I don't want what you want, and that’s okay

In a series of catch up conversations with close girlfriends, I heard a wide array of responses when I asked what their ideal life would look like.

• I want to have my third kid and then live in a big house in the midwest because living expenses are cheaper and homes are bigger

• I want to leave Asia and live abroad in the valleys of Europe where life is slower, kinder, and enriching. also, find a nice European mans

• I want to want to work remotely for a big tech company and travel with my husband, but we won’t have kids

When I ask that myself, I say that I want to be lowkey rich as f*ck, travel whenever I want (even day of), and bring my friends and family on the experiences I want to do. Have a dog with my hubby and live in a place that I’ve made a home and that I own, with the extra guestroom to host sleepovers.

I want to do cool shit (and built it too), but not at the expense of missing important family milestones, birthdays, or stressing so hard that I have panic attacks in the mornings. Have you seen all the white hairs on my head?!

It made me think if the actions we are doing now are relevant or contributing to the future that we want, and if we need a life audit.

I get it, life is tough. There’s always a million things piling up, but if we’re veering off the wrong direction, how do you expect to land in the right place?

How terrible it would be to realize all your hard work was done for the approval of your parents, or to one up your high school friends who you don’t even care about.

A couple clarifying questions to ask yourself:

• Work backwards. If you already know the life you want, how will you get there? What does it take to achieve it via monetary funds, how much time do I need to get there, and how can I break this up into easy actionable steps?

• What is my threshold for security and risk? Who do I need to consider while working towards this life that I want?

• Am I spending time with the right people who will help me get there and/or make me a happier and better person?

• What’s my own version of success and fulfillment? Know that you can do anything, but not everything. We’re time limited.

I recognize that this season of my life has changed. My 20s were all about exploration and experimentation, even living abroad in Asia to see if that was a life I wanted. Wandering has brought me closer to understanding what life I want, because now I’ve seen many kinds of lives out there.

Emily

💡 Work Resources and Opportunities

Beehiiv - we use their newsletter platform! They’re hiring a CS specialist, engineers, and a VP of finance

Rippling - an all-in-one HR software company that is hiring 421 new jobs across the globe; they’re well funded and expanding quickly

Web3 Remote Jobs - is it time to give Web3 another chance? Check out this job board of remote roles

Venture Capital Jobs - your go to place for all things around startups and venture capital

BiggerPockets - join one of the most well known personal finance resource platforms for real estate investing. They’re hiring for a remote Publish Marketing Manager, Sales Reps, and Customer Success Specialist

Event photographer for Taipei - AWW is looking for an event photographer for March 28-31, 2024 for a couple hours each day. Please email us with your portfolio and examples

🎆 Our Favorite Reads Right Now

[For the Entrepreneur] Your Next 5 Moves by Patrick Bet-David - a wonderful book on business strategy and understanding these 5 things. One of its important highlights is studying the most important product: yourself.

• master knowing yourself

• master the ability to reason

• master building the right team

• master strategy to scale

• master making power plays

[For the “Single and Looking” Ladies] How to Not Die Alone by Logan Ury - written and researched by the Director of Relationship Science at Hinge, this book details how to date better in order to find our lasting love. In this book, you’ll learn what matters in a long term partner, how to overcome the perils of online dating, and why the “spark” is a myth though you can find love anyways

🌎 Calling all artists, makers, and creators for our Makers’ Fair on March 29th!

• Women entrepreneurs/small business owners who have products to show (e.g Stationery, artisanal products, handmade products, etc)

• Entrepreneurs/companies with travel-related products or products for women and with services that are women specific

• Sign up here!

Asian Wander Women Travel Summit 2024
📍Taipei, Taiwan | March 28-31st, 2024 TPE

💡 For a limited time, you can now use the discount code FRIENDSOFAWW15 for 15% off. Grab your tickets here

👜 Our Featured Travel Summit Partner

Our event partner Lo & Sons is an AAPI family owned maker of thoughtfully designed and sustainably made premium travel essentials. In 2010, a 65 year old retired mother with a PhD, joined forces with her 2 sons to start one of the first direct-to-consumer e-commerce bag brands. 

They’ve graciously donated items to our travel summit! A couple lucky AWWs will be gifted their gorgeous bags during our raffle at the community mixer.

Shop their New Year, New Bag Sale (up to 60% off!)