December 25, 2018
December 25, 2018
REFLECTIONS/SHARING A MEMORY:
MEETING WEI CHEN
It was just a few months into becoming our YPO Angeleno Chapter Chair, that I was excited to finally schedule a lunch with one of our “non-resident” members--I was really looking forward to meeting and getting to know Wei Chen.
Turned out he lived in Tennessee, but spends a considerable amount of time in his LA Office, and when in LA, he stays at the California Club, I was excited to break bread at one of my favorite places, and more importantly begin the process of making a new friend.
Wei, was waiting at the table when I walked into the third floor dining room, when he saw me he stood, stretched out his hand, smiled, introduced himself, and my first impression was this guy just exudes warmth, and just in the first moment and before we even took our seats, somehow my impression was that he appeared both self-assured and vulnerable all at once—not the vulnerability of a person in need as much as an openness to have a really nice in-depth chat where it would be, to put it into YPO-speak, a forumesque kind of lunch and discussion.
After exchanging the customary perfunctory pleasantries, Wei stated:
“My English isn’t too good, so please forgive me if you don’t understand me at times.”
I smiled and responded:
“I’m 100% certain your English is a whole lot better than my Chinese,” and assured Wei that it was really an honor to meet him, I was really looking forward to getting to know him, AND assured him that I understood him just fine.
Within the world of YPO one can more than likely surmise:
We YPOers are typically not shy—and along with our lack of shyness at times comes a reflexive desire to talk more than listen—maybe this comes about due to our having to sell ourselves, and our business in an effort to climb the corporate and financial ladder—but I want to believe— as we get older, some of us learn how to listen a bit better, my intention was to do my best to enjoy our lunch and do more listening than talking.
Not to belabor the point, but I am also particularly when meeting YPOers, that no matter what we, or I, feel to be a list of accomplishments, the person we’re talking with has likely done just as much, or in my case the YPOer I’m talking with has almost always accomplished WAY more than I’ll ever hope to accomplish.
So, with listening and learning in mind, we started our time together by my asking Wei to please tell me a bit about his journey?
My inquiries were something like:
• How did he come to live in the USA
• How do it turn out that his business has an office in LA?
• Why does he live with his wife and kids in Tennessee?
(Although given the tax burdens and crazy business climate in California--I immediately found his choice of States to be brilliant--but I digress!)
• How is it that his parents live in California?
• How did he come about becoming a non-resident member of Angeleno, and;
• As member of YPOLA, including his being in a YPOLA Fourm, how does he find time to also be a member of the Southern 7 Chapter?
Wei began to relay his life journey, and a few minutes into his story I began to recall the old movie, My Dinner at Andre, for those not familiar, one person discusses his life, he goes into great detail with his friend after not having seen his friend for years, and the story he recants goes on to describe is both fascinating and riveting, the friend listening does so in a manner that a therapist might--where he simply interjects from time-to-time: “and then what happened?”
So, I was the character that every five minutes or so said:
“WEI, that’s amazing, and then what happened” which would begin yet another fascinating vignette in the life of Wei Chen.
Wei, recanted to me the substance of his journey to this point, that which was the content and essence of his life—his journey was inspiring and fascinating!
Our “one-hour” scheduled lunch went on for nearly 3-hours.
I was mesmerized, my thoughts were--this guy is amazing.
Wei, recounted his journey from his childhood in Changsa City, located in the China’s Hunan Province, on to his relocation to Tennessee to attend the University of Memphis on an academic scholarship, and how as a restaurant busboy—while attending college to pick up a few bucks—he was suddenly earning more in a month than his parents in China, earned in a year, giving rise to the realization that he needed to get the whole family relocated to the USA, and do so as soon as he could.
Wei’s entrepreneurial pursuits began by his called all the real estate agents, contractors, and developers in local area in Memphis, while still at college, and convincing them to buy scaffolding from him, as he had a concept of manufacturing in China, he figured if he sourced the product from China, and ship it to the USA, he could do what he did for less than the competition—he went on to discuss how he built his business, how he diversified into real estate, how he became a pilot, how he flew around the world in a single engine TBM 700 in 69-Days, and then, of course, he wrote a best selling book using his trip around the world and flying as a metaphor for life.
