It’s the beginning of a new year again.
I think you’ll agree that the beginning of a new year is a good time for reflection and planning.
By planning, I don’t mean new year resolutions. We all know how those fare. I meant creating yearly plans that aligns with your long term plan and execute it.
But enough about planning. I’ll cover it in more detail in another post.
Looking back is also important, to see how my family and friends did in 2006 and recount lessons learned.
Couple of life-changing events happened to me during the year. One was the birth of my first child – Lauren. The other one was changing my job.
Although both of these events were life-changing, but they differ much in degree.
First, the birth of Lauren. If you’ve been reading my blog entries, you would know my journey as a first-time parent. It’s filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and most importantly, joy. It was an awesome responsibility and it taught me many things.
Since Lauren’s in China with her grandparents now, I miss her very much. Which brings me to the second major event for me in 2006, changing my job.
During my 9+ years working life, I held different positions in five companies. Most of my past job changes were triggered by circumstances, not of my own choosing.
Right after Lauren was born, I realized that my current house is simply not big enough and the area I live in does not have good public schools. The way for me to improve my family’s situation is to find another job that pays better and move to an area that has a better school district and a shorter commuting distance.
That’s exactly what I did. I found a job in the energy industry. I’m in the process of selling my current house now, and will start looking for another house close to work once I sold this one.
I enjoy my new work much more than my previous job, and I’m earning a better living for my family as well.
Both of these events made me rather happy.
Some of the other events that happened in 2006 were:
- Lauren has been living with her grandparents since October 2006
- Jeff and Iris had their first baby as well
- My mom found a permanent position in a great company
- We signed with a listing and user agent to help us with the selling and buying of a house
- Our friend – Xiaoen’s got married
All of these things had a positive impact on our lives.
I thank God for blessing my family with such abundance. And I prey year 2007 will be even better.