Congratulations to @Alee Allana @Erick Kayli and @Rutger Diergaarde for winning this week's competition. Thanks to your posting, comments and other engagement, you've each one a FREE coaching session with me (worth $650). I'll be in touch shortly with details. Next competition will be coming soon...

So a friend of mine has been having some major issues with himself mentally, like, brain fog and even having these extreme moments of anxiety and other things. So yesterday he told us that his doctor had done a genetic test on him and had identified that he had a variant of the COMT gene which causes his brain to metabolize dopamine at a faster rate than normal. I immediately looked on 23andme because I had done their testing years ago. Turns out I have it as well. The short of this is a two sided sword. On the one hand, this means we have a higher pain threshold and can do well under high pressure situations. On the other, this also means that at baseline we have more cognitive difficulties, like brain fog and such. Which for me rang so true it was like a WTF moment. I often do well when under pressure. I think thats why I still have a job. Because the rest of the time my brain kinda wanders through a fog but when the shit hits the fan I can jump into gear and fix something. I'm also the type that can be in a mental fog most of the time, but if its the middle of the night and shits going down I can jump right up and go handle things (kids getting sick, etc). But then I'm a wreck the rest of the day. Also its associated with anhedonia, which explains why it seems like I never really enjoy things. I'm really rarely ever happy. I come off as completely emotionless often. So, yeah. theres that.

Hey guys I'll be tallying up the points on the leaderboard at the end of my day today. This is your last chance to be in the top 3 to win a coaching session worth $650. Posting, commenting, and completing course videos will move you up! Winners to be announced next Monday. Cheers Dan

I've got some things that I do, that I suspect are due to me probably being on the spectrum. They drive my wife nuts. - I talk to myself. Like all the time. I might being doing something and I'm talking out loud about it. "oh, thats how this works... lets try this... etc". I've read that people who do this are in some cognitive loop and it helps them to think clearly, which I think is true for me. However it annoys everyone else. - I repeat things back. Whenever somebody asks me to do something, I will repeat it back. I don't even think about it, it just happens. This is also super annoying to people. - I'll make a list. Even if its just 3 things. Because I know I'll forget. But the minute it takes me to do this is a delay for the person talking to be. Again, super annoying. - I will ask for more detail, making what could be a simple ask from someone into a full conversation, making me look like some idiot who couldn't understand what should have been a simple thing. So, do I make an effort to stop doing these things? Or do I just put it out there, hey, this is who I am, get over it?

I had a tough conversation with my oldest child (20, moved out at 19) recently They are convinced, and told me through tears and choking up, that they sincerely believe my wife/her mom is a narcissist. They then went on to describe a number of things that I had a hard time denying. I asked them, what about me? I'm not perfect. I know there are lots of things that I do and did that were not ok, and that I have some traits that might also be considered a bit narcissistic. And even then, I should have protected them from anything that might have happened and that I was sorry for any part I had. I told them that I always see the good and the potential in people, thats just my nature, and that I didn't believe that mom doesn't or cant love you. Maybe she has some of these traits but I can't believe shes a full blown NPD. I've since leaned heavily into trying to identify these traits. I've watched some videos. I've had a few "holy shit" moments when hearing descriptions of narcissistic interactions that hit too close to home. I've learned what "grey rocking" and "yellow rocking" is. Turns out I'm already doing that. But it reaffirms what I already knew: that the only thing I can really do is work on myself. I can be healthier physically. I can work on my own mental blocks. I can take time for myself, to be myself, to enjoy what I like, do hobbies, get good sleep, etc. And the consensus seems to be that if I do all these things I will only get better, and, conversely, if she really is somewhere on the narcissist spectrum, these things will probably just make her angrier. Or not. But I can't count on that. I can only get better.