Discovering new music has always been challenging for me. Other than hip-hop, I don’t discover new artists through Spotify or iTunes. The main reason is that I’d prefer going to find artists through live performances. Therefore, my discovery of artists has been very surreptitious. Frank Turner, Dante Marsh, Brianna Kocka, and Beans on Toast are a few names that come to mind. At this point with my formula for music discovery, there is this fantastic band named “Ocean Alley” from Sydney, Australia, who are on their first ever North American tour. This six-piece band represents the true spirit of what being a musician is all about.

Whether it is 50 people or 5,000, they love playing shows, traveling, sleeping in motels or strangers houses, and they live to do it all again the next day. That is what being a traveling musician is all about. Rehearsing, promoting, writing songs, and putting every ounce of blood, guts, sweat, and tears into something that is bigger than you is very bliss.

There is a lot of beauty in that.

I discovered Ocean Alley through my roommate who is very good friends with their tour manager, who gave the both of us free tickets. Most people should know that I have a good attitude and that I like to say “yes” to new situations. Regretfully, I was 45 minutes late to their hour-long set. But, immediately they caught my ear. They are the perfect blend of reggae fusion, rock, and psychedelic music all rolled into a six-piece band, a sound that I have never really heard before or even resonated with me until I saw Ocean Alley live at the 7th Street Entry.

Not only were they sonically pleasing they were also aesthetically pleasing as well. Every one of the six had represented Australian swagger, having long hair, wearing vans, and portraying to me what the Aussie surfer-rockstar lifestyle was.

Under their independent label, Ocean Alley in Australia has a huge following and a strong fan base. The saying “big fish in a small pond” applies to them, because in America they are probably playing in front of crowds between 30-100 people, giving it all they got in tiny cramped clubs, on stages that can barely fit six people.

But, you can tell they love every second of their first tour in America. Through the energy that they put out to the audience, it felt as if they were excited about starting from zero in the world’s biggest music market. Like most bands, they had to start out playing in basements at parties and small venues, and then they made a big name for themselves. It takes courage, humility, and a great attitude to put yourself out there in a different pond that is bigger, more saturated, and scarier because you are a foreigner.

Remember, no one ever get’s to the top of the mountain by falling there.

But, they didn’t seem to care. The amount of fun the band was having after the show with their new fans was very inspiring for me. From the two songs that they sang when I was there, they inspired me to pick up my guitar, perform, and to write songs again. Which I recently have been doing every day.

I’d love to release my own seven-track EP in the future.

I don’t know how many people they connected with the 30 person audience, but they struck a chord with me.

“Yes” is what I said to this new situation, and I was rewarded. Ever since I discovered Frank Turner when I was 19, I vowed to go to shows no matter how late I would be, and if I am early, I’d always stick around for the opening acts because you never know who you will discover on accident. Like Frank Turner, Ocean Alley was a small special and astounding discovery for me, in which that I hope other people can have with music and art. That emotional content is only exclusive to me and is something that I can barely describe. This feeling makes my soul sing because no one knows about them, and I am excited that I can introduce them to all of my friends with blazing enthusiasm.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

 

 

Here is a small excerpt from my up and coming book, “Summertime Mania”, which is the second volume of my series, “Conquering the Gifted Curse of Bipolarism”. This is a real-time memoir of the changes that I go through with prescription medication to aid my Bipolar 1 Disorder. This is a documentation of slowly discovering powerful interior and exterior changes while taking medication. This is extremely personal information where I provide brutal honesty regarding my fears, current life adversity, self-betterment, and the quest for finding balance.

************************************************************************************

7/22/17

For years I have told my therapist that Kanye West is Bipolar and severely suffers from it. She says that it is illegal for a therapist to diagnose or even talk about someone who isn’t a patient of theirs regarding their mental health.

But, I am not a therapist. I know that someone is Bipolar the minute I meet them because it takes one to know one. Right?

 

Kanye’s themes of his music has always hinted at us that he has bipolar disorder. His lyrics consist of how he talks about power, hitting his massive lows and highs, talking to God, the level of creativity that he has, and for every album that Kanye has put out he has continually reinvented himself with a new alter ego.

Chronologically, there is the student, dropout, certain alternative lifestyle, graduate, heartbroken, magnum opus genius, God complex, sporadic, and now we Bipolar Kanye West. Simply put, there is Old and New Kanye.

With his history of mental breakdowns, erratic behavior, thinking that he is a God, outrageous spending habits, and genius creativity, Kanye has always given us an inside to mental health.

As I predicted about his bipolar disorder, I know that he will come out with an album in the future that addresses his mental health because he always refers to divinely speaking with God and his superpowers. His lyrics can be contradictory from album to album, and most importantly he reinvented the wheel by using sad music with happy lyrics and vice versa.

These are all significant signs that show that you have the gifted curse of bipolarism.

Last, he has the biggest ego in the world, and so do I. Kanye says that no one is a fan of him and that if you are, that you are indeed a fan of yourself and no one else. This is very true of all bipolar people. We do cool things in life just like Kanye does, and we can never hide anything or fake who we are because that is not how the genetic makeup of how the chemical imbalances of our brains work.

His attitude and arrogance make him so appealing to me because I can relate to him a lot on that aspect.

I am calling the shots, saying that he has Bipolar disorder and with his rapid recurrences of mental breakdowns that he will create an album based on mental health.

When this happens, it will be during the summertime, and he will be producing many works of art. Hence, summertime mania.

