Redefining achievement at 30

All my life, I’ve struggled with the concept of achievement.

Growing up in a fresh-off-the-figurative-boat, Chinese immigrant family meant that achievement was always viewed as the final destination. My parents were part of the wave of immigrants who uprooted their lives in Hong Kong to flee the handover to China in 1997. They landed in Vancouver with bursting suitcases and broken English. They sought to provide a better life for me, in ways I couldn’t imagine. But at the same time, because of the painstaking process of building a better life, they were deathly afraid of me taking a wrong step. They did everything in their power to steer me into their idea of “right”.

My childhood home in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
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Gratitude: my career story so far (Part I)

In the wake of my 7th anniversary with PepsiCo, the present I’m giving myself is gratitude. Gratitude for the people who have shaped my path. For the trials and tribulations that inadvertently guided me to where I am today. And for what’s to come.


Last week, as I was sipping my coffee having just gotten settled at the office, I felt a rush of gratitude overwhelm me. I suddenly became hyper-aware of the people, the environment, and the energy around me. The steadfast clickity-clack of a keyboard from a fellow cubemate. The casual chitchat a few rows down laced with comforting laughter. The linear tempo of Fred’s footsteps trotting down the hallway. Even the haptic familiarity of my beloved office chair.

I realized that this office has been my home for the past 7 years.

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