Growth in Isolation, Energy in Connection

Chai with Ghai

Aug 14, 2024

Hello, chai drinkers! Things are back in full swing, and chai has returned to my daily routine. This year, I’ve traveled more than I did in the last four years combined, and it’s making me regret the underutilized time when I barely took advantage of the post-COVID remote trend to work as a digital nomad.

Anti-Social Me or Very Social Me?

The last year I spent in India made me pretty tame. Going out on weekends became a novelty. Drinking every week was no longer a given. Staying in and reading or writing brought me joy. Naturally, I assumed this was the new me. But after just two weeks in New York, my social battery is in full swing. This is the highest it’s ever been. Meeting new people is energizing. The promise of a better future is energizing. The expectation of a packed calendar is energizing.

So, I often wonder, “Was I unhappy during my pseudo-reclusive lifestyle?” The constant answer is no. I enjoyed my time alone. I’m in a much better place, physically and mentally. But what balance should I strive for?

An interesting observation is that most of my social connections have emerged as a by-product of my anti-social phases, during which I developed various skills.

During COVID, I couldn’t sit idle, so I developed a passion for cooking. That passion later became a social connector, leading to my current group of friends.

Unsatisfied with being single, I dove into reading about weightlifting and nutrition. Eventually, that knowledge helped me connect with like-minded people and gain self-confidence in future interactions.

Bored with my monotonous nine-to-five life, I worked toward getting into an MBA program, the benefits of which I’m starting to reap now.

While bored in India, I started writing CwG, which helped me reconnect with old friends and form new friendships.

The pattern is clear: while I’m not an introvert, non-social phases push me to make changes that allow me to develop skills, leading to future gratification. Conversely, very social phases bring immediate rewards but don’t offer opportunities to improve my future.

Last year in India was marked by a quiet social life, which led to significant skill development. If I hadn’t had that time to invest in self-growth, I might’ve been a much different person today. The next two years may lean towards the opposite end, with a busier social life. Hopefully, I can still find a decent balance to grow not only my network but also myself.

If you were to list your top four or five skills (non-professional) that you would use to describe yourself, could you separate them based on whether you developed those skills during busy or idle social phases? I’d love to hear your experiences, my chai drinkers.

Coming Up…

A rundown of my trip to the Hamptons! (Like Jim, I still don’t really know what a rundown is).
A mini tour of my new NYC studio apartment.

Weekly Health Hack - Did You Know This About Ingredient Labels?

Recently, I discovered a hack for reading labels more easily. While listening to a health podcast, I learned that the ingredients in any food item are listed in descending order of their quantity in the product. This means the first ingredient you see on a packaged good is the one most used in making the product.

Lets take the example of an RX bar:

This product is advertised as if egg whites, cashews, and almonds are the primary ingredients, with barely any dates used. However, if you check the ingredients list on the back, you’ll see that the actual quantities are reversed compared to what’s emphasized.

Notice how dates are actually the most-used ingredient in the bar. They also conveniently omit mentioning "natural flavors" on the front of the packaging.

Note: Aware of this requirement, companies sometimes try to disguise certain ingredients, like sugar substitutes, by using three different types instead of just one, ensuring they don’t appear first on the ingredients list.