G20, Alibaba new recruits, startup buzz, and some awesome Chinese storytelling. It’s time for Lauri to start a new Autumn of 2016 in China.

I’ll share here, what happened during this year 2016, brace your seatbelts.

I’ve probably never been as excited as I am now about living in China. After 3+ years in China, the best part is just about to come. And you’re welcome to join it.

Here’s it all, uncovered. I’ll share the big question: WHY? What is the thing that mostly drive all my actions and decisions? What kind of person is Lauri? I hope after reading this article you’ll understand.

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I posted a lot during the first third of the year, but the second third stayed mainly untouched. Life brought so much changes and new stuff. When the final third of the year is starting, the Autumn of the Year kicks off, I’d like to share to my friends and other potential followers, where we are now.

After the extravaganza of 2015, the new year 2016 started with an idea of building balance to life. The year of balance, it was about to be, I felt strongly.

I wrote a road map for myself for this and even for the next 5 years.

I found 6 areas, which I need to focus on – if I do it I’ll be happy and in balance. It’s about classic self-help, but written by yourself, instead of some of the present works.

After over half a year now, I feel even stronger about what I thought at the turn of the year. The key to good life is balance. And I started the year with a determination to build it.

What were the 6 areas?

Shortly (in random order):

• Family
• Work
• Economy
• Health
• Hobbies
• Spirituality

Last years I had not paid enough attention for these – or too much in 1 or 2, forgetting every other part.

It’s kind of like playing Clash of Clans or any other civilizational strategy game – you need to excel in all areas. If you don’t produce or focus on wood production, you can’t build houses for waring or your troops. If you don’t have enough gold, you can’t make factories or increase wood production, nor maintain troops. If no troops, you are vulnerable to attacks. If no art or education, you can’t increase the motivation and power of people. And so on.

 

Personal life is the same. If you don’t have resources, you can’t do anything. Even if you have resources, but you don’t channel that in to right directions, you don’t gain anything.

For me it’s very simple:

Spirituality and family are at the core of your life. Work is the essential part that connects you to the society and let’s you do ambitious things. It also opens mostly access to capital, which you need to in order to sustain the continuity in different areas. However everything may collapse at one glance, if you’re health weakens. You also need to have own life, such as I need to do sports and play music once in awhile. All those form the basis for you to be happy. You get those 6 areas well, and you’re happy. I promise. At least it works well for me.

How did I manage this year?

I realised that for 2016, the main focuses are on two sides: work and economy. Family also, but it can be built for the following years. Spirituality is super crucial, but it’s pretty well there. Hobbies I don’t need to fight out, I just need to find some spare time for those. Health is no problem as long as I have good living environment and eat healthy. All those I’ve worked on, but clearly most important focus and push is needed to be on economy and work. Why? I’m at my 30s already and also I’m making the to the post-university life and the desert of the real.

For this in mind, I realised that I have to move on to build and stabilise my career. Also I need to balance my personal life to support the shift. And I need to work on stuff that can economically support this change.

It was evident that I couldn’t continue in Slush, regardless of how much I had been loving what I did. At the same time the China project wasn’t ready yet to move fully independently forward and may have needed me. We even made some plans to have me supporting the new team somewhat strongly in the start of the year, and then eventually shift the responsibility and role more and more to the new team. I would contribute half for Slush and half for project Team Finland, which supports Finnish and Nordic companies to enter China and other countries. There was even an innovation centre waiting with that post in our Slush HQ. Sounded cool.

However we realised that the reality is often much more complex than the plans. Things didn’t got-off as was planned and a lot of challenges came up, which tore us badly apart. But for somehow I think we managed to get over those stuff and build our lives again. All in new directions. Slush was supported forward and they survived the challenging transition process and things got eventually into very positive direction. Half a year after it’s totally new game and something new and cool is being built up. I support of course the team and the broader movement and feel very happy about that all stuff is going forward.

During the learning process of early Spring I realised even more clearly, that it’s the balance that I truly need to build. How should I do it? Could it be that I’d not work for a governmental, or semi-governmental agency, but work fully in business and let my creativity and entrepreneurial spirit fly? Could I simultaneously be local and global? Help my roots, but still stay globally big in China?

 

 

 

That’s how I saw it, wow. Entrepreneurial company, which is global, has startup mindset, but simultaneously can provide a good material benefit, support of a sustainable organisation and bring new challenges, even show a view for a long career in the company. A combination of best Finnish and Chinese elements – exactly what I’d be looking for. A project that would exactly support also my big overviewing goal, balance in life and enable me to focus on all 6 key areas.