This new album will be his new personification, his alter-ego, and the “Newest Kanye 2.0”. Everyone will rethink their opinion on him once he shows his greatest vulnerability.

People with Bipolar disorder are very clairvoyant, and that includes Kanye and me as we have seen in his lyrics time and time again.

When this happens, remember who told you first. The Zos did. So, remember, “The Zos Knows.”

************************************************************************************

In conclusion, with his new album, “Ye”, being released last Friday (6/1/18), I successfully predicted that he was going to put out an album about mental health. Clairvoyance is one of the many superpowers that bipolar people have.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Sometimes if I miss someone I will reach out to them by giving them a phone call. That sounds crazy, right? Talking to people on the phone for good conversation seems to be completely outdated as our world’s societal system of communication continues to develop at a faster rate. Therefore, it affects everything.

Texting is a cheap way of communicating, and it has slowly become a detriment towards the way humans interact with each other face to face. Typically now when we call someone, it is for favors, questions, demands, and for someone to get the door for the pizza guy.

No one uses doorbells either, and DVD players. What is a CD anyway?

Handwriting a letter seems like a complete fabled folklore now.

Here is something to munch on:

It would have been terrible to have been wealthy as a Roman, Egyptian, or Mongol because if you had a message to give to someone you would have to send a messenger to deliver it.

Yes, you would have a human being run all the way to another human being in order to communicate. That is if you could afford it.

 

 

The greatest example of this is the story of Pheidippides, one of Ancient Greek’s fastest messenger runners, who ran from the battle of Marathon to Athens in order to send the message that the Greek’s had defeated the Persians. After running 26 miles to send the message, he screamed “Nikki” (victory), and then died. Yes, that is the story of why the marathon got its name and why it is 26.2 miles long.

But after many advancements thanks to Samuel Morse, and Alexander Graham Bell, we could finally communicate virtually without using pidgeons or humans. Virtual-Voice-to-Voice communicative interactions between humans were then created and developed throughout the history of mankind.

Now, we don’t even like voice to voice contact now. Facetime, Skype, and many video platforms are now the norm to conversate with people, and I hope that this is the norm from now on. But those mediums are not being used as much as people email, text, and photo share.

But, whatever happened to phone calls?

My Mom says that I never call to talk and that I only call if there are problems or need something. Well, then I say, right back atchya, Mama. Just kidding.

Phone calls are now becoming sentimental, just like receiving a handwritten letter.

I had a friend call me a week or so ago and I hadn’t heard from him in a few years and we spoke for over an hour.

 

 

It simply made my day.

Occasionally, I’ll randomly call someone. But, I do not do it enough. The world is moving faster, and we simply do not have that kind of consideration for such an outdated concept.

Texting and other forms of communication are taking off not only in terms of efficiency but in technological advancements as well. Now, there is Facetime audio and it sounds way better than the reception on the phone. It is so hard to hear on the phone that it makes it so unbearable to talk. That is a downside, isn’t it?

If the world erased everyone’s phone numbers, and the means of communication through talking on the phone, we would all survive because there are now better, less awkward, and less social anxiety induced ways of communication.

Just like writing letters and postcards, talking on the phone is now replacing those as the symbol of sentimental communication. Due to the evolution of communication, I want to make an effort to call someone every month, no matter how long it has been that I have talked to them for.

Now, calling someone that you are out of touch with is terrifying, sort of like going up to the beautiful girl at the end of the bar and telling her that she is the most beautiful girl that you have ever seen right in front of her three girlfriends. The worst part is that it is over the phone. But, if there is a connection between both parties and if you have time to talk then it always makes a good time. It slows down daily life and brings new perspective catching up with someone that you haven’t heard from in a long time. Moreover, if I were to receive a handwritten letter from my childhood friend Jorge, whom I haven’t seen or heard from in 15 years, then it would make my day. But, in this day and age, a phone call would be just as meaningful.

Our lives are so fast-paced and talking on the phone disrupts that rhythm. Pick up the phone and call someone that you haven’t heard from in a long time. If I knew where I could get a hold of Jorge, then I’d call him right now. But, maybe Reuben in New York City would like to hear from me. So, I’ll give him a call this month.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Here I present to you a four-part series where I share with you my journal from my travels. I travel a lot, so I thought I would start seriously blogging about it. Here we go! This is the third installment of this series. If you didn’t read part 1, click here for the link.  Also, here is the link to part 2 as well.

Day 3 of my trip was a lot more of a slow paced day. I always tend to have a manic explosion of excitement and exploring of a city on the first day. Mainly during day one, I walked the entirety of the city to see what I liked and disliked. I do this in order so that I can emphasize and focus on what I like doing on the next day. But, I had not explored Northwest Portland yet, which was a neighborhood full of singles, bars, and fun shops.

Full disclosure, Portland is not a popping party city. It is a cultural experience, full of counterculture, nature, breweries (150 of them), strip clubs, homeless people, hipsters and homeless hipsters. Even for the Trailblazers playoff games, none of the bars were packed. While walking the streets at night alone meant that I was alone. It was so quiet and empty that it was quite spooky. Whenever I saw someone on the streets, I had to put my guard up right away because if anything went down there would be no witnesses. Overall, despite subtle paranoias, I didn’t have to worry much about my safety.

Getting back on track, I was not really impressed with the scene in Northwest, Portland because there was simply not enough people to celebrate the beautiful day that they had. Maybe it is the Minneapolis in me that urns for packed rooftop bars, boat parties, and packed parks. I was really unimpressed with this neighborhood. Maybe it was bad timing. Afterall, I was there at one in the afternoon, so do not listen to my judgment on this too heavily.

