Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Qualities of a Winner- Intelligence vs. Hard Work


WINNERS WHILE MOST ARE DREAMING OF SUCCESS, WINNERS WAKE-UP AND WORK HARD TO ACHIEVE IT

What quality is more important for someone who is successful?  Is it intelligence or hard work & effort?  In the United States you can breeze by in terms of academics from K-8th grade.  A smart kid getting a public education assuming their living situation isn’t screwed up (i.e. broken home, homeless, etc.) should cruise through into high school.   The reason for this is the education system grades based on the national percentiles so a kid of above average intelligence will be able to crush the curve with little effort.  

In high school, smart kids can still get into a decent university purely based on their gifted IQs, just need to get a good SAT score and solid GPA.  The thing is if you want to get into a top 5 university then you will need to have a mix of intelligence and hard work.  You will now be competing against kids from around the nation for the few spots available in each school.  Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and MIT have plenty of kids applying with 4.0 GPAs and high SAT scores but they look for things that make you stand out.  So kids who don’t have a perfect academic record need to put in the effort to do extracurricular activities and other stuff outside of just doing well in class to get in.

College & the Work Force
After high school, a hard worker will more often than not be more successful than someone who is just smart.
Here’s the reasons why intelligence won’t always equal success later in life:

Sense of entitlement- Gifted kids who sail through the early years of school may develop a sense that they should just succeed because they are better than everyone.  School is so easy for them growing up that when they finally are faced with challenges they don’t know how to handle it.

Loss of interest- After succeeding for so long school and studying may seem pointless.  Initially doing better than everyone may be motivational but after a while if they don’t develop larger goals their interest in continuing to excel can fade.  This can cause them to develop the bad habit of being lazy and procrastinating.

Inability of overcome challenges- If kids aren’t faced with challenges growing up then when they finally do fail at something; it can cause them to lose confidence and motivation.  They may develop a fear of failure since it is such an unknown feeling to them and rather than try and fail they might just rather give up than admit they that might be lacking in some way. 

Why hard workers can excel:

Ability to bounce back quickly:  They can go with the flow and chalk setbacks as a learning experience.  They are constantly striving for some new goal and by taking action they will develop skills that will help them along the way.

Constantly working towards the bigger goal- Gifted people sometimes only look at the “big picture” or that final goal.  They want to be a millionaire, billionaire, doctor, and lawyer, whatever the big dream is.  When they stumble along the way it they get depressed and if they do achieve a goal they tend to just relax for a long time.  Hard workers just aim for smaller goals while working towards that big final goal.  Example:  Smart kid gets into a good college, he feels proud of himself, and decided he should just kick back and relax since he earned it.  Hard working kid is happy that he got into a good college, takes a little time to enjoy something he likes but then starts working on looking for scholarships.

Finding new opportunities- Like in the example above since the hard workers are always in action they will find hidden opportunities, finding a job that no one knew about, a scholarship, an investment, there are endless opportunities waiting to be found but the first step is taking action.

In college and the real world, people are rewarded for action.   If applying to a job straight out of college who do you think will get it, applicant A: kid with a lot of internships during college and decent GPA or B: smart kid with no work experience but he’s really smart.  Most jobs don’t have some standardize test you can take to ace and impress them so you need to show them things you have done with good results to impress them.

All that being said, if you’re someone who is intelligent and hardworking then the possibilities are truly limitless.  Bill gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg are all billionaire who are extremely intelligent but back it up with a ridiculous work ethic.  Intelligence may be a very valuable asset on the road to becoming successful but like Thomas Edison said-
“There is no substitute for hard work.”

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Personal Development Blog Carnival #3

Welcome to our third weekly blog carnival post! A Blog Carnival is a collection of articles and blog posts, all relating to a particular topic. There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. We want to make it easier to find all your personal development needs. We are going to take a break next week for the blog carnival to work on some improvements but continue to send in your submissions, the next blog carnival post will be on the 16th.

If you want you article or blog post on the next edition of the carnival. Click Here to submit yours now. Be sure to read the rules for the best chance of making sure your article is chosen!

Welcome to the April 2, 2011 edition our Personal Development Carnival.

