Yesterday, I had lunch with with my Dad. One-on-one time with him these days is getting to be a rare commodity. Why does it always take so long for irresponsible daughters to appreciate their well-meaning Dad’s? I can’t even begin to think about how my life would be so much better if I had actively listened to his advice all those times.

It’s as if he feels there’s an expiration date on all of his fatherly talks and needs to get the good stuff to me now. So today, he was all about teaching. I recounted some of the more painful of my recent application and interview processes. What he had to say was both mildly eye-opening and thoroughly embarrassing on my part. Those of you who know me may have seen me occasionally (?) talk too much. This can be a bad thing when you’re in a position of learning, such as during an internship. I think the overtalkage basically stems from an inherent need to always get things right. And when someone tries to tell me something I know is wrong - MAN is it hard to sit and listen to. Clearly, a beginner’s mistake that too many over-eager graduates make. My Dad gently (but menacingly) pointed this out to me. He reminded me that anyone who takes the time to give me advice and teach me a few things definitely has the right intentions. Even if the advice seems wrong at first, I should supress my initial reaction to “reason it out” and maybe chew on it for a bit because it may prove useful after some thought. Otherwise, that well-meaning person may never again want to try to help me, and I’d be shutting the door on a valuable resource. Something to consider for both my career and my personal life. The part that really made me cringe was when he said I needed to stop trying to show that I’m smart, and have faith that if I was truly there to learn first, listen, and work hard (like any proper entry-level joe), that it would prove itself in due time.

I’d equate the takeaway of the day as a less eloquent and more aggressive, Chinese version of:

You have two ears and one mouth. Use accordingly.

It’s a lesson that might have taken other people in my position, a little less time to learn. But I’m grateful I finally got it. Consider this one in the bank, Dad.