Next, I proceeded to walk down to Tom Mcall Park, which is a huge park that hugs the riverside. Boy, there is something about being along the water that gives you a primitive comfort that is wired into our DNA as humans.

After this relaxing, spiritual, splendid experience along the riverside, I decided to go brewery hopping. This plan lasted for about an hour as the only brewery that I went to was the Rock Bottom Brewery. It was a really nice brewery with a big space, but it wasn’t packed with people hanging from the rafters. Food was excellent, beer was delicious, and service was terrible. As a former bartender, I’d get you menued, greeted, water, and your drink almost immediately. One brewery had 8 bartenders behind the bar and it took me 20 minutes to get a drink while I was seated at the bar. Every brewery that I went to in Portland was clueless in terms of service. Seriously, how does it take 10 minutes on average per bar to get a drink when the place isn’t even packed?

Anway, I got a phone call from this guy named Isaak of whom I met the day before when I was getting some writing done at Starbucks. This guy is a barista and a musician who is native to Portland. Isaak took me around nature filled parts of Portland, introduced me to some other natives, and he also took me to his house on the Northwest outskirts of Portland.

As we overlooked the river looking into the city, there were boats traveling off the river into the sunset, and we broke out musical instruments and we started to jam along with his roommates. One of them asked me if I wanted to audition as a drummer for his band. Having played drums 3-5 times before in my past, I said yes. Why not? Say “yes” to new experiences, right?

Now I can say that I jammed in Portland with local musicians and auditioned for a local band. How cool is that?

Life is about energy, being Epicurious, and becoming so epistemic. I thirst for knowledge, life experiences, and the subtle interactions towards the intangibles that we fail to see every day. This is why we are all encouraged to travel. I have found my style of adventuring, and you may have yours, but it is important to remember as we manifest our way through the world that we need to have an open mind when we are on the road. The only thing that you really need to pack in your bag is a good attitude and a sense of humor, which is a great recipe for a good time.

Life is too long to live on one song, so let’s burn like a beacon, and then we will be gone.

Stay tuned for the last part of my journal from my trip, for I have a formula for finding adventure, that you all should really learn about.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Therapists are amazing. Whether it is online therapy or face to face therapy, it is just so important to talk to someone who is professionally trained to listen to your thoughts. Mental health disorder or not, having professional help for life consultation is extremely helpful for the mind and soul.

A lot of people say, “I can tell my mom anything”. Well, no you can’t. Could you muster up the courage to tell your mother about anything seriously disturbing? I don’t really think so. You see, this is why therapists are so important to today’s society where the human brain is now developing at a higher rate than it was 100 years ago.

I see a therapist once a week, and maybe sometimes twice a week. I have been seeing her for close to four years, and she has been a major part of my success towards handling my mental health.

Seeing someone on a weekly basis makes you slow down and recollect your thoughts that you cannot share with others. A lot of people live monotonous lives and need that release from a platform where you can just be yourself. I highly recommend seeing a therapist on a set day of the week and then occasionally seeing that person on another day during that week. This is due to the fact that you are a different person on a Saturday afternoon than you are on an early Monday morning. This way, your therapists can see different sides of you.

I have seen my therapist hungover, on no sleep, drunk, after I smoked some green beans, and basically under any sort of mindset. You name it. I have done this so that she can learn every single little facet of my brain activity. But, this was all by coincidence but the outcome was very productive, as she knows me under all states of mind.

Since I have major trust issues with women, I got a therapist who is a woman. This has really helped me develop trust for the opposite sex in the last four years. She has tracked my cycles, mood swings, and has helped me talk through solving all of my problems. If you are a woman who has trust issues with men, then get a therapist who is a man. That is my two cents on that subject matter. So, take from that and apply it to what your situation is in order to find the right therapist.

There is a misconceived notion that therapists give input and advice due to pop culture’s portrayal of therapists. In Silver Linings Playbook, the therapist is constantly giving Patrick advice. The reality of therapy is that you are being observed versus being advised. When I am in therapy, I talk for about 90% of the time. Five percent of her time is devoted towards interacting with me, two percent is for connecting, and the other two percent is asking questions, and the last percent is about getting feedback and advice. Whereas, the flip side of the coin is that 90% of the time she listens.

My therapist lets me talk the entire time. I always hit a point where I say, “Are there any questions, concerns, thoughts, and advice that you want to bring up”. That is one percent of my therapy sessions. This is the reality of therapy.

I am blessed to be able to afford a therapist. But, there are other options like online therapy. An amazing resource to have your questions answered about therapy and how to begin is an online platform for people to find aid is called BetterHelp.com.

Click this link right here for more information: https://www.betterhelp.com/start/

Personally, I have many friends who have had great experiences with online therapy. It is easier on your wallet and you can schedule your sessions more conveniently than most other therapists that you see in person.

Most importantly, it is crucial that you are able to trust your therapist. People give up on therapy very easily because we have this idea that they are supposed to fix us. Remember, the only person who can do that is you. These are trained professionals who are there for guidance and support.

Therefore, when you are starting out with your therapist, make sure to give them a chance for a month or two. It is imperative to be patient and to have a good attitude and open mind. If they aren’t working out for you, shop around for another one and start the process all over again. Remember, this is your mental health or personal life issues that you are trying to solve.

Therapy is an investment towards an overall better life, to understand yourself, other people, how the world works, and to create major coping and problem-solving skills to make life a better experience.