Fitness

James Crawley presents Nutrition Advice for Badminton Players posted at Supplement Deals.

Dr Swartz presents Real Tips For Losing Weight posted at Weight Loss Diet Forum, saying, "Setting yourself up for success when it comes to pursuing a higher level of health and fitness is paramount."

Mike presents The Most Important Factor For Achieving Your Fitness Goals posted at BrightNFit.com - College Fitness, Workout Plans & Fitness Products.

Patty Pittman presents Primal Fitness > Fighting? posted at Primal 30 Day Challenge, saying, "What is more primal to man's survival than the will to fight to survive. It is definitely what our ancestors had to do. Weather they were fighting off lions and bears, or each other in a war over women and territory, the strongest among them survived and procreated to make me and you."

How to Guide

Mike King presents 100 Ways to Ace an Interview and Interview Questions posted at Learn This, saying, "How to land your next job by acing your interview!"

Linda@NHE presents How To Cook And Grow Swiss Chard posted at Natural Health Ezine, saying, "Swiss Chard is so good for you! Find out how to grow it and use it in your everyday cooking."

Personal Development

HowToLiveHappily presents Limiting Beliefs - How They Work And What To Do About Them << How To Live Happily posted at How To Live Happily.

Diego Ortiz presents 9 Secrets For Stress-Free Living posted at DiegoOrtiz.com.

Lily presents if it makes you happy. posted at the Rebounder, saying, "Sharing my life and hoping people would share their lives with me as well simply to stop feeling so alone!"

Mark Anthony McCray presents “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” posted at Live BIG. Die Empty..

Subas C K presents Common Barriers to Personal Growth and Development posted at Total Pesonal Development - sharing views and resources, saying, "First article being submitted at blog carnival. Still finding answers to using Blog Carnival"

Lahesha Williams presents 5 Valuable Tips to Networking posted at Career Help For Christians, saying, "As difficult or awkward as it may feel at first, the ability to meet and make a positive, professional impression on people will become even more important as your career advances and develops. The five tips will assist you in learning the art of successful networking."

Personal Health

Tony Alexander presents The Soul of Japan: Kono Ha No Yu " Balneotherapy" posted at The Soul of Japan, saying, "My submission for the March 27th carnival."

Carson Ward presents Medical Assisting Degree and Career Basics posted at Medical Laboratory Technician Program Blog, saying, "Ever thought about breaking into the evolving and exciting world of healthcare? Earning a Medical Assisting degree could provide a great segue into a healthcare career."

Vidal presents Not Cooking for Fatness Any More posted at LibertyBuzz SC, saying, "Switching from high-fat traditional southern cooking to low-sodium, low-fat meals has been a rough transition. I found a couple of recipes that finally worked."

shaina ricketts presents Weight loss rules to live by posted at Sexy Rantings : A Diva's View of Health, Love, and Life Abroad, saying, "I blog about things I learned about personal health and exercise through my weight loss journey. I also talk about travelling and being a teacher in a foreign country"

Peter Stockwell presents Can I Lose Weight Without Exercise? posted at The Senior Walking Fitness Blog, saying, "It is possible to lose weight without exercise. It just takes a little longer."

Steve Faber presents Belly Fat Loser » How to Stop Sugar Addiction – The Dangers of Sugar posted at Belly Fat Loser, saying, "Addicted to sugar? You're not alone. The sugar devil is hard to get off your back. Here is how to help kick the sugar habit so you can get started on the road back."

Hussein Sumar presents How to Work with Sensitive or Easily Irritable Dry Skin posted at Clinique Bonus time, saying, "More than 50% of all women complain of their skin getting easily damaged or irritated, dry skin that is allergic and skin that has a lowered tolerance to cold, heat, pollution & temperature changes. As a general rule of thumb, if you have irritated or reactive skin, then you have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin of the face usually results in itchy feeling, redness, swelling or even development of acne (during hot weather)."

Nick Andrade presents Lose Weight Naturally And Safely posted at Weight Loss Systems Headquarters, saying, "Implement these simple weight loss systems tips and start losing weight today!"

