Guest Post by Cole Fitter

As I was making tea this morning, making sure the hot water touched every single tea leaf, I had an incredible thought.

After years of struggling against a tsunami of uncontrollable mental noise, it finally became clear that I have an unfair advantage over other people.

Yes, I have OCD and was lucky enough to be diagnosed with it at a very young age. And while this condition means your brain doesn’t work well in certain situations, it is also a classic case of a double-edged sword.

While OCD can completely debilitate someone and hijack their lives, as it did with me in the summer of 2021, it can also lend an unfair advantage over other people.

Below are 5 ways how OCD has given me an unfair advantage in certain aspects of my life. While I have experienced the lowest of lows with my OCD, I hope that this article can help you also reach the highest of highs on your journey.

Disclaimer: this post isn’t an attempt to minimize the extreme difficulties of living with OCD. Rather, this article is meant to help people who suffer from OCD see their internal dialogue in a new way. Although it can be torturous, OCD is also a catalyst for unprecedented growth. Maybe that voice you’ve been fighting all along is actually worth listening to :)

1. OCD Makes Me an Excellent Observer

Whether it’s learning a new chord on the guitar or picking up the intricacies of swinging a baseball bat, OCD superpowers allow me to observe like a hawk.

I can learn songs on my guitar by just looking them up on YouTube and pausing the video at the most opportune spots, mimicking what the musician is doing.

I also remember never being satisfied with “just kick it” when I was learning how to drive a soccer ball 50 yards downfield. I had to take the process apart, move by move, until I had a formula that I could consistently follow.

While this analytical approach may not suit everyone, it certainly aided me in reaching new musical and athletic heights.

2. Excellent attention to detail

Because of OCD’s tendencies to hyper-fixate on the little things, it helps me have an unparalleled ability to focus on the details.

While it’s important to know when you let it go too far, displaying great attention to detail is excellent in the fields of design, hospitality, culinary arts, and many more.

In my experience of designing websites, I know that my attention to detail sets me apart from the competition. From noticing when two colors don’t vibe together to aligning text to make it easier for the reader, my OCD superpowers have helped me step up my game. People have even thanked me for catching things that appear small at first but raise huge problems if not immediately corrected.

3. It Makes Me Excellent at Cleaning

No spot of grease on the stove or spore of mold stands a chance against my OCD cleaning superpowers! When I turn cleaning mode on, it’s all or nothing.

Where some people see an off-white countertop, I see the potential for greatness. I bleach, rinse, and scrub that thing until it’s shinier than a new Tesla.

While some are satisfied with “good enough,” I scoff at their uncleanliness. I don’t envy them, because I know that it makes me happy to live in a clean environment.

A good life is built on maintenance, and OCD helps me have my cleaning habits on lock.

4. I Always Strive to be My Best

OCD helps me be the best version of myself.

I’ve had coaches that know me so well that they know when I’m giving my best effort or slacking off. When they notice that I’m not giving it my all, they remind me that the only person I’m cheating is myself.

Similar to a coach who pushes you to be your best, OCD knows when I’m slacking off. It reminds me, in quite a forthright manner, to step it up.

While I still sometimes complain to my OCD that I deserve a break, I’ve learned that the best kind of breaks come after big accomplishments.

5. I Rarely Forget The Important Things

Similar to the coach analogy, OCD is the most reliable reminder machine out there.

When I was first learning how to relate to my OCD voice in therapy, it was easiest to compare it to an annoying aunt who always asks you the same questions and never leaves you alone.

While it’s tempting to want to make this omnipresent relative go away, I quickly realized that

a) that’s impossible, and

b) without my annoying aunt, I would be without my most reliable and trusty source of reminders.

When you have OCD and you decide to do something, it’s like telling a 5-year-old that they’re getting ice cream. Just like how the little guy will persevere until he gets his ice cream, OCD will do the same. Whether it’s that important deadline at work, that thing I always forget when packing, or that favor I promised your neighbor, I can always rely on OCD to help me remember.

I know it’s tempting to despair and wish that this inner voice could just magically disappear and leave you alone. If you identify with this sentiment, just remember that without it, you wouldn’t be the strong, dependable, and strong-willed person everyone knows you to be.

Closing Thoughts

If I include one call-to-action in this piece, it’s to not pathologize your internal voice.

Learning how to listen to this voice is the work of a lifetime, but it starts with not making it your enemy.

Instead of seeing this voice as a problem or wanting to make it go away, what if you looked at it instead as a strict and demanding coach whose only interest is seeing you be the best? It just wants to hold you accountable for reaching your potential, so why turn it into an enemy? Can you learn to use this voice to become the person you’re meant to be?

It’s the work of a lifetime. It also happens to be the most rewarding and self-centering work you can do.

To connect with Cole Fitter, you can find him on Instagram here.