Life is a process, and if no one is listening to you then it makes the process very difficult. This is why we should talk to someone who makes everything focused on issues that are about you because we all have a voice that needs to be heard.

You cannot get that from your best friend or your mother.

If you would like to learn more about dealing with mental health, life problems, and finding resources for help, I am willing to help you so feel free to email me at d.zosel27@gmail.com.

Be sure to check out my book about my journey with prescription medication for Bipolar Disorder as well on Amazon. Click this link here to purchase.

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

It is very important to understand yourself when you have a mental health disorder. As I have been working very hard on balancing my moods for Bipolar I disorder, I have discovered how to get back to equilibrium to finding balance in my mood.
This morning I woke up very manic, I can generally tell when this is happening when I am going to the bathroom a lot, which is due to the high manic stress levels, and most importantly how sleep affects it. When I go to bed at 3 am and then wake up at 6 am while being completely wired, I know that the following steps are needed to be done by me in order to have a good day.

This is only effective if you know yourself well enough to foresee your manic cycle that is about to happen. If you follow these steps then you are taking the right procedures to stopping a manic episode from happening. Moreover, if you are not bipolar, everyone experiences manic symptoms so this can really help anyone in general.

First things first, I wake up and drink a big glass of water. Mania tends to make us forget to eat or drink. Eat the smallest breakfast possible so that you have something in your stomach. When you are manic, you want everything done right away so that is why it is hard to eat.

For me, it is peanut butter toast and one cup of coffee. Afterward, take your prescribed medication if you are prescribed anything.

Since your brain is spinning at an insurmountable rat, it is vital that you are able to slow it down. Reading and writing really help me heal, but a very simple thing that you can do is to read the newspaper or the news on the phone. Reading helps your mind slow down and since it keeps you at the moment, the delusions of mania will nullify itself.

Going to the bathroom often is a major thing with bipolar mania. Make sure to eat a lot of fiber and to eat foods with probiotics. Try to take probiotics at 50 billion strands because it helps settle your stomach, boosts your immune system, and severely lowers your manic stress level. Overall, it helps your mood a lot, making you feel better and in more control. If your stomach is controlled, so will your thoughts. If you have a rumbling stomach that is confused on what it is going, it will seriously induce mania. This is why it is so imperative to incorporate probiotics into your diet.

Contain yourself because if you stay within yourself, your mind will start to come down. There are two forms of containment. The first being physical containment, where you do not leave the house, drive your car or have any contact with anyone. Stay in your house and focus yourself or on something that you are passionate about. For me, I remodeled my kitchen and shot a feature-length film once. Then there is emotional containment where you are out in public and are interacting with people. These people should only be trusting people within your circles that understand you. This will bring you comfort and it is important to never talk about yourself. It is important to listen to others and how their day is going because no one cares about your manic self. This makes you stop and focus on one thing, and that is being in the moment with the other person, rather than being delusionally narcissistic about your manic plan to take over the world.

Containment is key. But, tread cautiously because if you overdo it then you can really go berzerk.

Last, put on your headphones and go for a walk while listening to your favorite artist. Sometimes I walk over five miles, and with that, there comes exercise. So, you can kill two birds with one stone. Exercise is vital, therapeutic, and very good for the chemical imbalances that are going on in your brain.

There you go! This is a quick fix in taking care of your subtle hypomanic episode to prevent a bigger manic episode. If you follow these small guidelines then you should be able to take on the world with a clear mind.

This right here is a small sample size of things that I do to combat mania. If you would like to learn more about dealing with Bipolar Disorder, I am willing to help you so feel free to email me at d.zosel27@gmail.com.

Be sure to checkout my book about my journey with prescription medication for Bipolar Disorder as well on Amazon. Click this link here to purchase.

 

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Here I present to you a four-part series where I share with you my journal from my travels. I travel a lot, so I thought I would start seriously blogging about it. Here we go! This is the second installment of this series. If you didn’t read part 1, click here for the link. 

Changing lanes, my homecoming to the west coast was over. It was on to Day Two.

Being in Portland, I walked along the Pearl Neighborhood along this famous strip called Alberta where I was staying. Here is what I saw to sum this up, if you have seen Portlandia, that is an unrealistic depiction of what Portland is. My first real glances of Portland was in a major tourist area. Shops, dives, bars, coffee shops, dispensaries, and food trucks. This is the food truck capital of the world. There are so many food truck areas all over this city, as well as homeless people, strip clubs, and of course, there were plenty of hipsters.

The hipster scene is so very different than the one in Minneapolis. But, that is a whole other set of articles that I can write. In a nutshell, Austin, Minneapolis, Brooklyn, and Portland are the hipster meccas of the US, and all of them are different in distinct ways. In Brooklyn, there are a lot of hardcore hipsters that devote their time to making a living in an alternative lifestyle through their artistic/entrepreneurial medium. There is a major split there between trust fund hipsters and grungy surviving artist hipsters that congregate for a great scene. Minneapolis is much very like this, but on way smaller scale because we are the Minnie Apple. Hipsters in Minneapolis wear nicer designer hipster clothing, glasses, have the nicest Apple computers, cameras, and have cool trust fund kid jobs like sitting in coffee shops doing graphic design and going to shows at night. This is not a generalization because this is just what I see in the world. Although I have not been to Austin yet in my 20’s, I saw that Portland was a gathering of misfit hipsters who possibly failed at being a hipster. The culture in Portland is very alternative, grungy, dirt baggie, and it is awesome. This is quite inspirational because very many people walk the line in society, wanting or needing certain material items. It was awesome to the point of enlightenment because it brought a lot of perspectives that I had never had before. Moreover, the biggest difference between cultures is that Portland had a lot of homeless people, and a lot of them were hipsters who were avoiding many societal norms.