Emilia Klapp presents 10 Practices that Can Cut Down Your Heart Disease Risks posted at The Diabetes Club, saying, "If you do not have heart disease at this time, congratulations! You probably have been doing the right thing, eating healthy and being physically active. Still, you may want to read the following suggestions just in case you find one or two tips you can add to your healthy routine to cut down even further your heart disease risks."

Jim Edwards presents Foot Odor Remedies: No More Stinky Feet posted at EverydayChristianFamily.com, saying, "Make feet comfortable while killing the odor"

Self-Improvement

Fred Tracy presents My Crazy First Lucid Dreaming Story posted at Personal Development, saying, "This article is about my first experience with lucid dreaming and how amazing flying was, among other things. It also contains information to help you learn to lucid dream yourself!"

Jessica presents But I don't have any skills! posted at It Starts With Me..

Charles Chua C K presents Adopting the Ways of Successful People posted at All About Living with Life.

Adam presents Overcoming Low Self-Esteem posted at ZenTactics - Child Abuse Recovery.

ErinEM presents day 6: make a care package for a soldier. posted at tomorrow is cancelled 365., saying, "Two teen girls trying to have an impact on the world in their own small way."

Patty Pittman presents Battered Women In Martial Arts posted at Kihon Wasa, saying, "Many women are told that in order to not be a victim of domestic violence, they should learn a martial art. I think they are correct, but not for the reason they think."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Personal Development Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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Be sure to check back in two weeks for the next Personal Development Blog Carnival and if you want to submit your own article, Click Here before midnight (eastern time) on Saturday. We welcome any comments or suggestions on what you think about the carnival!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Key to Happiness - Finally Figured Out Life


I'm still trying to figure out life
I'll let you know when I solve it


The inherent flaw in my philosophy is that I assume life is a problem that requires solving.
I may need to stop presuming life is a problem in the first place...that's likely to be the key here. Stop seeing every little thing as a problem.

Just by having food to eat tonight you're better off than billions of people in the world.

There are so many depressed people out there, people that are looking for something, people I see that will never be happy - no matter how luxurious their life, or how easy.

I think being of a certain intelligence and mindfullness we sometimes overthink and come to a crossroads because of our thinking.

So much time is spent trying to figure out how to have fun, how to enjoy life, etc etc, when these things are supposed to be natural. We get so caught up in our boring, repetitious, day to day lives that we lose track of how to have fun - even if we knew at one point.

We begin to equate having fun to drinking a lot and ending up passed out, or doing drugs in some cases, or other activities that are societally acceptable but possibly hazardous to our health and not REALLY what we mean when we say we want to have fun.

How many of you have hobbies? Interests? I'm talking outside of what you study in school and outside of what you do at work. Sometimes these line up and your hobby is your job - in that case consider yourself incredibly lucky, because for most people this is not the case.

For most of us, your job is something you do so you dont starve. School is what you do to get that job. Your life is put on hold.

Don't put your life on hold. Go out and enjoy it. Don't think too much. What do you really enjoy? Find people that enjoy that same thing.

Texas Hold 'em? Play with friends, make it a weekly activity.
Like to work out? Get a gym partner.

I guarantee you, engaging yourself in activities you enjoy (with people you like) will make life much better.

Stop overthinking everything please.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Personal Development Blog Carnival #2

Welcome to our second blog carnival post! A Blog Carnival is a collection of articles and blog posts, all relating to a particular topic. There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. We want to make it easier to find all your personal development needs. Once again we had an amazing turnout in terms of article submissions and an even better collect of articles for this edition.

If you want you article or blog post on the next edition of the carnival. Click Here to submit yours now. Be sure to read the rules for the best chance of making sure your article is chosen!

Welcome to the March 27, 2011 edition of our Personal Development Carnival.

Fitness

Dr Swartz presents Choosing The Right Home Gym Machines posted at Weight Loss Diet Forum, saying, "Choosing the best home gym equipment is vital to your fitness success."

Sunehary Rocking presents Health and Medicine Open Courseware: The Ultimate Guide posted at Nurse Debbie, saying, "One of the best ways that you can serve your patients as a nurse is to improve your knowledge and work to be the best possible nurse you can be. Thanks to technology, it is possible for you to learn more about the human body — and update yourself on the latest medical information — from trusted resources."

