Two concepts I learned in 2022

The year 2022 in review. 
Two semesters at university and spending 3 months on the opposite side of the world that I grew up in certainly influenced my view on the year 2022. We are almost at the end and I am excited to catch a break, but I also look back, being proud, that I learned a lot—academically and in life. 
I want to tell you about two main concepts that I took away from this year. You might already know them and use your knowledge about them to your advantage. You might use them, but you are not aware of it, or you do not know these two things at all. 

First, growth is a muscle. If you train, your growth is exponential. However, it can decrease if you do not keep setting higher and higher goals.
With that being said, it is important that you set these goals on your own. They should not be someone else’s that they are projecting on you. These goals do not tend to lead to sustained growth, but rather to unfulfilling achievements. 
An example from my year 2022 is my schedule. In the spring semester, I was taking 5 classes that I really liked and I was participating in several extracurricular activities. I also dislocated my shoulder, which made my everyday life quite difficult for a couple of weeks. I thought that this was the maximum and that I would put less things on my plate for the second semester. 
I ended up doing 5 classes, a 20-hour campus job, my work at BULB, and the same extracurriculars as last semester. It did not feel any different than the spring semester. It was as if I went to the gym one day and I was able to lift more kilograms than the day before. 
Of course there are limits to this muscle training and one needs to know how to recharge themselves, which is what Concept 2 focuses on. 

You need to learn how to recharge yourself because everyone has different needs. What works for your friends might not work for you.
In 2017, I went to a “career psychologist” to find out what career opportunities might fit me. It was a full 8-hour day with psychological and IQ tests as well as several interviews. At the end of the session, the psychologist presented her findings of the day and her presentation was mind-blowing. It was as if she knew me better than I knew herself. Listening to her was like reading a book about myself. 
While the career options she presented to me back then are not the ones that I am looking for now, she did teach me one important concept: based on someone’s personality, one gains energy from different activities and environments. Finding this out is crucial to be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle in busy environments that we tend to put ourselves in. 
While I won’t share, what exactly she told me, here are some questions that you can ask yourself to find out more about how you recharge during busy times:

1. You just finished an important exam / closed an important deal / reached a big goal. How do you celebrate?
   1. I invite all my close friends and we celebrate together.
   2. I go home, make some tea, and relax with my loved ones.
2. What kind of friend constellation makes you the happiest?
   1. I like having a few, but very close friends, that I spend time with.
   2. I recharge by hanging out with a bigger group of friends. 
3. Does reducing my consumption of X make me feel more energized and happier?
4. When I am alone, what do I rarely do that makes me feel at peace?

Good luck!