Moving on,

then I walked all the way to the Moda Center and explored that area, which wasn’t anything to write about. Therefore, I will not write about it. Next, I hopped on a train for free, cause I didn’t pay. I had 280 dollars left in cash for my trip. This train took me to Chinatown because I wanted to go to a brewery, but when I saw it was Chinatown, it was in my DNA that I had to explore. As I wandered more in this neighborhood, I ran into Voodoo Doughnuts, on the way to some pho at a place called Pho TNT. The pho, well it was dynamite. Comfort food is the way to go in a different city on your first day. Then I met some 420 festival goers, and a beautiful girl and her dope boyfriend that gave me two extra tickets that they had to this Tipper concert. I had no idea what it was, so I just said yes to this situation.

Keeping an open mind and saying yes to new situations always makes a great adventure.

The show was an amazingly artistic spiritual, uplifting experience. Probably one of the best in my life. But, more on this later.

 

 

Then after getting the tickets, I went to Deschutes
Brewery and I talked to an 80-year-old man for about an hour at the bar. When eventually two random girls separately sat at the bar to the left of me. Then once the three of us all engaged conversation with each other, I ditched the old man, and it was like he was never there.

Sorry, but people my age doing travel and work stuff sounds way more fascinating than talking about WWII. Just kidding, he was a cool dude. But yeah, that is what he talked about most of the time. But, I got a lot of good intel about the city of Portland while I spoke with him. That is why it is key to talk with every local that you meet in order to get the lay of the landscape.

So back to the girls.

One of the girls was from Minneapolis, so that ignited the aura for all three of us to become best friends for the next two hours.

Turns out Brianna is a local Minneapolite musician and lives in my neighborhood. She just released a new album, and I got to go to her release party at Ice House after my trip was over. The show was fantastic and you should definitely check out her new album, which is here under this link.

Changing lanes,

the girl from Vancouver that I met was hungry so we scavenged the city for a food truck tent. On the way there I bought a funky shirt.

There could have been 35 food trucks in this parking lot? It was really cool because of the sedative sensory overload that it gave me. They had food from all over the world, yet I couldn’t find any ice cream.

All I wanted was some ice cream.

She later drove me back to my friend’s house. How nice was that and how awesome that her name is Spencer? I know a girl named Spencer, and you probably don’t so be jealous.

When times are tough, I always remind myself that my life is awesome because I have a diverse set of friends and most importantly a friend named Spencer who is an online auctioneer from Vancouver. If you can match that then you are probably cooler than me.

When I got home I told my friend Shepard that I had two free tickets to a show at the famous Arlene Schnitzer Hall. Then we went later that night, and it was one of the most influential artistic and spiritual experiences that I had ever had. Tipper was amazing, and at the craziest part of his show, while everyone was sitting down and chatting, I stood up. Then everyone cheered and others joined me. The whole theatre stood up. It is crazy what a small inkling like that can do. A small chain reaction happened and I got to control a few thousand people for two minutes by getting them to stand up during an amazing show.

Later that night Shepard and I got on a bus and went for a ride. It was beautiful, we got to see the whole city on a bus by ourselves. The best part was that this bus took us directly to Shepard’s house.

In your travels, it is better to remember the positive experiences rather than the dwelling on the hassles. For instance, I lost my charging cord twice during my trip. It was very frustrating and untimely but, I still had to move on. If I would have dwelled on this, which is something that I am known for, then my trip would have been a bad experience. Charging cords are not cheap.

Moreover, when everyone stood up with me during the show, it always makes me forget that I spent 60 extra dollars on charging cords. Now, who cares! I now have extra cords, and positive thinking trumps everything.

Getting back on track, Shepard and I embarked on a nightly journey riding the bus back from Arlene Schnitzer Hall all the way back to the Alberta strip. The ride was a straight shot, and most importantly it was a beautiful 45-minute tour of the city. The bus driver was amazing, giving us intel about the sites and scenes of the city. He let us ride the bus for free because we were good company and seemed like lost puppies to the city. After we got off, he gave us two free bus passes for the next day.

Isn’t an adventure amazing when you mix in meeting great people like that? Having an open mind is a very hard thing to master, but once you do, then the possibilities of life are sort of endless.

Stay tuned for the other two parts of my journal from my trip, for I have a formula for finding adventure, that you all should really learn about.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

After a separation, things change. Either for the better or for the worst, the transition period is still very difficult. Being away from your ex and on your own is a very emotional experience, regardless of what the stipulations of the break up are. Everyone is different, but for some, it is hard to get over someone, and for others the transition period is difficult. Last, we all want to come out of these times becoming a better version of ourselves, or at least we should have that mentality. This separation time and anxiety can last one hour to one month, maybe a year. I want to write more about relationships, as I have been heartsick my entire life. Here are some effective methods that I have discovered that can shorten that transition period that will set you up for a triumphant success, further becoming your best self.

1. Re-connect with old friends.
While in relationships, we tend to be more stuck on each other and in a lot of cases we forget to stay in touch with our closest friends. This is a major exception for “ghosting”. Moreover, make more time for friends, and rebuild a positive community of people around your life.

2. Exercise.
Running, lifting, physical activities, and competition releases powerful endorphins in your brain that relieve stress, anger, anxiety, and is good for your overall mental health. When separated from your ex, make it a goal to go to the gym 12 times a month.

