Experience with Self and Others

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The experiment conducted with my family also influenced me in many different aspects. Some of my key insights include:

- Understand more about one another and can contribute more things with higher value

- Exercise the body and the brain to get more things done and have a more effective use of time

- Take a huge chunk of stress away from parents and increased family time

My first takeaway from this experiment would be that as I share more of my life with my family members, they were able to provide help for me that are of high value. Some things that I thought was very difficult or couldn’t understand, they would think it’s a simple task, and give me valuable suggestions. For example, for one of my math classes, the tests and assignments were very difficult to me, and I am constantly stressed because of that course. However, little did I know that my father used to teach math back in China, and after he gave me a few pointers, the concepts made much more sense to me, and I no longer feel over stressed. This benefit goes both ways. As we communicate more, I start to learn things about them too that I never knew before. For example, my mother had always paid a high premium fee in order to call relatives back in China. After discussing this, I introduced her to technology such as FaceTime and skype, where she will be able to connect with the family for free. Also, my mom used to always wonder why my desk is so messy and she would clean up my papers on the table, and put them into a specific box. However, I didn’t know this before, and I always thought that I lost those papers and had to go back to school and print them again. Little did she know that I only laid out the papers all over my table to categorize so I can find what I need easier. After communication, this was cleared up, and definitely made both of our lives easier.

The house chores that I initially though would be a burden to me and simply a waste of time has also brought me many benefits. This actually helped me get my mind moving, and some of my most creative ideas actually came out of the time while doing dishes. Also, doing chores around the house actually made me get more things done during the day. I usually would be lazy and lay on my bed or sofa before really getting to work. However, with my new responsibilities, I have to get up and start early in the day or else my mom would already have finished the chores. After I finish the chores, I would already be in an active mode, and so the transition to studying is smoother.

Furthermore, I have noticed that I can finish chores approximately three times faster than my mom usually takes. This may be due to her age, and that she gets stressed out fairly easily. Spending 10 minutes washing dishes made a great difference to my mom, and took a lot of stress out of her. This resulted in not only better family communication but also strengthened our relationship with one another. Less fights and arguments would go around the house, and more laughter. Helping out with chores also give us more time as a family to go out and talk with one another which ultimately improves our family relationship. Overall, by doing chores, it made me understand more about how tired she is and what efforts she is putting in to the house for our family wellbeing this made me appreciate her more. Also, I feel good about what I do, and I feel like I’m contributing more to the family.

I am glad that I choose to conduct the experiment for this portion of my assignment with my family. Family is top priority for me, and the fact that I learned so much about them is priceless. Also, the experiment has pulled me closer to my family, and developed a better and more strengthened relationship. Chores, and communication with family is something I have been lacking since grade school, and I would never attempt at this if it wasn’t for this assignment. Also, my parents would never let me attempt at chores if it wasn’t for school purposes, but this also made her think about this issue from another perspective. I have also learned that miscommunication can lead to a real downward drag to efficiency. Interacting with the rest of the family, and sharing parts of each other’s daily lives can help both parties understand each other better and provide help in ways that are most valuable and meaningful.

In conclusion, the experiments conducted for the purpose of this assignment really added value to my life, and made me think about things form a different perspective. There are more important things in life than just earning money and constantly work hard. Yes, these things are important, but there are strategies that will help facilitate this process. Also, along with succeeding academically and with my career, family should still be the central of my attention. A healthy family relationship ultimately leads to better work ethics, work environment and we act like a team to help and support each other and therefore get all of our work done faster and better.