My Detailed Bio - David
This is a different kind of biography.
This biography talks about my relationship to other objects, concepts, people and art. It can describe my relation to relating itself.
The media advertises to us about what successful people read and enjoy; our media is filled with this.
Why not take this power for our own? What follows is my biography. You are free to pattern your own similarly. As per usual, keep privacy.
Self-description:
I’m a caucasian, cis-presenting male who has had a number of jobs in different areas, most of them touching tech in some way. I live on the west coast. I’m fairly successful, in most people’s eyes, but when I explain how my success has come about, most people would not believe it. I have experience navigating the mental health system as a patient and as a concerned family member. I have experience with my own childhood trauma. In many ways, I am much like any other person: sometimes insecure, sometimes dysfunctional, striving.
If I had a superpower, something that sets me apart from most people I’ve met:
patience, luck
My vices:
Games, live music, gourmet food, travel, novelty
How I deal with my vices:
Appropriate dosage and don’t let it get out of control, awareness when exercising them, avoidance in some cases. This is an evolving trait I am focusing on right now.
Habits I am over:
Overexplaining, underexplaining, being critical or abrasive when my boundaries are being crossed, not immediately jumping out of bed when I wake up first thing, collapsing into uselessness when multiple stressful events coincide, smoking cigarettes
Approximate location:
West Coast (SF Bay Region)
Cultural location:
Secular, friends with mixed religions, a meditator without a meditation community, multiple close friends
Idahoan, California lifestyle
My virtues:
Patience, Kindness, Wisdom, Physicality
The skills I believe are my best, which have added most to my life, based on outside evidence and neutral observers:
Writing, Music (Performing), Humor, Systems Thinking, Reading
My guard rails that keep me stable and positive:
When I notice I am gaining weight, I now return to my dedication to exercise and eating the way that makes my body feel good.
When I notice I am overly enthusiastic or maybe even a bit manic, I return to my dedication to taking appropriate supplements and medications to bring my mood under control.
When I notice I am down or depressed, I return to the lessons I’ve learned that remind me I need to get out of bed in the morning, and I need to stop entering loops of behavior that result in negative consequences for me and, by inference, others.
The first step toward these skills was not figuring out how to solve my problems, or even figuring out what my problems were. My first steps were to practice noticing. When I was a child, we walked in the forest or along a country road pretty often. I was taught to notice woodland creatures and things out of place. Later, when I realized my mental health was not entirely together, I learned by necessity to monitor my mood as much as possible, to always be on the watch for a repeat of a particular episode.
The basics are:
Music, Movies, Media, Books, Other Groups, Other Individuals, Moments
Music
Songs that changed my life: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, Dragonforce - Through The Fire And Flames
Songs that I listen to regularly: Macklemore - The Heist, Faun - Federkleid
Music that makes me sad: Loreena McKennitt - The Lady of Shalott,
Music to get me in the mood: New Age music, Hip Hop, some rap, some grunge. Music with violins.
Music groups that get me: A Perfect Circle, Weird Al, Lil Nas X & Billy Joel, Nightwish, Trent Reznor (I wanted to be him), Loreena McKennitt (my musical mother), Enya, Lindsey Stirling
Movies & Series
Movies or Series that changed my life: The Matrix 1-3, The Good Place, Rick and Morty, Community.
Series that usually make me laugh in a positive way: The Good Place
Series that usually make me laugh in a dark way: Black Mirror, Love, Death and Robots
Series that make me go hmm: The Good Place
Movies that help me feel: Inside Out, Up, The Neverending Story (emeritus). Mostly Pixar. Also The Good Place.
Media
Online videos that changed my life: Interesting Ball, Pockets (The Daniels)
Online videos I recommend to people who are down:
Online videos that usually make me laugh: Banned Nutrigrain Ad, Powerthirst
Authors and series that shape the way I think about people (Completed/series length):
Discworld Novels (52/52), The Wheel of Time (13/14), Dragonlance (75/???), Stephen King, Harry Potter (7/7)
My favorite single books: Good Omens, Mort, The Shadow Rising, The Knife of Dreams, This Alien Shore, American Gods, The Anansi Boys, Stranger in a Strange Land, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Laws of Human Nature, The Good Faeries of New York, The Buddha’s Brain
Books I would recommend to anyone who really doesn’t like people: How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Laws of Human Nature, Drama of the Gifted Child, Man’s Search for Meaning
Books I would recommend for growth: Mindset, How to Raise An Adult, Your Turn (How to be an adult)
Books I would recommend for college: Doing School, Mindset
Books my therapist recommended: Understanding the Borderline Mother, Walking on Eggshells, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Books (Featured)
I usually associate with these groups:
Ethnic background of friends / family who are in my life:
About 40% Caucasian, 10% Jewish, 15% Asian, 15% Latino, 10% Black, 10% others.
Cultural background of friends / family who are in my life:
some secular, some religious, most have bachelors degree or higher, most are engineers, scientists, or teachers, some blue collar, some elites
I am attracted to: Women who present femininely, proactivity, assertiveness, curiosity.
I am motivated by: Great conversation, time with my mate when not single, high quality food, meaningful work, learning, curiosity, love, interesting problems, high impact actions