It’s been a while since I updated the blog. I was consumed by many travel obligations ever since my Japan trip in Shonai:

• After flying back to Los Angeles (LA), we celebrated July 4th (Independence Day) as a family.
• At the end of July, my family and I flew back to Singapore so that my son could continue his preschool activities. 
• I returned to LA to focus on work, and I had three work travel trips aligned consecutively for 3 weeks:
  • London trip to meet my UK teammates.
  • 2 work trips to San Diego

It was already October when I completed my work trips, and I had more breathing space to muse about the future and today.

Highlight Of The Month

"The story of your business is the story of you. If you want your business to grow, you have to grow. If your business is stuck, it's because you are stuck." – Larry Janesky

I was browsing YouTube and I chanced upon a video titled, "Meet The Billionaire That Works A Normal Job". Larry Janesky is the founder and CEO of Contractor Nation & Basement Systems Inc.

People call Larry Janesky the blue-collar billionaire because he started his company with his woodwork skills. Despite never having a degree, Larry has over 30 patents to his name.

I was very fascinated because I want to remain relevant in the tech industry for the next 40 years. However, I do not know what it means in practical terms.

I realized that I cannot remain relevant in the tech industry by climbing the corporate ladder alone, given today's shifting economic landscape. I wrote my thoughts about the matter in another newsletter here: The Need To Reinvent Myself As An Engineering Manager in 2025.

That's when the above video illuminated what success could look like. It's not the money that I'm looking at. Instead, it's the mindset and approach that was very valuable.

The Story Of Your Business Is The Story Of You.

This sentence hits me hard because it embodies why I even started this blog.

I want to be a living testimony of how real the Lord Jesus is, in practical, pragmatic terms, for my son. The greatest wealth I can pass on to my son isn't money, but that he takes the Lord on and enjoys his walk with the Lord to the end.

However, I can't just tell my son to do so. Logical arguments convince no one. I need to walk with the Lord myself, that my son may see the glory of the Lord in my life.

Thus, I'm relooking at what I have in my hands in order to turn my story into a living testimony.

Figuring out how to maintain consistency in my routine in light of travel commitments.

Traveling is fun, but it can be a significant distraction when there are too many trips.

Timezone changes and adapting to new environments take a toll on health and mental capacity. Traveling affects all my endeavors, including my efforts to maintain fitness and to remain committed to my side hustles.

I can't say no to my travel work commitments because it's my livelihood.

Also, travel is the only way I can connect with my family physically. I'm unable to accelerate their green card process, so we have to resort to a travel cadence to keep the family together.

Thus, the hope is to find out ways and means to lower the difficulty of maintaining my routine as much as possible. I'm breaking down my commitments into the following categories:

• Health and fitness
• Side hustles

Remembering that it is all about Jesus

'Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.'
Psalm 127:1-2 (NKJV)

Building a house and guarding a city are honorable and respectable endeavors, but they can be in vain. Being hardworking to achieve goals and successes can be noble, but it can also be in vain.

The goal is to walk with the Lord in every step so that these goals are attained through the Lord, and not because of mere willpower. My son and I would have different willpower capacities, but it is the Lord who builds the house and guards the city.

The hope is that these endeavors reach their outcomes not because of someone special, but because the Lord shows no favoritism and will take care of anyone who seeks refuge under His wings.