3. Do different things.
Monotony is a bad habit that we can fall into, especially during a longterm relationship. We either stay in this routine or forget to do so because we are very depressed. Staying in a monotonous routine can easily reignite sensory signatures in your brain that reminds you of your ex-partner. Create a strategy and start a new lifestyle that will excite you. Here is one of my previous articles that expands more on this topic. 

4. Go on an adventure.
This is one of my favorite ones to do after a breakup because the sky is the limit on this. You can find something fun to do at home or abroad. Vacation is vital in our lives. It gives us something to look forward to and is also perception changing because of all of the adventure that it ensues.

5. Change your routine geared towards chores and errands.
Seriously, if you aren’t doing the dishes and taking out the trash, or incorporating more productive things into your daily routine then there is no way you can have the satisfaction of those small victories.

6. Go and hit on someone as a confidence boost.
When you are ready and the time is right based on your own judgment, go and put yourself out there again so that you can take those tiny baby steps of moving on. Who cares if you fall on your face. As for me, I always do this with someone out of my league because it helps me get over a lot of fear in my life.

7. Treat yourself (one time only pass).
This method can be abused so play this card wisely. Give yourself a one time pass, and purchase something that you have always wanted that you know will make you happier. Limit yourself to a budget and to one thing. Usually, I purchase a pair of Air Jordan’s because wearing them makes me feel like an absolute baller.

8. Dress better.
That is right, you’re new on the market. So, it only makes sense to impress by the way you dress.

9. Start a passion project (I write).
Since there is a void in your life, you need to fill it fast. That is why it is so effective to substitute that with something that you will always love and be there for you. No, not pizza. For instance, nothing can stop me from writing. This is a period where I am the most productive and I write close to 5,000 words a day. After my biggest breakup, I wrote 31 blog posts about movies in one month.

10. Do not try to have sex with someone right away.
Use this time to work on yourself. We all need to heal. Once you are ready, it will be right. If you go and do this right away, there is really nothing good that will come out of it. It only will make you feel worse and unveil your greatest insecurities.

These ten things that I have discovered, need to be accomplished in the first 14 days of being single. If you do not act on this, then your suffering of the heartbreak will be worse. After you do this method during the first two week period, you will feel a lot better and it may cure you right away of that broken heart. Overall this will set you up for success in becoming the best you.

Resilience, that is the key.

If you are having troubles with your marriage, partner, or with your relationship and want to find a fix, visit https://www.regain.us/advice/therapist/ for the best relationship counseling and advice. 

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Here I present to you a four-part series where I share with you my journal from my travels. I travel a lot, so I thought I would start seriously blogging about it. Here we go!

The Wednesday before my expedition to Seattle, I ran a few last minute errands before I would embark on my journey. You see, not too many people that I know to travel the way I do. I am not stating that the way I travel is better, or that I am the only one who does this, but since I have traveled a lot on my own I have learned what kind of experiences that I want to have when I am abroad in a different city. As I took out 300 dollars in cash from the ATM, I felt a slight buzz in my stomach. But, the butterflies started to flutter even more as I removed all of my debit and credit cards from my wallet as I was packing.

Then I discovered that I was really nervous for my trip to Seattle. Despite always giving these constraints to myself, I do this for the cheap thrills that I can get. Going into a city with the mentality of being in survival mode really gets me going. I am a seasoned veteran of this grungy traveler philosophy and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it is sure risky. This time was different because I had given myself many more constraints which lead to my nervous level to go up.

I had no place to stay, and I didn’t really know anyone in Seattle. I just had a flight and a destination. This is how I always roll. But, this was strange because I had never been nervous for an adventure before.

In order to do this, you have to create strategies, throw yourself out of your comfort zone, and stick to your routines. Pack 3 outfits, one to wear at the airport and two in your backpack. Granola bars, two tangerines, water bottle, and a vacation banh mi. Vietnamese sandwiches are clutch because you can squish them in your bag, and you can save it for emergencies for as long as possible, making it a great meal for survival purposes. I had my food, cash, and my paper and pen. It was time to get ready to embark on a great adventure; Zos style.

At 4 am I called a Lyft and I grabbed my small bag and headed out the door to the airport.

When I got off the plane, I looked at a map of Seattle. Yes, an actual paper map. This way, it makes it a real adventure, circling landmarks and attractions for destinations. This way by using a paper map, you can save a lot of battery power on your cell phone. Maps are also great for intel as they have small excerpts on where to go and what to do. It said that Pikes Place Market was the cat’s meow, so I hopped on a train that took me straight there. With 300 dollars only in cash, never I mean never pay for public transportation, this is me in manic thrill seeking mode. I have been caught before by transit security but this is when you play the dumb tourist and say, “Oh I didn’t know. I thought you paid after you got off the train. Sorry, I’m a dumb tourist”. The beauty of not paying is that I saw basically the entire city all for free.

When I saw Pikes market, it was nothing like I expected.

Not only was there fish, there was everything under the sun. People were throwing fish, selling necklaces, tomatoes, and anything you could imagine, even marijuana in some parts of the market. The market even had a few parks and ocean front views that were nearby. This was at eight in the morning as well, so my adventurous shenanigans all were about to begin.

As I was enjoying the oceanfront and mountains from a famous vantage point, I received a phone call from someone. It was my friend Shepard’s, Dad. I had never met him before. He said he was coming to get me and take me to him and that I was going to Portland, Oregon. The city of “Alternative Lifestyles”.

