Who I Am and Why I'm Awesome

I was talking to one of the great guys I've met since I got into this community, and he suggested that I write a post about who I am and why I'm awesome. Once I truly know who I am, I can start to figure out how to best get that out to other people. So that's what this post is - the top five things that make up me.

1) I am very analytical, and have a need to continuously figure out how things work and what makes them tick. I'm also really smart. I have gone to the best schools, and worked for some of the top companies in the world. I love figuring things out, and using that knowledge to improve them. I still have the delusion that I can "figure it all out" if I think about things hard and long enough.

2) I am super-intense. When I commit to something, I put everything I have into it (even sometimes to the detriment of everything else in my life). I'm not exactly a balanced person, and have learned to accept that about myself. I would rather be a great at a few things than sort of ok at a lot. For example, I have biked 200+ miles in one day (on several occasions), and am simultaneously working on two Master's Degrees. By corollary, I am accomplishment-focused. I like people who have interesting hobbies that they are super-committed to (most of my good friends fit into this category).

3) I am super-honest, and extremely conscientious. I hold myself to a super-high moral code. I try to be non-judgmental, and to treat everyone as I would like to be treated by them. I'm a really bad liar, so it is really obvious whenever I do something that is non-congruent. I take friends really seriously.

4) My coolness is fairly subtle. I'm not overtly funny. When I interact with people, I prefer for them to think "Wow, he's really cool and insightful. We talked about a lot of interesting things." than "He's a riot. I almost died laughing when we were hanging out." All of my good friends understand this about me.

5) I'm pretty laid back, and not super high-energy. When I go out to a bar or club, I have learned how to bring up my energy to open and hook a set, but I have trouble staying up there. I think that, to be successful, I need to figure out how to bring the energy level down to one where I can thrive. I'm just not dancing party-man.