We've all heard the phrase practice makes perfect or the updated version, perfect practice makes perfect. Unfortunately, perfection is unrealistic and unachievable because we are humans. Therefore, instead of practicing for perfection, we should practice for mistakes. This means, practice to identify the potential mistakes you can make and learn how to adjust or correct them.

"If you want to master something, teach it." - Richard Feynman

"To teach is to learn twice over." - Joseph Joubert

If you want to test whether or not you know a subject, or if you want to reinforce what you've learned, then teach it. Teaching a subject or skills will test your knowledge and understanding. Your knowledge will need to be comprehensive and refined in order to explain it to others. Even as a student, you should fine opportunities to tutor classmates or younger students because it'll help you become a stronger learner.

There are enough stressors in our lives that we don't need to stress ourselves out. By taking ourselves less seriously, we care less about what others say or think. We feel less pressure to always be perfect and accept that we can make mistakes. Plus, my taking ourselves less seriously, we our more open to ideas, suggestions, and criticisms.

Continuing on the communications theme, in this episode I talk about the benefits of small talk. If you're like me, we dislike small talk because it feels unnatural and uncomfortable. But we fail to realize the many benefits of participating in small talk with acquaintances and strangers. Perhaps by understanding the benefits of small talk you'll find yourself engaging in more conversations at the next company event, waiting for the train, or at your children's school.

We all view the world with our own unique perspectives based on our background, upbringing, education, and experiences. Since no two people see things the same, that means we are all wear individualized rose colored glasses. We need to recognize and understand why our glasses are tinted in those specific colors and with those designs. More importantly, we also need remember that others are also wearing glasses that may be significantly different than ours.

The truth is, we all have accents. The difference is, if our accents is the commonly accepted one in the region or culture, then people don't consider it an accent. But go to another part of the country or world, and you are now speaking with an accent. Unfortunately, not all accents are created equal or treated equal. Even knowing you speak multiple languages, people will judge you based on your accent. In this episode, I discuss the truth about accents.

Go to any event, concert, or activity and the first thing you'll notice is the number of cellphone cameras out. Stop it! Taking pictures and recording the activity is great for memories, but by doing so, you'll miss the emotions created to make this moment into a memory because you're concentrated on the outcome of your shots. Instead, snap a couple of photos before and after, but put your phone down during the event and enjoy it. Be fully engaged and immersed, and your mind will naturally create the unforgettable memory.

Have you ever had an argument over something ridiculously stupid? Do you remember what you were arguing about? From my experiences and observations, many of our stupid arguments are over semantics. They're over our unique definition of words, phrases, emotions, or feelings. "I had a bad day." Means something different to everyone because our definition of bad varies. The reaction to one simple phrase can cause an argument.

When most people think communication they think about speaking and presenting; therefore, outgoing people are perceived to be better communicators. However, communication is multilayered and speaking is only one layer. As an introvert, I believe that introverts have a unique perspective of communications because our first reaction is not to speak up. Instead, introverts prefer to observe, listen, and contemplate before speaking. There are areas of communications introverts can improve on, but people should not underestimate their communication abilities.

Last episode I talked about having a bilingual mindset. In this episode, I share experiences and challenges we face trying to raise bilingual kids in America. The environment, teaching methods, and lack of exposure promotes our kids to predominantly speak English. Adding to challenging is the fact that English is quite a bit easier to learn and speak compared to Chinese, our kids will naturally choose the easier option. It'll be a tough trying to ensure our kids remain bilingual into adulthood.