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Wealth Without Borders Podcast


May 31, 2021

Are you guilty of being stuck at a certain place because you’re afraid of the differences you would experience when things change? Don’t you know that it only takes adaptability and you – being willing to embrace a culture – to take a step forward towards embracing differences?  

Will you take this chance to step out of your shell and explore the wonders you didn’t know you could be? Will you be brave enough to take the risk and live life in all the colors that exist? 

Ian Mote has been an expat for close to 20 years now. He spent time going around Hong Kong, Dubai, and Shanghai where he now lives with his daughter and wife. A career in banking has taken him all over the region, including every province in China. In fact, this even led to a book entitled “From Chicken Feet to Crystal Baths” – which talks about his travel stories for the past 20 years.  

In this episode, Ian talks about his journey towards embracing differences he’s encountered while going around places for 20 years. Here, he shares stories about the most memorable and funniest memories he has experienced in life, as well as how he has coped with cultural change and learned to love it – it’s just a matter of time. 

 

What you will learn in this episode

  • Hear a story of an expat and get inspiration from it
  • Discover what it’s like to live with fresh and new starts almost every day
  • Find out what it takes to fully embrace the differences changes bring in life.

 

"If you can say, ‘Well, I've done this before and this is what got me here so it should work again’ – that's not the case. It's always a fresh start. What has worked in the past that has got you to this level might not be relevant anymore.”  

– Ian Mote 

 

Topics Covered

01:44 – The Expat: The reason why Ian became an expat around 20 years ago. 

03:23 – A Home in a Culture: The special thing about the region where Ian currently works. 

05:16 – The Creation: How Ian’s knowledge and experiences led to the book he has written.   

07:49 – His Coping Mechanism: Dealing with distance away from loved ones. 

10:33 – Expats at their Finest: Ian talks about the qualities that best define a successful expat as he shares personal experience in relation to it. 

12:30 – The Moral: The biggest thing Ian has learned over the last 20 years of his stay in China. 

14:18 – Trip Down Memory Lane: The most meaningful memories Ian has from 20 years of residency in China. 

15:32 – Cheers to the Good Old Days: Ian shares the funniest memory he’s ever had. 

19:54 – A Change of Mind: The things Ian would do differently if he was given the chance to turn back the clock. 

21:07 – Book Alert: Ian shares what his soon-to-be published second book is about. 

 

Key Takeaways

“You adapt and find different ways to do it.” – Ian Mote 

“If you're an expat, you're going to be managing a team, so you need to understand how people react and how to motivate and manage a team. If I hadn't learned more about being a manager of a local team and how people react to what their expectations are, I would never have made that work.” – Ian Mote 

“People – at the end of the day – are all very similar, and we want similar things for our family and our life.” – Ian Mote 

 

People / Resources Mentioned: 

 

Ways to Connect with Ian Mote

 

Ways to Connect with Howard Whiteson