Supercharge for Maximum Experience

There is always more worth doing and experiencing, so the more energy the better. Where do we get that energy though?

It’s easy to think of social interactions as draining, especially since half the people out there seem to label themselves introverts. If you expect the interaction to be draining, it shouldn’t be surprising when that happens. Clearly it helps to focus on interactions that we expect to be energizing. My experience suggests it has more to do with the people you interact with. Some people choose to interact in a way that drains the energy away from themselves and those around them while others energize.

Gather together enough energizing people and you can’t help but be on top of the world. I have yet to find a group of people as consistently energizing as my fellow alumni of Draper University. So when I heard a multi-day reunion was coming up I knew I had to go.

Some would find it hard to justify taking several days for such an event. One of my friends observed that the opportunity cost in time was just too high. It definitely depends on the individual, but time to energize oneself can be a great way to use their time. I am certain that the amount of extra energy I gained will translate to more than several days’ worth of productivity gains in the coming weeks.

I would also take into account the friends made. Not only are they interesting to know in their own right, each is a valuable business connection due to their diverse backgrounds running startups of their own. I find that those conversations often translate into ideas and progress for my own projects. When it comes to my own startup I definitely got some honest feedback that will help me improve. Waiting for a cofounder to launch my product started as a logical precondition, but is becoming a handicap as the search grows longer. I could have easily continued to let that become an excuse for not making progress when there is plenty I can do without a cofounder to progress. Plus several people wisely pointed out that additional progress such as initial sales or beta tests makes it that much more appealing for someone to join as a cofounder.

It makes a big difference to connect and surround yourself with energizing people headed in the same direction you are. I find myself with more ideas, more energy to execute them, and more friends to top it off for my time invested. I count that as time well spent, don’t you?