How to Guide

Online Dating Expert presents 5 Easy Tips for Memorizing Names posted at Online Dating University, saying, "Have you ever met someone in a bar only to forget their name the next time you meet? That’s OK, because it happens to most people! When you’re playing the dating game, remembering names can be a challenge, but it is an absolutely necessary one. The next time you go out, try one (or all!) of these 5 simple tips for memorizing names."

Linda@NHE presents How to Make and Apply a Poultice To Draw Out Infection posted at Natural Health Ezine, saying, "Have you heard about this natural way to heal your body? It's simple, effective, and all natural."

Amy Dyslex presents Creative Writing Ideas posted at Write a Writing, saying, "Whether you are writing fiction, poetry or simply working on a creative journal, it happens to everyone- the dearth of creative writing topics or ideas at some point. On the other hand, there are many writers who claim never to run out of ideas, rather complaining about lack of time to attend to all of theirs."

Personal Development

Socratez presents This Is Why Life Is Simple posted at Socratez Online.

Nick Ball presents Top 5 (self inflicted) barriers to creativity posted at justifieddesign, saying, "My post is a short observation of the barriers that hold back creativity - for writers, designers or anyone looking to develop themselves creatively."

Craig Harper presents How Much Do You Want to Change Your Life? posted at Motivation - Renovate your life with Craig, saying, "I’m of the not-very-popular opinion that the majority of people who say they want to change their lives – or part thereof – in a significant way are simply not prepared to do what’s required; you know – the hard stuff. As a consequence, they will never begin to explore the limits of their potential, power or possibilities – and not because they don’t have a capacity for brilliance, excellence or success (we all do) – but, rather, because they don’t have a willingness to get uncomfortable enough for long enough. They lack an attitude of total commitment to the change process."

Tracy Todd presents Things I Never Knew About Me. posted at The Next Half Of Life.

Bill Hall presents Remember What you Know posted at Bill Hall.

Stephen Guise presents Are You Willing To Fail? It Is The Key To Success posted at Deep Existence, saying, "What is the one thing that the most successful people have in common? Failure. No contradiction there — it is simply a matter of statistics."

Charles Chua C K presents Be Successful Through Perseverance posted at All About Living with Life.

Personal Health

Stephanie presents Committing to Veganism posted at Cleanse Body, saying, "Committing to vegan lifestyle can be very rewarding."

Steve presents Can Coffee Cut a Woman?s Stroke Risk? posted at Diet Cleanse, saying, "Cutting your risk of stroke might be as easy as drinking coffee daily."

Dr Swartz presents Fat burning foods for women posted at Weight Loss Diet Forum, saying, "Woman looking to improve their health and fitness should seek out fat burning foods to add to their diets."

Lucy Parker presents 17 Must-Bookmark Web Sites for Healthy Recipes posted at Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs, saying, "Recipe websites are a great way to learn new recipes, figure out how to make a dish you’ve eaten in a restaurant, or just learn how to make your recipes a little healthier. Here are 17 recipe sites you’ll love for their healthy recipe resources."

Rachel Davis presents Precautions for and Care after a Spinal Anesthesia posted at Radiology Degree.

David Leonhardt presents Curing Insomnia the Hot Tub Way | Hot Tub Covers Canada Blog posted at Hot Tub Covers Canada Blog, saying, "So many people suffer from insomnia. There are several cures, and often it is best to combine more than one. A hot tub can be a very enjoyable means of curing insomnia."

Self-Improvement

self_help_devotee presents If Not Now Then When? posted at Things That Teach Us, saying, "We all have an important power within ourselves. The spark that sets fire to the tinder of good intentions, plans, dreams … all of which are of no value unless acted upon."

Fred Tracy presents 3 Ways to Develop a Mature Personal Boundary posted at Personal Development, saying, "This article is about how to develop a mature personal boundary. This kind of personal boundary will allow you to remain unaffected by criticism and insults, while still letting you feel good about compliments and praise."

Christien presents How Much Does a Tummy Tuck Cost? posted at How Much Does Everything Cost?, saying, "People will do pretty much anything and everything to look good and feel better. They can face all the risks of taking medication and undergoing surgery just to have that well toned body. Because of this, cosmetic surgeons have jumped on this opportunity and have provided people with certain procedures targeted on certain parts of a patient’s body."

