Deep Thoughts from Coca Cola's CEO

It's been a month since I've started working again, and I have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly I have adjusted to working life again. Though it was unthinkable while I was in school, I have found that I actually prefer being able to reward myself guilt-free after working hard during the week. Being able to compartmentalize work and play has also enabled me to think about the finer points in life, which have been pinpointed so eloquently by Bryan Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola in the following quotes that my sister found after my mom passed along his 30-second speech to us:

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.

Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

In summary, the quotes emphasize: know yourself and what makes you happy, don't be afraid to take risks, and treasure what you have.

Too often, we seem to be stuck in a vicious cycle of benchmarking ourselves to others, when the true 'north' lies within ourselves. Therefore, be true to yourself, and it's only when you're happy with who you are, that others will want to be around you.

Signed,

Mei

Jie's Insights After Visiting Sweden and China

Starting at a young age, Mei and I traveled a lot because of our family. We continue to do so since we’ve caught the travel bug! I’ve recently decided that I need to do more analysis when visiting a new place. My dad always does a lot of thinking when he visits a new country and as a result, is a very wise person.

Visiting Sweden and China recently and seeing the troubles of the US and Europe has me thinking. My recent thought is: there are fewer barriers between countries today as compared to ten years ago. 

Companies do business across borders. People work and live in different countries. Mei and I, even with a Taiwan passport, can visit many more places without a visa than two years ago. Also, thanks to technology and people’s rights, most everyone, all over the world have access to the same information and opportunities.

Previously, the west had a competitive advantage over developing countries. They had access to more information, an educated labor force, and a democratic government. Not anymore. Now developing countries have access to the same things thanks to Google and upheavals in recent governments. Developing countries are saying - anything you can do, we can do better! 

When I was in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, everyone was really happy. However, things were 40% more expensive than in the US. Shops were closed by 6 pm and we couldn’t find a place to eat after 9 pm. There is a great work life balance but how are people earning enough to live or continue to live? The plus is that everyone is very educated and fluent in both Swedish as English. Let’s compare to my recent trip to Beijing. This capital of China never sleeps. Everyone works very hard and very efficiently too. Similarly, most everyone speaks both Chinese and English. Comparing both cities, Stockholm is more content while Beijing has more drive and motivation.

I believe that US and Europe still has a competitive advantage in innovation, creativity, and independent thinking. However, it’s hard to stay ahead when the citizens of China are 10x more motivated and work 20xs as hard…the west needs to continue to educate and work hard.

Probably because of my field, I think that natural resources is going to be a limiting factor for the economy. There is only so much coal, oil, water, and other resources to run the engine of an economy. There is not going to be enough resources to make all the products we want and also feed everyone. The west is still ahead in thinking about how best to utilize the limited natural resources and it would be amazing if we can continue to focus in that direction.

So with all that writing, the one line conclusion is that it would serve a country government well to start thinking like the CEO of Coca-Cola.

And how does this apply to our lives? Make sure we still have a job after 10 years, that's what! I’m probably going to stick with working with the environment. I still think that we haven't figured out how to balance the environment with the economy. It’s no good making lots of computers if we’re all going choke to death. We shall see - I'm probably biased and don't have the full picture. However, either way, I’ll stick with that for now.

However, I should definitely continue to build the right language skills and gain the right experiences to be competitive in an increasing global market. We're not just competing with people in the US anymore, but people from all countries. This will involve improving my Chinese and when/if there is an opportunity, work in an emerging market or two. Most importantly, make sure that I keep an eye out for the next big new idea since innovation seems to be the key to staying ahead.

That’s enough blabbering for one day.

Signed,

Jie

New York, New York (US Open, Brooklyn, Flushing)

New York for Labor Day Weekend!

For Mei, who lives in New York. Labor Day in New York was not really a vacation but rather a stacation. But for Jie it was definitely a vacation. 

People Observations

I’m always amazed at the diversity in New York. There are all types of people with different ethnicities. There are a lot more Asians and African Americans than any other US city that I’ve lived. Also, today, we saw several Sikhs with their trademark head gear. Strange and unique is the norm. I can wear practically anything, or nothing, and no one would give me a second glance! 

Brooklyn

This weekend was packed with a flurry of activity. This is always the case when hanging out with Mei. We first went to the food festival in Brooklyn on Saturday (Smorgasburg: First-Ever Drinks Day) and had the lobster roll and Vietnamese vermicelli. We also had two donuts the size of Mei’s head. I have to say, the water view was beautiful. 

Smorgasburg Festival, Brooklyn, New York

US Open

The highlight was going to the US Open on Sunday. We took the 7 purple train all the way to Flushing which took about 45 minutes. The train was packed with US Open participants. The atmosphere was electric. Mei bought us open ground tickets which meant we could watch matches everywhere except at Arthur Ashe Stadium. So we went to Louis Armstrong Stadium. Good thing we got to the US Open around 10:30 for the 11 am match. Otherwise we wouldn’t have found good seats. As always, Mei thought ahead.

On the way to the US Open, 7 train

We found seats only a few rows from the court. The first match was with Pennetta (Italy) vs Peng (China). After a valiant effort from both players, Pennetta won (4-6,  6-7). Then, Del Potro and Simon were up. Men’s tennis was definitely more exciting and much faster. Our heads kept flipping left, right, left , right. After 4+ hours, with Del Potro looking more and more tired (very like a big friendly giant), Simon won despite the overwhelming crowd support for Del Potro (6-4, 6-7, 2-6, 6-7). Del Potro was “DEL PO” for the American crowd. It must be said that throughout the match, Simon looked like he barely broke a sweat. He was very nimble like a fairy. Even though we didn’t see Nadal, we caught up with his news on his facebook. 

Pennetta vs Peng, Louis Armstrong Stadium

Del Potro, Louis Armstrong

Flushing


After the exciting matches, we headed to flushing for some yummy Chinese food. Mei took me to the basement of New World Mall where there’s a new food court with lots of Taiwanese and Chinese delights. Mei and I had Lanzhou Noodles (Za Jiang Mian 炸酱面) and a spinach pie (Jiu Cai He 韭菜合), which really hit the spot. It was a perfect ending of a perfect day.

Happy Labor Day!

Jie