It s a shame I've been sitting on this book for about two years now. A friend of mine gave me Never Eat Alone , by Keith Ferrazzi a couple years ago (thanks Rey), and it s been on my bookcase ever since. It was resting there not because I didn't want to read it, but because I already had so many others in the pipeline. I finally got around to reading it last month and I definitely recommend it. In very simple terms, Ferrazzi explains why networking is important and how to do it. From how to make call lists to planning dinners to personal branding to goal setting, it s all here. He also maintains a valuable blog .
Inevitably there will be times when you have setbacks or things don t go your way. Maybe you didn't get a job you thought you were sure to get. Maybe you lost a job unexpectedly, didn't win a contract, or lost a major client. Your car always seems to break down right after you've had some other unexpected expense. These kinds of situations immediately place us in crisis. They don t feel good, but sometimes they re what we need in order to grow. The beautiful thing about crises is that they force us to take a step back and reevaluate what s going on in our lives and rediscover what we truly want and need. When we get over that initial shock and feeling of disappointment, we might realize that maybe that job wasn't really the best for us anyway. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't what you really wanted to spend your life doing. Maybe that friend was holding you back instead of pushing you forward. The way I deal with crises of these sorts is simple: If something doesn't go my way professionally, I try to create a situation that would be more rewarding than the situation originally planned. A while ago, I was offered a job that looked very promising. After I accepted the offer, they pushed the start date back three times, later informing me (via e-mail) that they wanted to bring me on in the near future but I should feel free to explore other options. I was extremely disappointed. I felt disrespected and angry, but decided to make the best of the situation and follow my dream of working internationally. I then flew to Santiago, Chile and had great professional and personal experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. Later, reflecting back on the original opportunity, I realized that working for a company that avoids a start date three times and then can t pick up the phone to explain the situation is probably not where I need to spend my time. Use setbacks as an opportunity to put your goals in order and act on them. In the moment, it s difficult to look at a setback as temporary, but they are. They happen to everybody. It s how you respond to them that will determine how they affect you.
So far, I’m feeling very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take part in this trip. Reflecting over just past few days I can’t believe how wonderfully things had to align in order for us to be here right now. The history that took place, the people working together now, the political climates, etc. all have blended to come together to bring us here. In just two days we have done numerous things that many people would never even dream of—and that’s very humbling. Two days ago, we visited a place that was denied to even the people who resided in the country. Yesterday we ascended one of the seven wonders of the world—The Great Wall of China. I’ve heard many things about the Great Wall of China, but until I was able to experience it for myself, I could never fully appreciate it. The largest man-made defense structure ever built, I can only image the amount of time, energy, money, pain, love, suffering, and passion that went into the design and construction of it. It is truly remarkable. Not only the structure itself, but the process through which it came into existence.
Before the we went to the Great Wall, we visited an independent research institution in China called the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) where Mr. Hu Ziqiang, Mr. Yu Jiantuo, Ms. Liu Bei, Mr. Du Zhixin, and Mr. Feng Wenmeng presented us with fascinating insights into Chinese culture, concerns, and their approaches to measuring and addressing issues in regards to income distribution, early childhood development, social integration of migrant children, and population development. The tourism has been tremendously gratifying, and the opportunity to gain first-hand insights from the people working on the issues we so often hear about has taken this trip to another level—one that won’t be easily forgettable. I apologize for the brevity of these blog posts. There’s a lot of stuff to do and very little time in which to do it, but I want to keep you as posted as I can about our journey. If you have any questions, requests, or comments, please feel free to leave the below. Let me know what you’d like to see a picture of, provide your recommendations of places to see or things to do. What insights can I help bring back for you?
Until next time…peace
Day two was an interesting one. A little more alert today, we were better prepared to take in some of the things Beijing has to offer. We started our morning with a 7:00 breakfast at the hotel. The spread included everything from Western style omelets to bean dumplings. It was a great way to start the morning. From there, we headed towards the U.S. Embassy where we had a private meeting with “Lee” to discuss Chinese-American political and business relationships. Key takeaways included the need to be culturally sensitive, knowledgeable of laws and regulations in both countries, and the differences between business practices. For example, the Chinese tend to be much more about relationships than their North American counterparts. Where we often do business over the phone and email, Chinese business people prefer to meet in person and court relationships over a much longer period of time. However, once that bond is formed, it is much more difficult to break.
Once our time at the embassy came to a close, we were shuttled over to an authentic Chinese food restaurant for lunch (the name escapes me for the moment), which prepared another very nice platter for us. Although the names of the dishes were largely the same, the taste was vastly different. I think the most of us appreciated the authentic flavors and spices. From there, with packed bellies, we traveled to “The Forbidden City,” and toured a city that received its name because, for several years, was only accessible to royalty. I’m definitely adding The Last Emperor to the list of movies I need to see. According to our tour guide, that is the only movie to ever be filmed in the actual city.
At the entrance of the "Forbidden City"