Aparna presents Test your level of self-esteem posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming.

Denice Davis presents Will you help me? posted at Positive Perspectives.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Personal Development Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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Be sure to check back every Sunday for the next Personal Development Blog Carnival and if you want to submit your own article, Click Here before midnight (eastern time) on Saturday. We welcome any comments or suggestions on what you think about the carnival!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Gaining Weight for the Hard Gainers


Why would anyone want to GAIN weight??? This might not be a topic that is frequently talked about because usually everyone is trying to lose weight.  But this was definitely something that I had to deal with growing up.  For some people like me GAINING weight can be the hardest thing to do and if we mention it to others they will just give a WTF response of that’s easy just go eat a ton of junk food or whatever.  When I was entering high school I was a skinny 120 lb kid with arms like sticks and it really was something I wanted to fix.  I could eat McD’s everyday and still not gain a pound. I actually did eat it almost everyday for a semester my freshmen year of hs, now that I think back about it, it is a disgusting thought but hey I was young and it tasted good back then.  Just because your gaining weight doesn't mean that you are going to get fat or that you can't get the six pack abs you always wanted.  So this article goes out to all my fellow skinny hard gainers out there who want to put on some healthy weight and not have a heart attack while doing it. 

What is common with most people who are skinny is they have a fast metabolism or that they burn all the calories that they eat.  I know I thought I ate a lot and I still pretty much eat whenever I’m hungry now but the thing you need to realize is you are probably not eating enough.

Here’s some tips on gaining weight the right way.

Just as if you were trying to lose weight, start tracking your calorie intake.  I think you will be surprised by how little you are really eating everyday.  Start working out, it is a fact that muscle is heavier than fat so if you replace the fat in your body with muscle you will not only weigh more but probably look a lot better. 

Set your goal.  Rather than just say you want to gain weight give yourself a target.

Set your daily calorie intake number and hit it.  Depending on how active you are everyday this number can range anywhere from 3000-5000 cal/day.  Try to figure out how much you need to eat, 5000k will almost always let most people gain weight.  But you don’t need to eat that much just remember that you need to eat more than your body is using for most people that is ~2000 a day therefore the excess amount will be converted to fat.

Eat smaller but more frequent meals.  Never skip a meal.  Eating every three hours is a pretty good way to make sure of that.  I like to eat 5-6 meals a day.  A meal can be anything from just a post workout shake or even just a sandwich with some yogurt.

Keep at it and believe.  Results are never instant.  I know 15 year old me had times when he wanted to just give up but I kept at it and I was able to put on 10 lb of muscle my freshmen year.

Stay consistent.  If you continue to eat your goal and workout everyday you will be able to achieve your goal weight.  

Finally, here are some hints on what are the best things to eat.  You want to go for the calorie dense foods.  This would be things like pasta, nuts, banana, milk, cheese.  Also for those who are lazy you can also look into buy a weight gainer protein.  These are shakes you can make that will be anywhere from 500-1000 calorie per shake, they worked wonders for me as a meal replacement.

Here's a sample daily meal:
Meal 1-Breakfast (Wake up preferably early some time before 10)
  • Protein shake, oatmeal  or cereal, and a glass of milk.
Meal 2-Snack (2-3 hours later)
  • Peanut Butter Sandwich
Meal 3-Lunch (2-3 hours later)
  • Some sort of chicken, beef, or fish with rice or potatoes and a side of vegetables.
  • Or tuna sandwich
  • Glass of milk
Meal 4-Snack (2-3 hours later)
  • Peanut butter sandwich and a fruit
Meal 5-Post-Workout 
  • Whey protein shake
Meal 6-Dinner
  • Some sort of chicken, beef, or fish with rice or potatoes and a side of vegetables.
It's not the most exciting diet or tastiest for that matter but it would get the job done.  That's just an example you can mix and match or add whatever you like since the goal here is to gain muscle/weight its hard to go wrong.  If you follow this there no way you won’t gain weight and you can say bye to the skinny you forever.

