FIVE GEARS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE HANNAH SMOLICZ | Collegiate DECA Vice President
LET’S FACE IT: being an
emerging leader is not easy! We’re supposed to get good grades, be involved in our community, excel in extracurriculars, select a college, apply for scholarships, navigate social relationships and gain job experience. Add in virtual or hybrid learning, a global pandemic and a tumultuous political environment and these things become even more difficult. So, how can we manage it all? How can we achieve a healthy lifestyle? First, you must ask yourself a rather insane question: Who are you? While there are countless ways to answer, think in terms of the type of personality that you have. More specifically, are you more naturally introverted or extroverted? Extroverted people usually find that after a long day of work, they recharge their energy by going out to dinner with friends and socializing. On the contrary, introverts may recharge by watching a movie on their own or cooking dinner for themselves. Of course, these personalities often overlap. Introverts do not only enjoy spending time alone and do not always work well individually. They may actually love to go out with a group of friends or work best with 12
a team. Likewise, extroverts also need—and may even crave—alone time. The main difference between these personality types is how they recharge. Trying to recharge in a way that doesn’t match your personality can actually increase your stress level, rather than alleviate it. So, rid yourself of the belief that being introverted means antisocial and that being extroverted means having an unlimited social battery. Everyone has a social battery, but some batteries last longer than others. Remember that extroversion and introversion are not all-or-nothing traits; they’re actually based on a continuum. Neither personality type is 'better' than the other. Now that you understand your personality a little better, it’s time to learn about the Five Gears. Essentially, the gears are different modes, or mindsets, that humans switch between when we want to achieve a specific goal. Think of it like driving a car and shifting between different gears. It’s all about learning to shift into the right gear at the right time.
EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED? You might be EXTROVERTED if… 1.
You love to talk and socialize
2.
You thrive from group interactions
3.
You discuss problems openly
4.
You like to try new things
5.
Your ideal party is a huge event where you can meet new people
6.
You feed off the hype around you
7.
You’re the “life of the party” who loves having an audience
You might be INTROVERTED if… 1.
You enjoy solitude and time to think
2.
You have a small group of close friends
3.
You are happy to listen and observe
4.
You require advance notice to best prepare feedback and ideas
5.
Your ideal party is a small gathering of close friends
6.
You feel distracted and unfocused from too much stimulation
7.
You prefer to avoid being the center of attention
