This morning in my hometown, appearing live on “Starting a Business With Experts” on Quảng Ngãi Radio and Television's PTQ channel.
Next week I leave on a long trip, so my schedule is already packed as I try to finish or arrange everything beforehand. If it were not my homeland, I would not accept. I am returning simply because of the name Quảng Ngãi. Whatever I can contribute to my homeland, I will do; many people wish to but never get the chance. It is where my grandparents and parents were born, making my existence possible.
I should add that although there is still much to do, all of it is my “choice.” I work because I choose to, not because I have to—for example, to earn a living. I work because i choose to, not because i have to. Happiness in being busy is better than leisurely indulgence. I long ago designed a free way of living and working. To me, the most important freedom is not necessarily the “financial freedom” preached by wealth-building classes, but “freedom of time.”
Time freedom here does not mean the freedom of being frustrated and idle, nor non-action and following nature like Lao Tzu, nor Buddhist freedom through letting go of every attachment. I simply dislike entrepreneurs becoming “slaves” to companies they founded. Let entrepreneurs be “business owners,” rather than letting businesses own them. Most of our companies are like that: I feel no pressure to grind for money or sell to more customers. We focus on the value we bring them and making their lives substantially better after experiencing us; usually they come in numbers we cannot accommodate—fully booked, no hiding it. It is simply a business style and a choice. We must understand ourselves to “design” a business style compatible with our lifestyle.
So next week I will leave for a full 3 weeks before returning home. See you again!
