Effective communication allows you to deepen your connections to others and improve teamwork, decision making, and problem solving.
Effective communication means:
+ The parties understand each other’s perspectives.
+ The parties feel like they are being acknowledged.
+ The parties feel like their needs are being met.
+ There is no misunderstanding.
Instead of blogging about motivational things this week, I want to share something that I find quite interesting and true for most traditional Asian families.
Note: This post is based on my experiences, as well as many others. It is not to say all Asian parents are like this.
Punishment
Asian parents believe it is totally acceptable to beat their children. They believe that punishment will deter an undesirable behaviour from happening again. Perhaps the child will be too afraid to get hit, so he/she will be too frightened to misbehave.
Once, my friends and I were randomly discussing over getting beaten as a child, and we went through a circle telling each other what we were hit with. Surprisingly, all of our parents used different things! The list consisted of: hand, a stick, a feather duster, a broom, newspaper, a ruler, a coat hanger, a rope, a hockey stick, and even a baseball bat. When we heard “baseball bat”, all of us were slightly amused and surprised at the same time. We all went, “Woaahhhh.” After all, baseball bats are so heavy/hard! That’s brutal!! But we had a great laugh. We all turned out fine, I think.
The Western society might find this shocking and unacceptable, but it is very common if you grew up with traditional Asian parents.
Two different men grew up in broken families. They were both molested at a young age and suffered from bullying and poverty. One man became very successful and became a millionaire when he was older. But instead of spending lavishly on himself, he donated most of his money to help others in need. People all over the world asked him, “Sir, could you tell us your secret to success? How did you become the way you are?”
The successful man replied, “With a past like my own, what else could I have done?”
Note: You might want to read my previous post before reading this one.
In my opinion, there are 3 ways you can develop a fan base/support group.
1. They see the value
When people see the value in something, they are willing to invest. To them, it is worth it. That is the reason why some people get cosmetic surgeries, buy LV, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a Ferrari, purchase a home, or line up overnight to see Robert Pattinson as a sparkling vampire.
However, initially, it is very difficult to get someone to see the value in something they have never experienced or seen before. Most often, it takes a lot of exposure, time, and capital. Some might say it also takes a certain amount of luck. Sometimes, timing can make all the difference.
But once you can get people to see the value in you/your business/idea/services, you are set! It is very unlikely that people will “un-see” the value in something once they believe it.
So, can you create or provide something for people to value?
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
I definitely would not be here. I would probably be traveling around Asia…perhaps Taiwan or Japan! But sadly, I currently do not have the time and money to do so. =(
I want to be financially free so that I can do whatever I want without worrying about money. But that’s not enough. I also want to have the time to do whatever I want. The question is, how? How can I make enough money and have the time to spend it in whatever ways I like?
Grow with me 