Wei lit up with joy when he spoke about how he met his wife, how they were raising their three children, how they are taking care of his parents, he went into a recent trip where he climbed, I think it was Mt. Kilimanjaro, but I could see the adventure in his soul as he recited aspirations for all sorts of personal challenges, and on--and on—for three hours all I could do was say was: “and then what did you do” OR, “how did you do that”, OR “what motivated that venture or adventure?”
Throughout our time together he was vulnerable, charming, funny—hell, if I wasn’t a happily married man, I may have relocated to Tennessee myself!
I next saw Wei at the two day Presidents Retreat at Terranea Resort, just a few weeks back, but I couldn’t wait to introduce Nicole to him, she too immediately connected, happy she didn’t relocate to Tennessee—but seriously, just a thoroughly wonderful person that connected with whomever he was with, a guy that lived and exuded a zest for life. Wei was the personification of a person that understood that life was intended to be lived to the fullest, and it was clear as you got to know him that Wei had every intention of exploring, living, meeting people, being engaged, and not just growing an amazing business, but being highly committed to spending time with his family, and keep things fresh and interesting for himself and anybody that happened upon his journey.
On to this week…
I was about to go on duty, something I do once or twice a week, with the LAPD, where I work patrol and as part of a detective detail, and I received a text while I was dressing at the station: “an aircraft went down that is registered to Wei”, the message went on to state: “it doesn’t look good!”
I’ve heard people say “they froze” upon hearing of bad news, and I actually recall vividly the day my fathers doctor called me on my cell phone, back in 2004, telling me my dad had cancer and it wasn’t good….This text hit me very much the same way, I actually stopped what I was doing, and just sat down on the bench in the empty locker room of the station I am assigned.
I ended up not putting on my uniform, I closed the locker door, locked the lock, and called my partner—I didn’t disclose what was going on to my partner, but it turned out my partner preempted my comment by stating he wasn’t feeling great, and although we were both at the station, since he wasn’t feeling great, and I was now in a cloud, nobody was let down, when we mutually opted to take the shift off—it was the right decision as I truly couldn’t think straight.
Such a bright light, so full of life, such an INSPIRATIONAL character, all I could mutter, both out-loud, and under-my-breath, was “oh, my, G-d.
SO devastating.
A very close friend of mine lost his Dad, his Mom, and his Sister, all within 18-months, and when we discussed the losses he incurred he said to me:
“I didn’t need then, and I don’t need now, to be told or reminded that these catastrophic losses are somehow reminders of how precious life is!”
I feel when I hear of a tragic loss similarly--I don’t really require tragedy to strike, for me to be remind me how precious life is.
Losing Wei Chen is a loss that his family and friends will grieve and cause pain forever. Wei’s presence will not be replaced, we will certainly celebrate the person we knew, admired, and loved, but the void left by Wei’s presence will be not be filled. I pray for the Chen Family, I truly cannot imagine the pain they must be experiencing.
If there is any lesson to come out of this horrible loss, this tragedy, it is that Wei is a truly unique example of somebody that truly knew how to live life to the fullest.
I will review my “bucket-list” and make sure to do whatever I can put action to the list, and better prioritize them into my life--not because I need the reminder of how things can change, but to accelerate living life, and keep that “zest” factor, that I may now call my “Wei Factor” alive in my spirit.
TO BE SURE, let there be NO doubt that Wei Chen, lived life to the fullest, and did so all the time; Wei is an amazing example of getting the most out of life.
Like us all, my thoughts are: Rest in Peace Wei, and to all of those both within, and outside of the YPO Universe--I know of MANY people this year or so that have experienced life altering tragedy, and that have also lost loved ones. So, lets remember to enjoy our loved ones this holiday season.
I want to wish you my friends a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, happiness, health—and encourage us all to keep that zest for life, the WEI-Factor, in front of our mind, as the saying goes: “If not us Whom--If not now, When?
