There are many benefits that come with the experience of being bipolar in every day life. The first and foremost comes from the fact that being bipolar has let me feel the entire spectrum of human emotion from extreme depression to feeling on top of the world to being extremely angry and extremely happy. This has helped me to realize that balance and understanding both sides of everything is the key to overcoming this. Next we have intensity and passion. Followed by being able to anticipate because I have to anticipate my downs and ups so I can minimize the effects. We also have the ability to be cognitive of EVERYTHING. That might be my ADHD but I know what is going on all the time. The more intense and complicated the situation, the more my brain slows everything around me down to a calm, understandable situation able to be overcome. That is the next, being able to over come. All this leads to the overall benefit of a different perspective. Debate and negotiation, in my opinion, are some of the two best fields for someone like this to thrive in. Let's give a few examples of how these things can benefit:
1. If Sally says "people in France speak french." I could point out that people in France also speak english. She would probably look at me like an idiot and then, as I have already planned on her saying because it is what I would say, "Well the official language of France is french." My pre-thought-out counter is this, "the official language of the U.S. is English but I see plenty of things written in languages like spanish or french or chinese, I also meet people who don't speak any english that live in the U.S." By this time Sally would probably be sick of me and rolling her eyes, in certain settings, this would be an argument that people would find interesting (albeit, it is pretty freakin' lame don't you think???). At the same time, I could have just as easily argued the other side, in fact it would probably be smarter to argue that people in France speak french.
Basically, it is easier to both form your own opinion based on the knowledge of both sides, and argue your stance.
2. On the other hand, if I go into a negotiation knowing which number I want to reach I would start by understanding a few things about humans in this situation. We don't want to be cheated or taken advantage of. For the most part, we want to be fair. It feels just as good to give a gift as to receive; it is just a matter of the receiver making the giver feel they are grateful and the giver making the receiver feel as though you have tried to make them happy. It helps if you are really feeling these things two. Personally, I won't lie about either or fake it. However, regardless if you liked the gift or not as the receiver, if the giver has tried to make you happy or been very thoughtful (you know, like those sweaters you get for christmas every year from a family member, in my case grandma, that you never wear but can't bring yourself to throw away) then it is all good. So if you go into a negotiation knowing that people want to be treated well and you are genuine, you can agree on something that is a good deal for both sides. If the other side is hostile, I ask myself whether they are negotiating for themselves or to try and prove something to their boss or get a number their boss has given. In that case, you have to approach it realizing you are not only negotiating with this person, but the whole group of people they report to, so you have to change things a little.