Cheap, Easy, and Healthy Foods for the Busy College Student


I was talking to my cousin the other day, he's a college sophomore and he is your typical student doesn't have much time, never prepared a meal in his life, but he asked me for some advice about what I did when I was back in school that would be cheap, easy, and healthy.  I thought this was a great question and I was more than happy to offer him some suggestions.  


Breakfast Choices:

oatmeal
omelete
hard boiled eggs
milk and cereal
bagel and cream cheese
fruit and yogurt
muffin and jam

Lunch Choices:

turkey breast sandwich
-requires turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, any other toppings you like, bread

peanut butter and jelley sandwiches
-requires natural organic peanut butter
-bread
-jelly

chicken breast
You just need a pan and then just add some seasoning to the chicken and its easy to grill. Google it if u want exact cooking time.  It's good to grill a bunch then save for later (saves a lot of time, it's not as fresh tho).

chicken nuggets and bbq sauce
Just follow directions on bag most you can just microwave.  Not very healthy tho.

veggie burgers
requires veggie patties - Just take them out a few minutes before you cook should defrost them or stick them in mircowave and hit the defrost button.

bean tacos
-requires cheese
-requires refried (canned) beans
-tortillas

grilled cheese sandwiches
-needs sandwich maker
-cheese
-bread

mac and cheese

pasta

tuna fish sandwich
-tuna
-bread

Some kind of salad (can actually be pretty tasty and not too expensive, very healthy):
-salad
-some kind of meat
-eggs
-dressing


Snacks

Yogurt for snack in between meals.

Fruits like banana or apples for snack in between.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Asians in the library, Viral videos, Celebrity Sex-tapes?


Hold it what does any of that stuff got to do with personal development? Stick with me I do have a point to make that will tie it all together. Maybe after reading the rest of this post you can pick up some personal development lessons from it. The reason I started thinking about this was I watched the “Asians in the library” youtube video that an UCLA student named Alexandra Wallace posted. For those who want to watch it you can see it here. Basically it’s her going off on a racist rant hating on Asians. Being an Asian American I actually laughed when I first saw the video, I laughed because I couldn’t really believe how ignorant some people still are, as well as, how stupid some people can be to do something that they probably knew wasn’t going to end well.

We live in a world of instant information. Anything can go viral these days, Alexandra Wallace’s post blew up and had over 5 million view last I checked. Rebecca Black’s terrible music video Friday got over 2 million views in one weekend. I really don’t understand what drives celebrities to take nude photos and make sex tapes unless they really want it to get online. So here is the first point I am trying to make: be smart about what you post, be that on twitter, facebook, youtube, or whatever internet site once it’s online it is going to be there forever. Alexandra probably made the video on purpose to attract the negative attention and gain her 15 minutes of fame but she probably didn’t think how bad the reactions were going to be. Well, the result is that video had changed her life. She issued the following apology the day after:

“Clearly the original video posted by me was inappropriate. I cannot explain what possessed me to approach the subject as I did, and if I could undo it, I would. I'd like to offer my apology to the entire UCLA campus. For those who cannot find it within them to accept my apology, I understand.”

But too little, too late the damage had been done. Even though she removed the original video, it had been reposted countless times. She was a Junior political science major but has since announced she will no longer attend UCLA because of the backlash caused by the video. So no matter how innocent your intentions could be once it’s out there you can’t take back your actions.

I would say that the biggest cause of her actions is ignorance of other people and cultures. This may just be a result of her upbringing. Although the United States has come a long way, if parents don’t set an example for their children then how will they learn? Her father wrote on his Facebook page "My daughter wants to start a blog," and later posted "She's asking for domain suggestions for 'Asians on their cellphones in the library!' She's shooting videos as I write." He had known about his daughter making the video and he supported it. So how much can you really blame the girl when she was brought up that way?

Humans are insecure by nature and when there are things they don’t understand or differs from what they know as their norm they will instinctively label it as wrong. It is always easier to be ego-centric, try to fit in with the crowd, and put down anything that threatens that. It is definitely harder to try and reflect on why there are these differences and understanding why they are the way they are. There is a lot we can learn from other people and other cultures. We can't really improve as people without stepping out of our comfort zones and really exploring what may not initially feel natural to us.