into this? I mean, are we really supposed to believe that some rando on TikTok knows the secret to becoming a billionaire? And more importantly, do we even want to become billionaires if it means sacrificing everything else in our lives?
Offcourse, she's not the only one pushing this narrative. But it's still dangerous. It preys on vulnerable people who are desperately trying to find a way out of the rat race. And it convinces them that the only way to do it is to become a workaholic.
The Reality Check: Life Beyond the Grind
Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky. Maybe I'm just jealous that Codie Sanchez has nearly 2 million TikTok followers and I'm sitting here writing this rant in my pajamas. Maybe I'm just… wrong.
But I still think this whole "obsession" thing is bullshit.
Life is more than just work. It's about relationships, experiences, and finding joy in the little things. It's about pursuing your passions, not just chasing money. And it's about taking care of yourself, both mentally and physically.
So, yeah, maybe Codie Sanchez is right. Maybe obsession is the key to success.
But what if success isn't the key to happiness? What if happiness is the key to success? What if the real contrarian thinking is to reject the hustle culture altogether and to focus on living a balanced, fulfilling life?
I don't know, maybe I'm just being naive. But I'm starting to think that "obsession" is just another word for "unhealthy coping mechanism."
Give Me a Break...
Look, I ain't saying don't work hard. But this whole "obsessed" nonsense? It's just another way to sell you something you don't need. Go outside, touch some grass, and maybe reconsider who you're taking life advice from.