Respectfully,
Steve Fazio
MEETING WEI CHEN
It was just a few months into becoming our YPO Angeleno Chapter Chair, that I was excited to finally schedule a lunch with one of our “non-resident” members--I was really looking forward to meeting and getting to know Wei Chen.
Turned out he lived in Tennessee, but spends a considerable amount of time in his LA Office, and when in LA, he stays at the California Club, I was excited to break bread at one of my favorite places, and more importantly begin the process of making a new friend.
Wei, was waiting at the table when I walked into the third floor dining room, when he saw me he stood, stretched out his hand, smiled, introduced himself, and my first impression was this guy just exudes warmth, and just in the first moment and before we even took our seats, somehow my impression was that he appeared both self-assured and vulnerable all at once—not the vulnerability of a person in need as much as an openness to have a really nice in-depth chat where it would be, to put it into YPO-speak, a forumesque kind of lunch and discussion.
After exchanging the customary perfunctory pleasantries, Wei stated:
“My English isn’t too good, so please forgive me if you don’t understand me at times.”
I smiled and responded:
“I’m 100% certain your English is a whole lot better than my Chinese,” and assured Wei that it was really an honor to meet him, I was really looking forward to getting to know him, AND assured him that I understood him just fine.
Within the world of YPO one can more than likely surmise:
We YPOers are typically not shy—and along with our lack of shyness at times comes a reflexive desire to talk more than listen—maybe this comes about due to our having to sell ourselves, and our business in an effort to climb the corporate and financial ladder—but I want to believe— as we get older, some of us learn how to listen a bit better, my intention was to do my best to enjoy our lunch and do more listening than talking.
Not to belabor the point, but I am also particularly when meeting YPOers, that no matter what we, or I, feel to be a list of accomplishments, the person we’re talking with has likely done just as much, or in my case the YPOer I’m talking with has almost always accomplished WAY more than I’ll ever hope to accomplish.
So, with listening and learning in mind, we started our time together by my asking Wei to please tell me a bit about his journey?
My inquiries were something like:
• How did he come to live in the USA
• How do it turn out that his business has an office in LA?
• Why does he live with his wife and kids in Tennessee?
(Although given the tax burdens and crazy business climate in California--I immediately found his choice of States to be brilliant--but I digress!)
• How is it that his parents live in California?
• How did he come about becoming a non-resident member of Angeleno, and;
• As member of YPOLA, including his being in a YPOLA Fourm, how does he find time to also be a member of the Southern 7 Chapter?
Wei began to relay his life journey, and a few minutes into his story I began to recall the old movie, My Dinner at Andre, for those not familiar, one person discusses his life, he goes into great detail with his friend after not having seen his friend for years, and the story he recants goes on to describe is both fascinating and riveting, the friend listening does so in a manner that a therapist might--where he simply interjects from time-to-time: “and then what happened?”
So, I was the character that every five minutes or so said:
“WEI, that’s amazing, and then what happened” which would begin yet another fascinating vignette in the life of Wei Chen.
Wei, recanted to me the substance of his journey to this point, that which was the content and essence of his life—his journey was inspiring and fascinating!
Our “one-hour” scheduled lunch went on for nearly 3-hours.
I was mesmerized, my thoughts were--this guy is amazing.
Wei, recounted his journey from his childhood in Changsa City, located in the China’s Hunan Province, on to his relocation to Tennessee to attend the University of Memphis on an academic scholarship, and how as a restaurant busboy—while attending college to pick up a few bucks—he was suddenly earning more in a month than his parents in China, earned in a year, giving rise to the realization that he needed to get the whole family relocated to the USA, and do so as soon as he could.
Wei’s entrepreneurial pursuits began by his called all the real estate agents, contractors, and developers in local area in Memphis, while still at college, and convincing them to buy scaffolding from him, as he had a concept of manufacturing in China, he figured if he sourced the product from China, and ship it to the USA, he could do what he did for less than the competition—he went on to discuss how he built his business, how he diversified into real estate, how he became a pilot, how he flew around the world in a single engine TBM 700 in 69-Days, and then, of course, he wrote a best selling book using his trip around the world and flying as a metaphor for life.
