I have always wanted to write a book. This idea came to me, when I was sitting in the public high school library of my hometown in China and poring through world history magazines. With two other ideas, I would love to one day –
- Go to the US
- Get a MBA
- Write a book
From the far corner of the world, I zigzagged my way into the first two dreams in 15 years. I came to the US and got an MBA before 30. I was lucky and met good people who helped me. The idea of writing a book though, has always felt beyond the reach. What can I write about? And who will read it?
Serendipity has always played a big role in my life. I applied for the business school that admitted me because I happened to read a book of interviews of business school alums, and one of them was from that school, though I had not heard about it. And I met my husband in the school because a friend insisted that I attend on-campus salsa classes with them.
Therefore, when I was laid off unexpectedly just before 50, after 10 years of non-stop hassle at work, I thought, what should I do now, apart from job search. My calendar was a swamp of blankness between Mondays and Fridays. And the idea came to me, I can now write that book.
I am a working mother of two teenage children, both in public schools in San Francisco. I have a nearly 30-year corporate career, earning a living while saving for retirement. I am a Chinese born Chinese who moved to the US 20 years ago for an American dream and built my family here. I can write a book about what I learned. The books’ title, the $1.6M Mom, is my retirement number. I wish I had read a book like this when I was young. Like the popular US travel book writer Rick Steeve’s book ‘The Hippie Trail’, I too am a traveller at heart and took adventurous trips with unexpected turns. I wish to share them with you.
With love and hope,