How I Faced Dissatisfaction and Loneliness

I intentionally took five days off work to address some mental challenges I was experiencing—mainly feeling unsatisfied with everything I have. During the first two and a half days, I focused on this dissatisfaction, and for the remaining two and a half days, I addressed feelings of loneliness and other related issues.

Dissatisfaction

I believe I mostly resolved the dissatisfaction by reminding myself that I am better off than many people, especially when I catch myself wanting things I don’t have. Saying "Alhamdulillah" and appreciating my current state helped me significantly. For example, if I find myself thinking about why I don’t have a car, I say, "Alhamdulillah, at least I know how to handle things and can go wherever I want." I also thank God for my love of work and my belief that, Insha’Allah, I will have a good future and be able to buy all the cars I want.

Loneliness

Regarding loneliness, I think I managed it by acknowledging that I am, thankfully, fairly good at connecting with others. If someone starts treating me poorly, I remind myself: this person doesn't owe me anything. They're not the ones taking care of me. So I let it go and move on.

Taking these five days to sit with my feeling instead of ignoring them made a real difference. I came back to work feeling lighter and more  grounded.

Finally, don't be afraid to think about your feelings and understand why you feel the way you do. It will help you understand yourself, prioritize what matters and move forward.

Why starting a community of talented students was a bad Idea

I wanted to start a GDG on Campus chapter at my college primarily for the network—a community of talented students eager to work on interesting projects and start a startup. But for instance, if I applied for Y Combinator and got accepted, I’d probably prioritize that network over GDG since it will offer stronger connections.

What’s the best way to find a network of talented technical and startup-passionate students in Egypt?

Claude recommended tech communities and specifically mentioned GDG Cairo. He also suggested some startup accelerators in Egypt, like Flat6Labs Cairo and AUC Venture Lab. The fact that Claude brought up GDG without me mentioning it sparked my excitement about being part of it.

What should I plan for GDG on campus? Should I map out every competition we intend to enter and every incubator we want to apply to? Should I decide who I’m going with? Honestly, I’m not sure.

I wasn’t able to find the type of students I wanted—talented tech students and startup enthusiasts—at our college. Maybe our path is to teach students and wait for them to grow into great talents who form teams in the future. But I also think teaching current students and club members is easier and more direct than starting my own club, with less overhead—no need to recruit instructors, which is challenging since our university has none. Recruiting students might still be an option.

Alternatively, maybe finding an interesting company to work with would be better—preferably one where I could potentially will find co-founders, but it will require a lot of search and I don't wanna put much effort for working as an employee.

So, the bottom line is that our college doesn’t have the kind of students I’m looking for, or if they do, they’re very few. Because of that, I won’t proceed with GDG on Campus at ECU. Instead, I’ll explore other ways to build my network, like attending events or becoming an instructor in some technology—a long-term investment in students’ futures that also lets me watch and recognize the rate of learning of each student. Another option is joining a fast-growing company or startup, though I’m unsure if I want to take on that workload. Applying for incubators and accelerators also appeals to me because acceptance would connect me with smart, driven people.