Three beers changed my life more than all the news headlines in New York, Lodon, Washington DC, Beijing and even Hong Kong.

You must be aware that BoJo won the UK elections… That Trump’s poll numbers rise as impeachment hearings run in parallel with FBI/FISA hearings… That USA’s stock market is booming while Europe and Asia head sideways… That a US-China trade deal is just around the corner (again) while China faces some domestic headwinds…

That stuff doesn’t matter.

At least not when it comes to impacting my life & my business. As the winds change, I can trim the sails and hold my course.

Life-Changing Pints

I owe my whole career trajectory post-2003 to some beers. I met a hiring manager in a pub late one Friday afternoon. He and I had one beer as we discussed his open role. By the end of the pint, we agreed on two things.

• The role was not a good fit for me
• We should have another pint while the rainstorm passed by

The conversation went deeper, and the rain kept falling. A third pint was ordered. He pulled out his mobile, called a colleague and handed me the phone. After some good banter, I got a “thumbs up”. Maybe the role was a good fit after all.

This led to four years of that new line of work… Which indirectly led me to Dubai, which led me to Hong Kong… Where I covered the Asia Pacific region from inside a bank, then I joined the startup community. I also met my wife here.

So yeah, those three beers changed my life more than all the news headlines between then and now: Four presidential elections, Brexit, Fukushima tsunami, and the global financial crisis. (OK that last one did hit me pretty hard.)

Key Take-Away

Don’t stress about the news headlines. You’re better off having a friendly beer. It could change your life.