Comments on: What opportunities are you not noticing?

By: Vinicius

Vinicius — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:16:53 +0000

In fact what you’ve written it’s completely true, sometimes we are afraid of changing the way we live and trying something new, just because we do not know what will happen…

Although, it’s important to know when is the right time to take a risk, otherwise we will always be in the same situation and our life will never change, consequently we are gonna be that sort of persons you’ve described…

By: Dani

Dani — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:28:20 +0000

You are absolutely right.
If you want to have (or achieve) things you never had before, you have to do things you never did before.
So good luck to all people out there, who want to change something in their life!

By: biks

biks — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:02:05 +0000

Hey, Andy.
I’m absolutely agree with you. Sometime I wonder most of the people don’t want to change their life. But personally I always try my best use of whatever opportunity I’ve got.
Here I would like to tell myself little more, Anyway I’m completely visually challanged guy from India.
I use computer with screenreader called “jaws”, most popular and very accesible. I have been trying hard to use china232 forum but unfortunatly it’s a chalanging task and very difficult and not accesible with screen reader. Still I’m positive and try to use it my best.
hear I put my email ID which is “bik85yes@gmail.com”, I will be glad to receive any email from Andy and add.
I’m absolutely determine to improve my english anyway.
Thanks so much from biks

By: 232xiao

232xiao — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:26:00 +0000

Hey Andy,

Again like other people, I agree with you.

Just want to name a reason but not an excuse for somebody in China, who are perhaps extremely afraid of changes.
I believe, the basic social security system (like health insurance, unemployment, etc.) in China is not quite stable or safe yet. So I can somehow understand them, why they will think about it again and again and again before they attempt to change.

Anyway, I would say, move on to change it, or forget it. Keeping blaming but without any real actions is weak!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:51:12 +0000

Hello Andy,

Good advice. You’re completely right. When we are doing new things we improve our lives because it’s good for us to face with new challenges, like to find a different job or hang out to different places.

By: eli

eli — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:10:15 +0000

hi andy.
you are right but in real life, sometimes and for some people, changing the job, finding a new one and changing the style of their life is really hard and for some who have familly and children, risking is not actually right. they MUST have money for the family. think about sb who hasn’t had much education and for example he knows nothing but … maybe driving. he should be a taxi-driver. and maybe that job is boring or there’s not enough money in it. maybe he’s growed in a family that he can’t have anyother job cause he doesn’t know the sience for that job. and being a taxi driver and having communications with many models of people is not good for his mood. hm? and excuse me cause my vocab is so limited. i hope i could say wht i meant.

By: teresa

teresa — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:12:31 +0000

Hi Andy!
I didn’t find the way to send you a Private Contact Message, I tried in the china232.com “contact” section but it didn’t work. :S Anyway… i just want to say this:
I love your show!
I would like you to talk about a expression I heard the other day, and I didn’t understand: to earn a crust.
Greetings!
Teresa (from Spain )

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:37:21 +0000

I totally agree with you Andrew. We are often afraid of the unknown. In my experience, I just moved to the U.S. and it has been rough for me to make friends and find a good job. But like you say, we need to keep trying to improve what we want to change. I’ll definitely take your advice.
Thanks!

By: Allen Chao

Allen Chao — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:16:59 +0000

Hello Andy,

I agree with all the points you suggested to those who are unhappy with their lives. It does work for people who want to make a better change for their situation being boring. For some kinds of people having been unmarried without children, but with good financial background, or with good skill in some industries, or special technique in some promising fields, to take a risk to improve their lives that could be possible for them. As I see it, they don’t have any burden to their families.

I also agree with Eli previous saying that if people having been married with kids and without any special skill, for example, living in some poor provinces of China, how they can make an improvement for their lives by changing their jobs? In general, They are very worried about if getting a big change would make them to be poorer, not to be richer. If this is the case, how they can support their daily expenditure after job is changed. Under this worrying thinking, they have no desire to change their jobs for anything more adventurous unless they have a sufficient financial support in the their back.

I think that it is better for unhappy people to make changes for their lives gradually in some ways, step by step. Another is to save enough money and try to invest part of it into business they are familar with. Be more patient now to keep their jobs working until chance comes out.

Thanks.

