Question 1: We like people that are interesting. What would you say is unique about you?
Well first off, I'm not going to answer this question by starting with "I am unique because..." I don't want to give you a starchy ego driven response to this listing off all of my greatest attributes, how I'm so intelligent, enthusiastic and goal orientated. I'd rather illicit a response from you (whoever is reading this, whether that's plural or singular) that makes you say "Hey, I think I like this guy" because generally when most people meet me, they do. I'm in the habit of treating complete strangers like friends after all a little bit of empathy can go a long way. We're all human beings after all and we're all unique in our own way despite 99% of our genetic coding being exactly the same as the person beside us, in front of us or ten thousand miles away from us. We all witness good times, bad times and everything in between. I've experienced personal tragedy from being around a dying family member in his last days. I've lay in bed with the person I loved probably just as much as anybody likely to read this. I could tell you about my hobbies - how I love martial arts like Brazillian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai, playing obscure card games and arguing with racists on youtube videos. I could tell you about my charity work, teaching asylum seekers English and helping out with ecological concerns in a stretch of countryside that runs through my own city but its all part of a bigger picture.
As you may be beginning to see, I'm a little eccentric. One good pal who I lived with for a few years stated "The thing I like about you Conor is that you don't do anything overly eccentric it's just that every little action, every behavioural quirk you exhibit is just a little bit eccentric in it's own right". I stand out from the crowd because I'm not afraid to. Allow me to give an example. A few months after I graduated, back in 2009 I attended an open interview day at a graduate sales recruitment agency, the boss asked the attendees to one by one, stand declare their name, their star sign and their greatest achievement to date. I stood and delivered the following quip "I'm Conor and I'm an alcoholic. Oh sorry.. wrong room!" Immediately the room erupted into laughter and that's exactly what I sought. Nothing fills me with a greater enjoyment than knowing I can cause a whole crowd of strangers to laugh because as soon as you do, everyone can relax a little and start remembering that we are just humans and that we don't have to put ourselves on some pedestal to be judged. We can do our best but worrying about whether our best is ever good enough only increases our chance of having an early heart attack and I intend to make it through my forties at least.
