First Post

Well hello everyone...how does one begin his first blog? This first message will be to welcome anyone and everyone who comes to peruse the musings of a self proclaimed deep romantic boy. What is a deep romantic boy? Ah, good question. For me it means that I enjoy deep conversations and love asking people questions. I am a deep idealist (tempered somewhat with the pragmatism of reality) and have a deep love for friendships and creating community. Because of my desire for deep connections and an avoidance for the mundane (especially in conversations) I do find myself sometimes a duck out of water.

I strive to for personal growth and am always looking for ways to improve. I have gone through significant growth over the last five years and am a little unsure about what the next five will hold...do I continue to focus on growth or just try to enjoy my life as it is. Or how do I find the happy medium.

Speaking of, much of what I know about myself, and part of being a deep romantic boy (I think), comes from the spiritual/personal growth work I have taken part in. For example, I know that as and ENFJ male (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging - Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator) I know that I am very outgoing, like to think in big picture ways, lead with my heart and like to drive to closure. And knowing that I am a Type 4 in the Enneagram Personality model helps me to understand that I do tend to look for what is missing, I am deeply empathic (can understand the feelings and motivations of others) and need to strive for balance in life.

Now some of you might say, "wouldn't you know that about yourself anyway?". And yes, I probably would. However, one of the reasons I have found the tools of personal and spiritual growth to be so helpful is that one, they help me to more deeply understand myself by helping me understand patterns and motivations; two, the tools help me to see things about myself that maybe I would not have recognized without the tools; three, they provide me with specific ways to overcome emotional blocks, frustrating patterns and habits. I also can better understand what motivates and drives others and how I can relate to them - thus bringing me closer to relationships and friendships that drive me.

The last thing I will say about being a deep romantic boy is that I also love to display my affection to others with compliments, hugs and other PDA. I will never go over the top and I will match my style with what I believe are the preferences of the person I am interacting with, but it is VERY important for others to know that I appreciate who they are. I will often try to compliment people in a unique way that demonstrates to them that I understand their uniqueness and gifts. I think it comes off more sincere than "I think you are a nice person =)"

What I hope this blog becomes is not just a diary of my struggles (right now that is the only time I tend to journal) but a recording of all of the facets of a deep romantic boy; the ups, the downs, the joys and sorrows.

Thanks for tuning in and best regards,

Deep Romantic Boy