This kind of a project seemed to be being built to China by a Finnish progressive and sustainable IT company called Avain Technologies. I had never known of the company, but the discussion with their CEO made me convinced that there is something really special in it and something big – and sustainable – could be built up inside their framework. Family? Not a problem. Work? Interesting, knowing and learning a lot, more startup mindset direction, good knowledge of tech and so on. Economy? No problem, very competitive salary. Health? Company builds on sustainable growth and says to have people well-being at its core. Hobbies? Do whatever you want outside of the work. Spirituality? Everyone’s own issue.

Love it, sounds great. I could also learn more on managing complex tasks, about the world of coding and scaling up an almost 70 people company. Nice! Let’s do it!

But everything didn’t work out as well as was planned. The company faced some of the very classic challenges of a foreign company willing to enter China – and trumbled in those. I felt I got a great support from the Finland mother company, these folks were amazing, really felt bondage with them and started to respect them very much and learn from them. But China was a challenge. I wanted to help and even “save” the mission, but I guess went too quick, too far. Suggested changes and wanted independence and mandate to act. Got it from Finland, but not locally in China. The old force didn’t accept a new “Finnish prince”, first local person to settle permanently in China. I couldn’t build the trust fully, even though I think we went so much forward and to a very good direction. I settled well back to China, got my housing, bank cards, mobile identity, started to know the people and so on. I also introduced and linked a wide range of people with our company – and I think brought also a good spirit of caring one another and pressing hard for our goals. However I faced opposition from local head – I did not come from Healthcare industry, I didn’t have strong coding or technical background –  I also wanted to change too many things and take too much responsibility. Very valid points.

I’m though slightly worried how the company will sustain in China for now? How will they balance the operations between China and Finland? How will they get their sales forward? Wish all the best for the company, for the many great new colleagues in China and especially to the local supporters in Finland. I think you did an awesome stuff. Sometimes things just don’t work the way how we’d like it to go.

Big thanks for the company for educating a big range of stuff on business models, on many related health and finance sector insides, managing tools, sales funnels, influence maps and so on. I think I truly learnt a great deal.

However when I realised and when it came obvious that I had mistaken and I think partly also failed, I started to truly examine, what and why am I doing these things. Why am I here, why in China, why in the world of business? What am I strong at, where weak, what do I love?

I reshuffled everything and took a holiday of 2 weeks.

Remembering Steve Jobs talk to the Stanford grads (link), Jobs urges young people two ways:

1) Do what you love. 2) Connect your dots.

Then I asked myself:

1 ) What do I love to do?

2 ) What are my dots and how can I connect those?

I made a test on my strengths:

I’m 5 things:

1 Strategic

2 Positive

3 Developer

4 Activator

5 Woo (Networker)

1 Strategic

• Create alternative ways to proceed.
• Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

2 Positive

• Have enthusiasm that is contagious.
• Upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

3 Developer

• Recognize and cultivate the potential in others.
• spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

4 Activator

• Can make things happen by turning thoughts into action.
• They are often impatient.

5 Woo (Networker)

• Love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over.
• Derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

What a brilliant test. That helped a lot. Or strengthened something you thought you might already know? Also giving new thoughts.

[If you’re looking for a catcher, look somewhere else. If you’re looking for a hunter, I’m your guy.

1 ) Networking and developer skills.

2 ) Language skills and knowledge on China.

3 ) Innovative, creative, cultural sensitivity.]

I realised that I love it in here in China. I also realised that I love to bring people together, want to build sustainable small and big scale things. Family and friends and world-changing phenomena.

How do you get there?

Had I been working in my comfort zone, with my strengths and connected the dots from my past?

I have always been very strongly these 3 elements:

1 Humane, Artistic, creative

• always interested about human being and life

2 Scientific

• always wanted to know the reasons and patterns for why something is what it is

3 Entrepreneurial and competitive (also sports)

• always trying, doing things and willing to win myself (and for my team)

I also noted that the past years I had been doing a lot of different things. In your 20s you should be going, exploring, experiencing as much as you feel interested. I had a privilege to use that opportunity, no war, no hunger, no disasters (except perhaps a civilizational) in our country, and plenty of liberty and opportunities, which took me to sole rail trips across Europe, working in Ireland, conscripting in military in Swedish Finland, moving to a new city to study, working with the European Union, France for the Chad and Darfur refugees in Africa, acting and directing in the theatre and cinema, researching an MA, traveling across Asia-Pacific, doing journalism and professional football commentary, advising people on insurances and so on.

Then comes the time that you should try to make something out of it, package it clearer, focus more – and independently build your life forward. Take responsibility and build the balance on your own. That’s also what the famous Chinese philosopher, Confucius called: “Sanshi Er Li” 三十而立. Thirty and standing firm.

Here I am. 三十而立 in the making.

It’s not that easy. But I’m working hard. And I’m trying to keep my mind open and listen also the intuition. Life is not a long journey. You need balance and safety, but also you need fire. Too much fire burns your frame. Not at all makes the room cold and dark.

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That’s about it. The rewind of the past 2 thirds of the year.

