I'll admit it.

Since leaving Barcelona in late January, my social battery has been on a slow crash-and-burn trajectory.

Malta, my stop before Vienna, was rock bottom. People were making plans left and right at the hostel, and I actively avoided anyone who wanted me to join.

I knew I could get the rest I needed 6 days later when I would be back in Barcelona.

But, I overlooked my stop in Vienna. It had all the essentials I needed to recharge my social battery.

And it took just 24 hours to do exactly that.

A Dope Hostel Activity

Most daytime hostel activities are a walking tour or another low-effort way for guests to experience the city. But the day following the Opera, my hostel organized something pretty cool.

Pun intended.

We did a polar plunge in the Danube River and I got to spend the next two hours shivering in my underwear because I'd neglected to bring an extra pair.

Thus began a day filled with seeking discomfort.

But if you ask me, it's the best way to experience a city.

What Matters Most?

After the polar plunge, I originally planned on doing my What Matters Most To You And Why? experiment, but I came this close to abandoning the project.

Real talk.

Considering my depleted social battery and how my previous attempt a few weeks previous didn't reveal anything groundbreaking or exciting, I was ready to wave the white flag.

The only thing that caused me to continue was that if I didn't, I had nothing interesting to write about for my weekly newsletter 😂.

So thank you to all my readers for serving as motivation :)

Well Received

I needed 31 more answers to get to 100 overall. I figured if I started an hour before sunset I could finish before it got dark.

I was ready to get in, get some answers, and get out. What happened next surprised me in the best way possible.

The 9th person I talked to, Paul, ended up chatting with me for 20 minutes. His answer, "authenticity," sparked a conversation that led to us making plans to hang out later that evening.

Immediately after he left, I realized another woman had been patiently waiting to talk. Lydia from Chicago was a missionary in Germany and was spending the week in Austria for a wedding. She talked to me about God in a conversation that lasted even longer than Paul's!

Our talk was full of love and positive energy! But I also started to feel something else.

My social battery was coming back. I was returning to the mental space where I felt compelled to spread good vibes.

Why was it that the cure for feeling drained socially was being more social?

Reframing

Halfway through talking to Lydia, I realized there was no way that I would be done before sunset.

"But," I thought, "Why does that matter?"

What did sunset have to do with anything?

I had been approaching this experiment like a task, trying to check off the box so I could write my weekly blog post. I wasn't fully acknowledging the beauty of the situation at hand.

Complete strangers wanted to pour out their souls to me. Alone in a country I don't know, how cool is that?

So, I did a quick mental reframe. I would stay here as long as needed and invest in each conversation.

I was no longer focused on chasing 100 answers.

I was chasing the memories that each answer brought.

One Hell of a Memory

My friend Paul later returned with two Mormon missionaries he wanted to introduce me to. We talked about what matters most to them, but I became distracted by a camera crew approaching from the corner of my eye.

I turned and there stood a beautiful girl with a microphone, clearly doing her own street interviews.

I did the only rational thing.

I grabbed the mic out of her hands and asked her what matters most to her and why. Without missing a beat, she said, "Improving the world by improving myself."

Damn. I would've been speechless except I had clearly hijacked some TikTok livestream, so I had to play along and keep the rhythm of the conversation going.

We talked more in-depth about her answer. Her name was Sophie and she explained how focusing on being the best version of herself would help her pour more into making the world a better place.

Soon I forgot this was being streamed to thousands of people.

In fact, the world outside of us pretty much stopped.

I Love Vienna

I wish I could've given myself more time to process what happened but after our conversation, I was right back to soliciting more responses.

Only after I got my 100th answer, over 2 hours after starting, I finally took in the moment.

One thing was clear.

It's so easy to fall in love with a city when each stranger you meet brings the right energy to the conversation.

That was when I realized human connection wasn't as important as spreading and receiving love.

Recharged

My social battery had been running on fumes just hours earlier, but the love I received through each interaction brought me to 100% and then some.

I was back!

I set out that day to check off a box, but once I reframed my mindset, I could give people the energy they were looking for. In return, people infused me with energy that I'm still riding two weeks later.

It's always the most serendipitous experiences that shock you when traveling. Thus, I leave myself open to whatever pops up during the journey.

I suggest you do the same!

:)