Well, this was a real turn of events.

During this time I became very confused, and within a half an hour I had called him back and forth about 12 times, trying to decide what my plan was to either get in a car with an old man that I’ve never met before or stayed in Seattle where I had to pay for hospitality. It was 8:30 in the morning and I had started my trip with a major panic attack that I had to absolve. The only thing that I wanted to do that day was to see the Mariners play so that I could check out Safeco field. I like to check out new ballpark in every city and Safeco was on the top of my list. After many phone calls, I had decided to take a chance to get in a car with a stranger that I’d never met who was my friends Father at 2 pm after the baseball game that started at noon.
Also by coincidence, a girl that I knew in Portland also called me to pick me up from Seattle to take me to Portland. I didn’t know any of these people very well, but I decide to go to Portland with a good attitude that I packed in my small bag. Either way, with whom I chose to take me to Portland, I was ready to go to a city that was on my bucket list.

The drive down Five was beautiful. I got to see the woods, mountains, and rivers. The best part was witnessing the small little lumber towns because I got to see what the infrastructure of these towns was like.

When I got to Portland, I quickly learned that this place was quite the alternative life.

Hipsters, local businesses, and strip clubs. That is what a lumber town brings. Quickly, I learned that this is how and what a town needs to be established. Jobs. Gold mining, oil drilling, wheat, but this was the land of lumberjacks.

In only 2 days, I was able to walk the entire city with my battle backpack and only so little cash on hand. Oh, I do stuff like this all of the time to see how well I can survive in a foreign land because it teaches you perspective on living life. There aren’t really many times to test your street smarts, and that is why I like traveling like this. It is therapeutically exhilarating walking a city from one end to the other, turning around in corners, scavenging the bridges, walking along the river, into random businesses, and talking to random strangers. I gain so much intel about a city whenever I travel by talking to locals. If you want adventure, I got it.

But, this isn’t my full story.

Stay tuned for the other three parts of my journal from my trip, for I have a formula for finding adventure, that you all should really learn about.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Here is a small excerpt from my first book, “Gray Poopon”, which is the first volume of my series, “Conquering the Gifted Curse of Bipolarism”. This is a real-time memoir of the changes that I go through with prescription medication to aid my Bipolar 1 Disorder. This is a documentation of slowly discovering powerful interior and exterior changes while taking medication. This is extremely personal information where I provide brutal honesty regarding my fears, current life adversity, self-betterment, and the quest to finding balance.

This stuff is so real. I am furthering into adulthood, struggling with my bipolar disorder, trying to launch my career as an international man of prowess. The only thing I can control is my own health right now.

I could be making zero dollars and if I was mentally healthy, I’d be forever grateful. But, my mental health isn’t quite there yet and I’m tired of being a hurdle that I keep trying to jump over.

But, I am getting closer and closer.

Back when I was younger I was a pretty damn good hockey player. I was always the best on my team until I got to high school. I played hockey frustrated for four years in high school. There was a lot that went into this but to make things short, my best friend Remy Williams reminded me that you can’t play hockey well when you are holding the stick too tight because you are frustrated and that anyone in the world should know about this that it should be me. I played hockey with a chip on my shoulder and was absolutely pissed off at the world for four years. If you are frustrated, being angry isn’t going to help you do things well or make your life better. You need to clear your head and keep moving forward.

Everything is a process.

Basically, I am dealing with frustration for the first time that I feel centered with my life and I am not sure how to handle it.

Do you want more truth? I am a loser, a loveable one at that. The only way I have to go is up from here. There are no limits if you are at rock bottom. This is because I am a first round draft pick who was a bust. I got to go to the best schools, meeting great people, and I messed it all up due to my mental conditions. This is not an excuse anymore. I am moving forward and becoming better.

I’m not going to sell myself short because I have ambition and high hopes for myself with the type of drive that one needs to obtain their dreams. Without those things, I’d have no hope.

Making my parents proud is important to me. I want to be the best son that there is. I feel like I am nowhere near that because I have this expectation of myself and they have their own expectations of me. I am not even proud of myself so how can I make them proud?

My whole progression of life has always been two-step forwards one step back. Forget it, I believe in myself. I am not a loser at all. I have the ability to believe in myself and that is a very powerful notion. The upside is that I at least get to go one step forward. I can be thankful for that.

The good news is that in the last week at work, whenever my parents have usually stressed me out, I didn’t freak out or snap at them.

It was like my “X” factor has slowly diminished. I hope it continues to do so.

Right now, I have to relearn how to deal with every new emotion under the sun with this newly found centered state of mind. It is hard work. I feel like a baby learning how to walk for the first time. I do not know if any psychiatrist can relate to this at all.

But, treading water like this has never felt so great. I should be happy that I am going through this phase at age 24 versus 42. For people that may be going through something similar to me in any regard at an older age, be gracious that you have discovered something about yourself and you now know what you have to do to improve the quality of your life.

Want to read more?

If you would like to purchase a copy of my book on Amazon, here is the link to get your paperback copy.

Also, if you prefer the Kindle version, here is the link to purchase your ebook. 

 

 

 

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Bitcoin is a lot of smoke and mirrors but, what if I tell you how I make money off of the cryptocurrency. This method is quite surprising because it works quite effectively. But, here are five ways that you can be a real hustler in the cryptocurrency game where you can quit your day job and trade Bitcoin all day.

Stop reading if you do not believe me, but this is how I do it. So, take it or leave it.