Now it’s time to attack to the last.

So what’s come out of it ?

How to connect the dots?

5 dots, what are yours? If I can connect 2 or 3 that would be awesome!

1 China

2 Performer, actor

3 TV-journalist

4 Researcher

5 Entrepreneur (Startup Buzz)

How to connect?

I think I may have find a way to connect them all.

China, performer, TV, research, entrepreneur.

“Running and producing a TV Documentary on China.”

Called

”中国梦之寻“ Discovering the China Dream

It’s like running a business. It’s very entrepreneurial. It’s leadership and management experience. It’s about networking, cultural bridging, artistic performing, researching. And it’s very much about China.

All the corners come together. I think this is one of the biggest ideas and realisations I’ve had lately.

Afterwards I found a few great local partners that were very excited about this idea and offered an initial support for the project.

I thought, I’d need to study filmmaking for 4 years in an academy. But then realised soon, that actually I might not need to. Internet is full of good and relevant basic information and relatively affordable programs on film making. I searched through for a day and found a few super interesting destinations.

1) DESKTOP DOCUMENTARIES. http://www.desktop-documentaries.com

2) Filmmaking stuff. http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/12-tips-how-to-make-a-documentary/

3) Wikihow: Short documentary. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Short-Documentary-Film

I bought a DD 7-day course, which seemed to be super awesome, only 99€.

Wow. I had the basics of all, what is needed. Then you need to localise that to the Chinese environment. And we have the partners already. Funding needs though locked. But it’s a very good start.

This is how it goes fwd.

And it might be happening now.

At least here’s a few interested ones here in China.

• Shanghai
• Video. (HZ Daily)

While taking this forward, I met with a nice Swiss gentleman, Lucas Rondez, who has been living here for over 10 years. And he put up a great app called NiHao and soon to be a matchmaking and networking platform, the “Uber” of English-speakers, teachers, performers, models and other talents to make more living with your skills.

I got an offer by NiHao and decided to join the team to support their branding, networking and storytelling. I’m developing my documentary and storytelling idea even further, get super research and tech experience – and can broaden the scope allover the Sino-foreign community in China. Great! (Check appnihao.com and nibook.com)

This helps to balance my life finally, I hope. Supports family, economy, interesting work, allows hobbies, long-term living in China, leaves space for spirituality. Not bad.

 

Now it’s time to get stuff forward.

Has been a tumultuous year, but I’ve learnt a lot. What goes and what not. In 3-6 years I hope that I have grown into a sheer China specialist, a true Zhongguo Tong, who has skills, networks and great stories to unite people in both sides of the Great Wall of China. We all want to do meaningful things in our lives. One day we’ll face the gods of Heaven (or hell?) and we’ll look back what we’ve done. Did we do it right? Did we live a good life? Did we do right choices?

And in that moment, you are FREE to decide yourself, whether you were a winner, or loser, a hero or villain. No one is there to determine you, except you – not your parents, not your country, not your children, not the world, or your boss or anyone you’ve worked or lived with. “I did it my way.” And you are the one who in all that loving, shining and dreadful freedom has to choose, whether you are a hero or villain, a winner or something else.

I will choose myself a winner only if I’ve fulfilled the promise of God for me on this earth. I can look back that I did that I was supposed to do. And You can know it only by communicating closely with God, talking with it. Do you communicate with God? If not, how can you even know, what’s your mission in this world? How can you feel good and peaceful in the moment of dying, if you still don’t know, what you were supposed to do here? “I don’t want to die!” If you did your mission, you’re happy to go. I want to be. Waiting for that, the task is not done. If God takes you earlier, it’s also okay, as long if you were doing and actively trying to get you to that point.

That’s my philosophy on life. That’s why spirit is so essential. It’s also very crucial in China. You wouldn’t think of it, but it is. Even more than in our home soil. One more reason why I like and love this place. Heaven and Earth combine. And the one who seeks the position to connect those will rise to be a king on earth. Are you mastering your own life? How can master others, if you can’t master yourself?

I’m on my way. But the road is long. And I have to first focus on myself and the close ones next to me. That’s often much enough.

If you want to connect, I’d love to. Please call me anytime, send msg, WeChat, email, Skype, or come for a visit. These folks visited lately, and told, it was good time.

Hangzhou welcomes you. It’s very close from Shanghai, Suzhou and Nanjing too. Welcome anytime!

 

September 8th, 2016, Hangzhou

Lauri

 

Phone: +86 150 6715 7088

(my permanent mobile phone number in China for good)

WeChat: tangming100

(Download at wechat.com . 3 reasons why – 1) It’s better and more varying than WhatsApp or other messaging tools, 2) easily reachable to China, good connection, 3) helps you to network and create your Chinese ‘guanxi’)

Email: lauri@appnihao.com (AliMail, works well in both sides)