water

I was recently at the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI), which was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I went. It consisted of a considerable amount of interacting in groups, bonding and talking about problems and solutions. After my tonsillitis/sore throat affliction I became obsessed with my water bottle, determined to not lose my voice or be in serious pain and miss out on the full extent of my five days in Indiana.

Anyway, somewhere along the way I realized people need to talk about themselves less. This is my life lesson for the day apparently and its not an easy one, especially when meeting new people. You want to tell people "I really love candy" when in reality those are just empty words until you show people that you almost always have candy with you and eat it often. At that point, you might as well have not even said anything. That time could have been better spent learning what food the people around you seem to have around and eat often.

In situations where you meet people and get to know them in only 5 short days, talking about yourself some may actually be necessary but its pointless unless you take time to know other people, not just make them know you.