1. You need to have CNN on all day. What most people don’t know is that CNN’s news coverage determines the rise and fall of your bitcoin stock. There are many things that determine if you should sell or buy. A notable one is when CNN broadcasts to discuss prices in prescription medication or anything related to a major economic health-related issue. You need to sell your bitcoin stock before the end of the day, seriously. Observing this can save you hundreds of dollars and make you thousands if you execute this correctly.

There are amongst many more, but be careful as they are very difficult to execute.

2. The next thing you need to do when you are trading Bitcoin is that you absolutely need to join forums within the cryptocurrency community. It is important to know what everyone else is doing in order to get the biggest edge. If I were you, I would connect three screens to your desktop in order to stay connected with all of the active forums all day, seriously. The most effective way to get major insider trading is to learn Japanese and to get in with one of their forums.

I learned basic Japanese, and it has really paid off.

3. When you learn Japanese, you need to go to Japan between one to three times a year. There are three very important underground cryptocurrency conferences that cover the greatest secrets of investing into Bitcoin. The people who attend these meetings, and run the seminars are usually pretty big time millionaires.

Oh, and by the way everyone is Japanese. Get ready to be the foreigner as you will be one of very few. This is a super secretive meeting that everyone is invited too but no one knows about it.

Please make a donation below, then email me for the specific details.

4. Always purchase more Bitcoin at the beginning of every month. Bills across the western world are being paid and when you pay bills, you are investing in yourself. You pay rent to live, electricity for light, and your cell phone bill for communication. Those are all investments. The point of this is to build a consistent purchasing cycle. Habitual purchasing by the table minimum will lead to more success up to 75% of the time.

Cryptocurrencies should not be treated as a weather forecasting investment platform. We know very little about it, and this is why if you are serious about making a living off of bitcoin investments, this means that you need to invest frequently.

5. Build a team of three to five people that you are investing with. Say each of you invests 5,000 dollars into bitcoin, then what you do is you need to invest in different options. Trading in teams helps discover success. You can split the money any way you want it. It is imperative to always team up in teams of odd numbers. If you have even people then there is less of a chance for making money. This is because one person invests more than the other two. In the case of a team of five, then there are two people that invest more money in the group. Then if those two people who invest a slight more then the other, three will jump on that bandwagon, which will also boost value in that bitcoin stock.

This takes major trust, communication, and patience. Yes, this will take time, but once you strike gold your return on investment will pay off.

All of these are very brief descriptions. I have traded bitcoin for three years, and it is a very risky thing to do with your money. I created these theories because there is little that we know about this market. Bitcoin is a major mystery, where we do not even know the creator of it, or where it even comes from. But, these are five things that you can control.

I have a lot of more detailed instructions on how to go about doing these five strategies effectively so you can make money. So, feel free to contact me and I will give you one on one consulting classes that will lead you to success. But, that is if only if you believe me or not.

Wink, wink, wink.

Remember, “The Zos Knows”. 

-David Zosel

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon

Love is bliss, marriage is glorious, and harmony is powerful. Some of history’s greatest figures, Napolean and Beethoven, did not just become the icons that they are because of talent alone. They may have come up in solitude, but they took off when they fell in love, then proceeded to take the world by storm once they married a woman named Josephine. Marriage really has become a dying institution, with many divorces and forgotten children in our era of history in the United States, the story of the “Two Josephine’s” is one that should be told as a reminder of the power of marriage.

Napolean and Beethoven had a major love-hate relationship, especially because during each of their primes they both had contradictory opinions about governing Europe that either favored or disagreed with each other. Most notably, during Beethoven’s “Heroic Period” was when Napolean instilled the idea of democracy in France after the revolution. Behind all of this were two love interests, a piano student named Josephine, and Empress Josephine. Each Josephine has been credited throughout history as the driving force behind these men.

 

 

They were not the primary romantic figures during the majority of each adversary’s lives, but they were the most crucial. They say behind every man is an even more powerful woman. As a cliche, selfish, and uneven as that sounds, men would be nothing without women. Personally, I do not like that saying but it is hard to disagree with the validity. Without these two Josephine’s, these men wouldn’t have been conquerors and the rulers in their own perspective divine right. Government and music would be so different today if it wasn’t for these two women who brought out the best in these men, and no one really makes a big note out of this.

The Two Josephine’s are just a small part of history as a mere footnote, and that isn’t just. There should be more information about these two women and their relationships with their respective counterparts.

 

 

The moral is that marriage brings a lot of powerful things because a man and a wife should bring out the best in each other. Maybe we are forgetting that more and more in this day and age because we seem to be giving up on people these days. The divorce rate is up to a scary 50% in America and growing.

Imagine if Napolean had couples therapy back then, and he never divorced Empress Josephine. He probably would have never made so many irrational military decisions in the latter of his career. If there was online couples counseling, the world would be a lot different today, because he started to go downhill after he remarried with Marie Louise of Austria.

If you want to learn more about marriage counseling, click this link right here to find out more.

A lot of marriages are failing these days and I believe that it is destroying society. Children are the ones who become the most at danger when this happens. It breaks my heart every single time I find out that someone is getting divorced because marriage is a commitment and with that, it can be one of the most powerful polymerizations ever because it is all about teamwork. Moreover, divorce would destroy me. Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side.

We all need our Beethoven or Josephine to stand beside each other, and that can either take us to fly far or crash. We need more flight in this world. As for me, come on now Josephine, show yourself to me.

Remember, “The Zos Knows”. 

-David Zosel

If you want to support my writing and for me to be able to create more content you can make a donation to either of these links:

Venmo or Patreon