Leading a Pretty Interesting Life
Typing this up on my lap in a cramped HK Express flight from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai. Spent a few days in China, paranoid to get searched when entering the border – nervous about what I said on my social media accounts, hearing varying perspectives on the Hong Kong situation – from Beijing side to USA side.
Met my amazing friends doing big things in business, Amazon FBA, brand building, setting up relocation packages to Eastern Europe.
Visited a logistics company that wants to do collaboration at our fourth annual Cross border Summit – wants to add more heavy hitting influences in Chinese ecommerce as well as add more resources to the after-party.
Finishing up the logistics business meeting, took photos with the founder at their office’s main gate and then too the company car to their logistics center. Doing a video blog of their operations and learning how their drop ship and relabeling operations works to open up these options for foreigners to do higher quality drop ship solutions.
Ate some kind of sugary peanuts that gave me a massive headache and made it hard for me to sleep last night – but couldn’t find anything else to eat between meetings.
Heading to Hong Kong airport – bypassing the outdoor security check as the guard assumed I was a media reporter with my v-log camera and other electronics gear on me – what a compliment. Guess I am media though!
Going through security check, they flag my bag. Ask if I have a big bottle of liquid…hmm, no!? Search the bag – and it is 2 boxes of 200 m kid medicine for Maggie – Wendy bought a bunch of stuff on Taobao for me to carry back to Chiang Mai. Didn’t realize it was a big bottle of liquid….security discussed, I explained my Chinese wife bought a bunch of stuff on Taobao for me to carry back for the kids…and they make an exception – I can take it into the airport / onto the airplane. Wow, so lucky! Normally they make you throw it into the trash…but they had mercy on me (thinking of the scolding I would get from my wife upon arrival). Later chatting to her in Wechat – she thought I would check my luggage – more miscommunication….
But this got me thinking, taking a step back in time.
Recently thinking of the layoffs at my old job at Deutsche Bank on Wall Street – wondering what my life would have been like if I had stuck to the corporate world. Sure 10+ years later is a long time, but if I stayed on a career track where I wasn’t happy and wasn’t challenged – I’d probably be on the list of layoffs.
We need to do things that challenge us. We need to find our passion.
While I am scared sleeping at night, for privacy, for freedom, for financial stress – at least I know I am actively trying to lead an interesting life, and a life that I am passionate about living.
Wonder if you can say the same?
Life is short, I’m doing more than trying to just get by.