Understanding cultural differences in a workplace

This post is taken from a summary of an article found here.

One of the first things that stuck out to me in the differences between Korea and the USA is that in Korea you only have friends your own age. In the USA you may only have a few friends if any that are the same age as you. I know for myself personally I have very few friends that are my age. Most of my friends are either older than I am or younger than I am. The next point that stuck out to me majorly are the lack of what we consider politeness in the USA. In Korea you rarely would say thank you for things you have asked for or small gifts. Here in the USA someone who chooses not to say thank you for gifts or things that have been done for you would be considered very rude. Even at young ages when our children start talking we install in them saying please, thank you, and your welcome. There is a huge difference in the way we talk and communicate with each other between the two places. The third thing that stuck out to me was the differences in someone in charge. It is normal for someone who is younger than us to be in a higher position then we hold here in the USA. In Korea you would never see a younger person in a higher position than an older employee. This would create major problems in Korea for communication. It is normal there for a higher position to talk down to someone in a lower position or the same goes to an older person talking down to younger person. Also there people are addressed by their job titles. Here even our managers are referred to as Mrs., Mr., or Ms. Followed by their last names. Sometimes we even refer to these people by their first names, where as in Korea you would never see that done. Knowing how a culture that you may be working in works may help you succeed at your job. I would not want to go work in a culture and not understand how that particular culture works. If you did this you may be considered very rude or may even loose a job because of it. Where I live we do not have many cultures that I would find that I would need to do cultural research. If I was to move somewhere else where there is a more diverse cultural difference then yes I may need to do some cultural research.

Inspiration.

Today in class we were asked where our inspiration came from for our chosen professions. I thought maybe it was time I touched on this subject. First and foremost I found the inspiration of my own struggles and journey to be one of my biggest inspirations. I found that through my own journey I want to help other people with there journey and the daily struggles to lose weight and be healthy. I have also drawn inspiration from my family. My husband and children are a big inspiration. I want to show my kids that no matter your age you should always follow your dreams. Because let me tell you I was the last person who thought in my thirties I would be going back to school. My mother was another great inspiration as no matter what it was I wanted to do she has always been here to support me. And for that I could never repay her.  I also found inspiration in a local personal trainer that I have had the honor of meeting and even talked to some people who she has trained I find heather to be a great person as well as a great trainer.  I have also found some inspiration and motivation from my dad. He may no longer be with us but I want to make him proud of what I'm doing. I know by giving myself 100% to school and graduating I know would make him proud. 

Motivation

This week in one of the classes that I am in we are talking about motivation. I know for me personally on my weight loss journey at times I severely lack the motivation that I need. So I wanted to share some ideas that may help everyone. The first idea I want to share with you all is making motivational posters. One way to do this is doing a visualization poster with pictures of where your long-term goals will take you. This poster for me I am hanging in my kitchen on the refridgerator. I am putting it there simply because I find when  I am unmotivated to workout I also tend to not watch what I am eating. The second poster that may help is a motivational poster with the goals you have accomplishment no matter how small they are and pictures of yourself as your body changes. I can look in the mirror and not see the changes because I see my self in the mirror a couple times a day, but when I see the pictures I see how far I have come from start to now. These posters will be different for everyone since everyone has different goals of where they want to be. Another idea is to change your workout after so long. If you are like me, I get bored easily when working out with the same routine every day. I try to change mine up throughout the week so that I can stay motivated and have something to look forward too. I also do not like working out inside so as much as I can I do my workouts outside and I am learning to utilize what I have in front of me. I want to bring this to some clients when I start training to show that even when the gym isn't available we can have a good workout and achieve the goals we have set. If you have trouble motivating yourself get some help from family or friends, or join a group that will help keep you on track.

It's been awhile since I posted so here is an update.

Well it's been awhile since I posted life has been hectic. The girls have started softball and it has kept me rather busy with all the other activities we do daily lol. I made it through Nutrition with a 92%. <<<patting self on back>>> I can't say the same for the class I am in now. My class this time is Anatomy and Physiology and I am really struggling with getting everything in and understanding it all. I know the 4 week classes keep me busy and keeps me very reliable for my work, but this class is rather hard trying to get it all in. On a better note it just puts me a step closer to my ultimate goal. I hope to find you all in good health and enjoying your life. I will try to update more often.

Looking back

To start out with I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter. Today ends my first class and I want to look back at my life and how one class has enlightened me so much. When I enrolled in school I was still very reluctant about it and wasn't sure I could do this. My wonderful husband was here to support no matter how I did, which has helped me out so much. Through this first class I have learned so much and came away from this class with the knowledge of how to change myself for the better as well as how to help others. Who really would of thought that Motivational Psychology could change the way I think and feel? I really wouldn't of thought that. I am more motivated than I have ever been and I know that I have found exactly what I was meant to do. I know now that I can do this and have no doubts in my mind about that. I know without the support of my husband, my kids, my mother, my family, and a few very close friends that this wouldn't have been possible. I'm excited for the months to come and what lies ahead.

quotes

A few Positive quotes for you today!

Motivation

This is my final week of Motivational Psychology and I have learned so much about myself throughout this class. After writing a paper, doing my forum entries, and my journal entries this week I thought I would share how much this has changed my thinking, beliefs, and my motivation. PCI and this class has showed me alot about myself and my feelings, it has showed me that I am worth what ever I set my mind to. It has showed me that I am worth greatness in my life and all it took was to change my thinking. I used to not think that I could this and often wondered even after I started my classes if I could really be a personal trainer. Well with some positive self-talk, setting some goals, and changing how I think I know I will do this and I will be that personal trainer. If it wasn't for the book Thought Patterns for a Successful Career I am not sure I would make it through school. Now I know I can and will get through school and have a successful career.
So to share a few of my goals with you all so if I start to slack you get me back on board. My long term goal was to have a successful career as a PT. I knew to reach this goal there had to be some smaller goals. The first goal is to weekly get all my work done and make sure I understand the material we have gone over. The next was to pass each class with the best grades I could possibly do and to know that no matter the grade I receive to know I did my best. The next goal is to do my internship and learn as much as I possibly can hands on. One of my biggest goals is to graduate and have my associates degree. I know with a positive self-image and the support of my husband, my family, friends, and all the help PCI gives me all of this is in my future and I can achieve it.

To Learn more about me and my journey you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.