the next phase

If you know me, then you've probably already heard me say or announce that the little lady and I are relocating to Nanjing, China at the end of the month. I'll be working for my company's Chinese subsidiary, leading supply chain efforts for a new store format that we'll be launching soon. It's scary and exciting, and best of all, it finally gives me something to look forward to. It's the culmination of more than 15 years of efforts, starting with my first Mandarin class in 1995, and continuing on through the end of my bachelor's degree in the language, my MBA, countless difficult hours in the office and on the road, and working full-time through half my bachelor's and all of my master's degrees. All that work is paying off--working in China has been my #1 professional goal for over a decade.

For the last year or so, I've been unhappy with the state of my job and a lot of other things. I've never felt more hopeless or out of control from a career perspective. Strange that those feelings should come after a decade of successes, rapid promotions and the like. Still, in many ways, that hopelessness was exactly what I needed, because it forced me to focus more on my personal life and make some much-needed changes. I believe those changes actually became the runway to this China opportunity.

So, what did I change in 2011?

1. I started by getting in better shape. I got myself a trainer, started counting my calories, and lost 40lbs. I'd like to lose a lot more weight, but I'm struggling. That said, I'm really pleased with what I learned and the progress I made.

2. In the middle of the year, I started saving more money than I ever had before. Trips were canceled, purchases were put on hold, and purse strings were tightened. I don't feel like we had any less fun, to be honest. We lived more prudently and built up a larger savings than we've ever had before. That helped us to be able to take a risk like moving out of the country.

3. In November, I started selling off my life, as I like to call it. Private party sales, eBay auctions, Goodwill donations and giveaways to friends and family became my new norm. Being possession-neutral also became the new norm. In other words, if something new was acquired, something old had to go. Decreasing my attachment to material possessions, decluttering and earning a bit of money in the process also became runways to moving away. We're not going to take very much stuff to China, and I'm looking forward to the renewed focus a more spartan life will allow us to have on our relationship and our passions, whatever they may be--exercise and photography for me, sewing and playing keyboard for the little lady.

I've always been a big believer in the idea that if you try hard enough, you can accomplish anything you want--big or small. All of these efforts, both recent and long-term, have proved that to me once again. Not everything happens when you want, or exactly in the way you thought it would or wanted it to, but it WILL happen. I'm glad this is happening. I'm looking forward to the change. I'm looking forward to strange and wonderful adventures in a new place. Well, not so new. I studied in Nanjing 12 years ago, but as is always the case in China, things will surely have changed.

Since I intend to spend a lot more time on my photography, stay tuned for lots of photos in the weeks and months to come.