NOTE: I am not a doctor, and this is certainly not a medical diagnosis.
We have all heard people talk about addictive personalities in some shape or form; it is often said they are susceptible to any sort of addiction that is long-term and lingering. Because I don't consider myself that kind of person (nor have I been diagnosed), I am not going to discuss it. However, I will talk about something I know a lot about dealing with, and it is something I tend to call "obsessive personality".
There are certain parts about my personality that are great and certain parts that are indeed troublesome, and trust me, my wife can attest to every one of them. So, when I tend to look at obsessive personalities, I look at it broken down in to several aspects.
FOCUS
I consider myself a very focused person. When I am doing something, I keep my attention squarely on what I am doing, and while I can multi-task quite well, it is seldom a very evenly split focus. But, that is not what I mean this time. I am talk large focus in life. For instance, I tend to have a large amount of interests and talents for that matter. So, I tend to want to use them all, but it only happens at certain times. When I want to write, I spend a large chunk of my time and energy purely on writing. When I wanted to learn to code, I dedicated all my time to it. When I was wedding planning, there was nothing else I thought about. So, while you would think this would lead to a very productive and eventful life, it actually leads to a bunch of half-fulfilled ideals because my focus can shift so quickly. My wedding was planned (with tons of help) in spurts, I learned to code HTML/CSS without finishing JavaScript, and HardwYred is now at 2.0 after a long hiatus. I would say this even applies to the show I watch and the things I do. For instance, when I find a show to binge watch, I watch religiously including walking around my house with my phone to keep watching; there is a part of me that just doesn't want to walk away.
ALL-OR-NOTHING
I think a lot of my issues as far as being obsessed comes with the idea that everything needs to be all or nothing. When something catches my interest or becomes part of my life, I feel a need to be totally wrapped up in it. For instance, when I first got my Windows Phone, I also shortly after got a Microsoft Band, HP tablet, and Outlook email address. Back in college, after getting an iPhone, I bought a MacBook, iPad, Apple TV, and sweet Magic Mouse, and today, I have Google Homes, Chromecasts, a Pixel, WearOS watch, and Android Tablet. If you have ever been golfing with me, you know that everything has to be Nike (including my clubs). Brands aside, I also look at the way I handle projects and hobbies. For instance, I recently started playing Dante's Inferno again on the Xbox so of course, I started reading the Divine Comedy the next day. When I decided to work out at the beginning of last year, I changed my whole life and diet (and everyone else's around me), and more than once, my wife has commented on my up and down with my religious activities.
Really, I could go on and on about how I tend to obsess about things in my life, but I think you kind of get the point. I think that life, for most, is better with variety and moderation, but for me, it isn't always easy. I get hooked on things, and I surround myself with things when they mean enough to catch my intention; this is just part of how I view things. If you really want to know more about living with someone that has an obsessive personality, I encourage you talk to Abigayle because after half of a decade, she has more than enough examples to give.
We have all heard people talk about addictive personalities in some shape or form; it is often said they are susceptible to any sort of addiction that is long-term and lingering. Because I don't consider myself that kind of person (nor have I been diagnosed), I am not going to discuss it. However, I will talk about something I know a lot about dealing with, and it is something I tend to call "obsessive personality".
There are certain parts about my personality that are great and certain parts that are indeed troublesome, and trust me, my wife can attest to every one of them. So, when I tend to look at obsessive personalities, I look at it broken down in to several aspects.
FOCUS
I consider myself a very focused person. When I am doing something, I keep my attention squarely on what I am doing, and while I can multi-task quite well, it is seldom a very evenly split focus. But, that is not what I mean this time. I am talk large focus in life. For instance, I tend to have a large amount of interests and talents for that matter. So, I tend to want to use them all, but it only happens at certain times. When I want to write, I spend a large chunk of my time and energy purely on writing. When I wanted to learn to code, I dedicated all my time to it. When I was wedding planning, there was nothing else I thought about. So, while you would think this would lead to a very productive and eventful life, it actually leads to a bunch of half-fulfilled ideals because my focus can shift so quickly. My wedding was planned (with tons of help) in spurts, I learned to code HTML/CSS without finishing JavaScript, and HardwYred is now at 2.0 after a long hiatus. I would say this even applies to the show I watch and the things I do. For instance, when I find a show to binge watch, I watch religiously including walking around my house with my phone to keep watching; there is a part of me that just doesn't want to walk away.
ALL-OR-NOTHING
I think a lot of my issues as far as being obsessed comes with the idea that everything needs to be all or nothing. When something catches my interest or becomes part of my life, I feel a need to be totally wrapped up in it. For instance, when I first got my Windows Phone, I also shortly after got a Microsoft Band, HP tablet, and Outlook email address. Back in college, after getting an iPhone, I bought a MacBook, iPad, Apple TV, and sweet Magic Mouse, and today, I have Google Homes, Chromecasts, a Pixel, WearOS watch, and Android Tablet. If you have ever been golfing with me, you know that everything has to be Nike (including my clubs). Brands aside, I also look at the way I handle projects and hobbies. For instance, I recently started playing Dante's Inferno again on the Xbox so of course, I started reading the Divine Comedy the next day. When I decided to work out at the beginning of last year, I changed my whole life and diet (and everyone else's around me), and more than once, my wife has commented on my up and down with my religious activities.
Really, I could go on and on about how I tend to obsess about things in my life, but I think you kind of get the point. I think that life, for most, is better with variety and moderation, but for me, it isn't always easy. I get hooked on things, and I surround myself with things when they mean enough to catch my intention; this is just part of how I view things. If you really want to know more about living with someone that has an obsessive personality, I encourage you talk to Abigayle because after half of a decade, she has more than enough examples to give.
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