Manic v.s. Driven

Due to my bipolar disorder, sometimes I can become manic. When a person is manic some of the symptoms are excitement and energy. Working on projects to the exclusion of all other activities. Changing ideas and thoughts. Increased creativity. Starting to spend money. Along with many more very negative effects. The problem is these symptoms can compound upon each other and cause some serious problems for someone with bipolar disorder. The funny thing is that they also seem to be the qualities of someone who is driven to chase their dreams. In my reading it often says that you need to focus on your goal and not get distracted by anything that will take you away from your goal. You need to put in the time and effort it takes to reach your dreams. You have to be creative. They all sound the same as someone who is manic! The difference is that there are a lot more symptoms that go along with mania that cause someone to get out of touch with reality. I mean really out of touch. For example, I once threw away all the plastics in my house because I saw a documentary that said how bad they were for you and the environment. Do you know how hard it is to live without plastic? Pretty hard! So I do currently show signs of mania, for example I have a lot more energy. I am doing a project to the exclusion of most other activities. I am becoming very creative. And I’m posting a lot of different thoughts on my blog. I bought a laptop, a green screen, and a selfie light ring to help me post videos. However, I don’t have any of the nasty symptoms that go with mania. So I think I’m driven at the moment. However, I have to keep a close eye on myself to prevent that. My wife is the first person to notice signs of mania and depression. She knows them all and can pick up on the changes in me right away. Often she will confront me with them and tell me it’s time for either a change in medication or to get ahold of my symptoms with sheer will power before it comes too late and I need to be hospitalized until I’m under control. Yes, that happens once in a blue moon. I’m not ashamed of it, it comes with the territory of having bipolar disorder. Currently my wife is nervous. For now I think I’m safe. I’m just driven to pursue my dream of being a motivational speaker. I work full time and can still concentrate on my job. It just looks like I’m always working on my dream, because I have no choice but to do the activities needed outside of work. I only have a limited amount of time to get things done. I want to start speaking soon. I have to find a balance or else my disorder will get the best of me. My motivational story is to show how I overcame bipolar disorder. I can’t let my motivational story be the cause of me losing control and effectively losing my dream.