By: Benoît (that's Benedict in French)

Benoît (that's Benedict in French) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:40:09 +0000

Hi Andrew, Hi Addison

This is the first time I take a minute to tell you how cool I find your podcasts: for me it has been filling up a gap in my current podcasts: lots of everyday, sometimes slang English, brought to the listener in a wonderfully-relaxed way: I sometimes almost feel myself just next to you guys, joking and laughing about real-life situations, sipping some kind of drink, in a cool bar, amongst other easy-going people like you! Really great job, you’ve been doing!
As for the current topic in this blog: the ability of taking up opportunities, being dauntless about making changes in your lives (for situations we’re complaining about) and, generally speaking the (inner) disposition of always being positive about life: I must confess that I’m not at all that sort of guy: I’m feeling rather scared about new things, lacking self-confidence etc. I think that listening to you gives me already some hints at how my life could be improved, but I think it’ll still take some time: please be patient and tolerant with me… but thanks a lot for your topic anyway!!!

By: Alice

Alice — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:44:20 +0000

Hey, guys, thank you so much for insisting on giving us so many wonderful podcatsts, I’m sorry that I haven’t been to china232 for a long time because of the chinese spring festival vacation. Actually I’m very unhappy with my current situations, so I try to find some chances to improve it. Now I am prepareing for doctoral candidate entrance examination, but it’s only one month left to take the examination. I must admit that I’m a little lazy that I didn’t study at all during the long vacation, I invited my parents to have a good trip during the spring festival. Now it’s only 30 days left, I have to do my best to prepare the examination, I’m confident that I can do it well though it’s very hard to me. One of the subject is the English examination, which includes the writing, I know keep practice is very helpful to improve writing skills, so I decide to go to there often recently, keep listening and writing something everday.

By: Learn English

Learn English — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:53:56 +0000

you are so right. Personally, I have been feeling like I was in a rut lately and started to look for new ways to meet people or spend my time, so I started taking a photography class. I met some people who were really nice and learned new things, but I also realized that it wasn’t for me. So now I’m looking for cooking classes… wish me luck

By: Amelia

Amelia — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:34:11 +0000

I have to say that you are right in the article.

At the begining when i read this article all kinds of excues popped out in my mind, I wanted to debate that different people has different situation. Change.. it’s easy for you to say it. For traditional chinese, it’s not a easy thing. we are too family bounded and we don’t like to work far away from home even maybe we can get better opportunities. we afraid to change because we scare to lose. lose current opportunity and lose face. we care too much of others’ talking about us as you noticed already.

But finally i am convinced by your article and the comments ppl wrote here. I guess change doesn’t mean a whole lot change, an upside down chang. it can be a small change to just make yourself feeling better. I admire Biks, he is such a positive person. why can’t we be positive? A taxi diver maybe can’t change his job easily because he has to surpport his family. but he can go have a nice hair cut and have a good mood with it. he may also takes his family to have one day spring outing instead of working whole month, at least he can use the car freely. I did my life change and i am enjoying it. I am taking a one year leave from my work.
I really need to make this year a happy, meaningful and fruitful one.
well, current plan or change is a travelling plan. don’t have money to Thailand but i plan to go to Suiyuan, a city 10 hours away by train from Shanghai. It will be cool. and now it’s the best time to see all the flower blossom.
So friends cheer up please, do some small changes in your life. you are welcome to join my tour if you want. hahaha

Amelia

By: jamila

jamila — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 09:17:34 +0000

you hit the nail on the head …. Yeah it’s really true what you’ve said.
And lately I wanted to change my way of living but like you said I’m offraid to be disappointed. I know I’m not enough brave to do that, but I’ve some barriers wich prevent me. I’ve a daughter who is relaying on me so I cant jeopardise with job and so on. what I’m sure of is that I want to change my live asap I feel bored with my job and also I spent all my life in doing things I don’t really like. Now I’m trying to change step by step. I began with learning English, I hope it’ll be a dream comes true one day

By: Ivan

Ivan — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:13:06 +0000

Nice text.
I did the same thing as you, I moved from
Brazil to the Middle East, without speak any english or arab.
I wanted to know a different culture, learn english and see another way to live the life.
I sold every single think I had, and it was the best thing I did in my entire life.
After one year living in a small island called Bahrain, I’m moving again, for another country. I still learn english, and your podcasts have been very helpfull for me.
I like to thank you guys, you have no idea how much good is your help.