Wow, I participated in an in-person event for such a long time and it was so beautiful. It was the Autumn Congress of the BDSU in Aachen (edge of West Germany). And I was there as one of three representatives on the board of members of the BDSU Alumni.
That is why it is actually a Rainy Monday today because I arrived home quite late yesterday.
What is the BDSU?
Basically, the BDSU (Bundesverband Deutscher Studentischer Unternehmensberatungen) is a student initiative which unites regional initiatives. These initiatives aim at students who want to gather experience in the economy as (junior) consultants in SMBs (small & midsized businesses).
The idea for these "Junior Enterprises" (JEs) is originally from France, where these initiatives have a huge influence on a student's decision where to study.
As I studied in Germany, I was part of one of the regional JEs. Due to my engagement as the Board Member at the BDSU, I was able to participate early on in the BDSU events which take place in alternating cities four times per year:
- Twice a congress (up to 400 actives + 100 alumni) and
- twice a smaller conference (called "Arbeitskreistreffen" with up to 160 participants)
Why I recommend engaging in a JE
It was hands-down the best education-related decision I have made in my life. The reason is straightforward: You will never receive more feedback from different people from different backgrounds in this short amount of time (two years as an active member; five years as an alumnus) and simultaneously be able to reflect on your reaction to the feedback.
In addition, you are pushed to get involved with people who are far ahead (in some areas) compared to you, present in front of many people, and get a thicker skin from the critique of others.
Furthermore, you start realizing that sharing the same values, following similar principles can get you closer to a person than knowing them for a long time. I have gathered a lot of friends in this association who I might hear once every one to two years, but it always feels organic, authentic & as if only a short amount of time would have passed.
Especially, when you decide to get elected as a member of the board, you are forced to engage with yourself regularly. Even if it is really painful, nothing else will prepare you better for the competitive landscape of capitalism in your future. It is like the "normal" experience as a member, but 10x in intensity and you get exposed to even more motivated & inspirational people due to the inclusion in more events/formats.
Why I still participate as an Alumnus
Short answer: The feedback you get, the people you meet, it just gives you a feeling that cannot be described in words. It is just moving when people tell you that you are a remarkable person without knowing you too well.
I believe that being an influencer feels like this. On a much larger scale of course but perhaps also on a less personal level. I don't know as I am not one.
To give you a few examples:
- Once, I was asked by a participant during the lunch break of a training, I was giving to a JE, what it would take to become as self-confident as she experienced me. It digressed to her having big problems with her overall self-esteem and some dark stuff that happened in her past. It still gives me the chills.
- I was asked by a mentee (yes, there is also a leadership program pairing active members with alumni) how I am able to combine my self-actualizing journey with my private life. In his case, he was talking about his girlfriend. I made clear that I was not a good input for solving that issue as I am clearly not able to do that (yet). Nevertheless, it ended with him breaking up with her as he realized that she tried to hold him back.
- During an acquisition phase of one of the smaller conferences (AKTs), one of the JEs faced issues acquiring businesses to finance the convention. So, I told them on the phone (I actually do not remember it) to "go to the forest and light up every single tree". Obviously, it was meant literally, but they took it figuratively and were able to exceed all expectations. The event was subtitled "Angezündet" which means "Lit" as a reference to the call with me.
This weekend alone, I was approached by three people related to their learnings taken from conversations that occurred years ago:
- The project lead for creating the new strategy "BDSU202X" approached me and told me that he was on the edge of quitting a few times if it was not for some face-to-face conversation with me. He also admitted that - since I told him that he should always have the results 60-80% ready before doing a workshop - he used my methodology for every group exercise and it would work exceptionally well.
- One of the new trainers (yes, there is also a trainer academy) told me that he is using most of the routine I "preached" about, and especially one that was stuck in his mind since that day 4-5 years ago.
- One of my other mentees approached me and asked how to get in touch with one of the business representatives he was interested in regarding an internship.
- Another person I did not know before sent me a message on LinkedIn that I would have a great way of communicating. She also asked if I was born with a natural talent or if it was developed. Of course, the answer is both.
Bottom line: There is so much to give and therefore to gain.
If you support people on their way up or when they are down, they usually do not forget it. Furthermore, you might increase the rate/scale so the appreciation will become more and more.
What it does to your ego is not so clear to me yet. On the one hand, your ego gets a boost. But it is not the same ego as winning a game. It is something deeper, strongly related to appreciation. You feel like sharing the appreciation of others with your dearest.
Why? Not sure. I just know that it feels terrific, right, authentic. It is such a great feeling that you feel some kind of loneliness afterward when you get back to your "regular" life, in which you might also contribute "exceptionally" to a bigger thing (like a project). Still: It is not the same. At least for me.
Last thing: Masks & excess
I am talking about the convention as we were around 320 people there and nobody needed to wear masks. The first hours were really strange because everybody had their masks ready to grab in their pockets.
And I have to say that it was especially strange for me, very strange due to my highly sensitive nature, to see so many people, faces & emotions in seconds. I really needed to adjust again, felt super tired at the end of each day. Perhaps also because we were partying at night and needed to get up early in the morning...
Another interesting observation I made: I was able to let go again when we were partying. The loud music, the slight influence of alcohol, the rhythmical movements of dancing, and a lot of people sharing a great time gave me such a good feeling. Especially this morning, despite being super tired physically, I felt sooo much energy. I was in a great mood psychologically and observed the world and the people around me with much more love and positivity.
Wow, I sound like a hippie... But I am serious: I
believe that excess (physically and psychologically) is a
balancing mechanism of our being. You certainly need to
control the frequency and direction of your excesses
because you may risk addiction or other psychological
side effects. Nevertheless, you can't tell me that it
does not feel great to have intense parties, work
sessions, gym workouts, or "different" sex
experiences.