Abandon Nest

The last 5 months have been quite the interesting ride for me. There’s been highs and there’s been lows, but most of all this time has been a learning experience. Today, I’d like to share some of those things with you.

1. Business is global - Nearly every single day of my co-op so far I have worked on a project or talked to someone from another country. Sometimes it was India, others China, and occasionally Mexico. You need to learn to communicate cross borders to succeed in any large corporation these days.
2. People need reminding - If you are trying to do something and are relying on someone else for even a part of your task, you need to remind them. My manager taught me that every communication involves at least three “touches.” You touch a person when you first ask them to complete a task. You touch them when you remind them of what they’re supposed to be doing and when they’re supposed to be done. The last touch comes upon delivery of results or information. Oftentimes there will be more than
   three touches, but rarely less. Don’t forget your follow up lines of communication or you will quickly fall behind.

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Part of living on your own is having to make big purchases every once in a while. As such, there will come a day where you have to buy a major home appliance for your house or apartment. Now, don’t panic. Appliances are generally designed and manufactured well. It’s likely that you’ll pick a durable unit no matter what. However, there are 3 things that you absolutely should pay attention to if you want to get the most bang for your buck.

• Brand - As a long term measure of quality, you can’t go wrong with looking at an appliances brand. Companies that have been making appliances well for years and years definitely have an advantage over those that are new to market. Think of it this way. If someone walked up to you and said that Ferrari and Hyundai are both making new cars completely from scratch, then asked you to pick one, what would you say? I’m betting you’d take the Ferrari. Picking an appliance is very much the same. LG is like the Scion, cheap and flashy, whereas GE units are like Mercedes, overengineered and more expensive than average.

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Whenever I go the gym, I pay special attention to make sure I am following the simple rules of gym etiquette. You may not realize it, but these rules do exist just as they would in any other group situation. There are, however, a few things that you absolutely should do in the gym to make sure you fit in. The three essential rules of gym etiquette are:

• Don’t Stare - I cannot count the number of times I see people stare at others in the gym. Honestly, it amazes me as it is such a faux pas in modern society. There are a variety of reasons people stare. Whether you’re gawking because they bodybuilder is so muscle bound, the woman is so attractive in spandex, the middle age guy needs to lose his beer belly, or something completely different, just know that you shouldn’t do it. It’s rude and inconsiderate and if you get caught people will think you’re creepy.

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