Sometimes, you have to leave the present to find your future.

Tonight, I had a long chat with one of my best friends, Frank (not his real name), about the challenges, frustrations, and politics of his current job which I can strongly sympathize. Although our chat was not specifically related to traveling, it later reminded me of a chat I had with another friend, Shawn (again not his real name) about a month or so ago. We both credit traveling for bringing fresh perspectives into our lives when we were facing some daunting life challenges.

The year was 2002. It was a pivotal year for me, as I was wrapping up my last year of business school with the prospect of no job in the near future, high rent, and increasing amounts of debt (the tech bubble infamously bursted in 2001, obliterating the job landscape for new graduates). As a result, I made the almost unfathomable decision to leave 'the present' situation and move to China. This was against all of my MBA learnings - the risks and costs were inordinately high - I practically knew no one there, had no job lined up in China, didn't speak the language, and the return was definitely uncertain. Yet, three years later now, and back in the US, I would have to emphatically say that it was probably one of my best decisions to date... In hindsight, I gained immeasurably in personal growth (picked up Mandarin fluency, had some indelible personal experiences, and most importantly, learned more about myself than sitting behind a desk for 3 years). While in China, I networked myself into a job where I led the creation of Bank of China's first Western-style mutual fund, started a popular cooking club in Shanghai, and consulted on numerous start-up projects - enterprising experiences far beyond what any 'office' job would have given me here in the US.

Now, I am not telling this story to toot my own horn but rather it illustrates the fact that changes and challenges in life can result in amazingly rewarding experiences. For me, living abroad and traveling around some of the poorest areas of China helped put so many things into a humbling perspective. For Frank, I hope over the next month he will take on a positive spin of the situation and allow himself to believe that change can be good and rewarding.

Any of you had similar experiences?