Wei lit up with joy when he spoke about how he met his wife, how they were raising their three children, how they are taking care of his parents, he went into a recent trip where he climbed, I think it was Mt. Kilimanjaro, but I could see the adventure in his soul as he recited aspirations for all sorts of personal challenges, and on--and on—for three hours all I could do was say was: “and then what did you do” OR, “how did you do that”, OR “what motivated that venture or adventure?”
Throughout our time together he was vulnerable, charming, funny—hell, if I wasn’t a happily married man, I may have relocated to Tennessee myself!
I next saw Wei at the two day Presidents Retreat at Terranea Resort, just a few weeks back, but I couldn’t wait to introduce Nicole to him, she too immediately connected, happy she didn’t relocate to Tennessee—but seriously, just a thoroughly wonderful person that connected with whomever he was with, a guy that lived and exuded a zest for life. Wei was the personification of a person that understood that life was intended to be lived to the fullest, and it was clear as you got to know him that Wei had every intention of exploring, living, meeting people, being engaged, and not just growing an amazing business, but being highly committed to spending time with his family, and keep things fresh and interesting for himself and anybody that happened upon his journey.
On to this week…
I was about to go on duty, something I do once or twice a week, with the LAPD, where I work patrol and as part of a detective detail, and I received a text while I was dressing at the station: “an aircraft went down that is registered to Wei”, the message went on to state: “it doesn’t look good!”
I’ve heard people say “they froze” upon hearing of bad news, and I actually recall vividly the day my fathers doctor called me on my cell phone, back in 2004, telling me my dad had cancer and it wasn’t good….This text hit me very much the same way, I actually stopped what I was doing, and just sat down on the bench in the empty locker room of the station I am assigned.
I ended up not putting on my uniform, I closed the locker door, locked the lock, and called my partner—I didn’t disclose what was going on to my partner, but it turned out my partner preempted my comment by stating he wasn’t feeling great, and although we were both at the station, since he wasn’t feeling great, and I was now in a cloud, nobody was let down, when we mutually opted to take the shift off—it was the right decision as I truly couldn’t think straight.
Such a bright light, so full of life, such an INSPIRATIONAL character, all I could mutter, both out-loud, and under-my-breath, was “oh, my, G-d.
SO devastating.
A very close friend of mine lost his Dad, his Mom, and his Sister, all within 18-months, and when we discussed the losses he incurred he said to me:
“I didn’t need then, and I don’t need now, to be told or reminded that these catastrophic losses are somehow reminders of how precious life is!”
I feel when I hear of a tragic loss similarly--I don’t really require tragedy to strike, for me to be remind me how precious life is.
Losing Wei Chen is a loss that his family and friends will grieve and cause pain forever. Wei’s presence will not be replaced, we will certainly celebrate the person we knew, admired, and loved, but the void left by Wei’s presence will be not be filled. I pray for the Chen Family, I truly cannot imagine the pain they must be experiencing.
If there is any lesson to come out of this horrible loss, this tragedy, it is that Wei is a truly unique example of somebody that truly knew how to live life to the fullest.
I will review my “bucket-list” and make sure to do whatever I can put action to the list, and better prioritize them into my life--not because I need the reminder of how things can change, but to accelerate living life, and keep that “zest” factor, that I may now call my “Wei Factor” alive in my spirit.
TO BE SURE, let there be NO doubt that Wei Chen, lived life to the fullest, and did so all the time; Wei is an amazing example of getting the most out of life.
Like us all, my thoughts are: Rest in Peace Wei, and to all of those both within, and outside of the YPO Universe--I know of MANY people this year or so that have experienced life altering tragedy, and that have also lost loved ones. So, lets remember to enjoy our loved ones this holiday season.
I want to wish you my friends a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, happiness, health—and encourage us all to keep that zest for life, the WEI-Factor, in front of our mind, as the saying goes: “If not us Whom--If not now, When?
Respectfully,
Steve Fazio