The story
Zhao Ying is an entrepreneur, educator and researcher in Shanghai. Her career has combined media and education, working with business schools in and beyond China, and she recently completed a doctorate on learning transformation in the digital age, drawing on the ancient Chinese Book of Changes.
She could have chosen an easier path. A senior role in a multinational company, or a stable position inside the system with a strong pension, were both realistic options for someone with her background. She chose to be an entrepreneur, and says the daily reality, from taxes to people to shifting policies, has been tougher than she expected.
“Everything is changing, but you have to figure out which way to go.”
The skill at work: Framing & Purpose (Skill 5)
Framing & Purpose is the skill of crafting a narrative that gives meaning to difficult transitions, so that struggle is seen as necessary rather than as a sign something is wrong. Zhao Ying does this for her own life.
Complexity is normal, not a failure
She treats complexity as a natural condition of being an entrepreneur in China, something she meets every day, not a problem to be solved once. Framing it this way removes the sense that things should be easier and lets her get on with the work.
A philosophy of change
The Book of Changes gives her a frame that everything is always changing, and that every change has two sides, positive and negative. The task is not to stop change but to find the right direction within it, and as an entrepreneur to choose to see the better side.
Calling, not just career
She says she knew early that she was not the kind of person who works obediently up a ladder. She wants to take initiative, own the whole task, and connect unrelated things. She describes entrepreneurship as a calling, and so the hard parts become part of a purpose, not a price paid for nothing.
No way back, and no regret
She quotes an old saying that once you choose entrepreneurship there is no way back, and that a little more persistence may bring a better result. After twenty years she does not regret her choice, while honestly admiring the stability of her friends' paths.
Meaning beyond work
Her project of visiting a hundred cities across China, with a travel blog on industry, culture and history, shows how she adds meaning beyond business. Her advice to others: go back to your heart, find your natural talent, and do not work only for money.
Try this
Think of a change you are facing. What story are you telling yourself about it: a threat, or part of a purpose? Write one sentence that frames it as necessary for something you care about.
This article is our interpretation of Zhao Ying's story, based on the conversation on The Adaptive Edge Podcast. The framework names are ours; the events and lessons are her own.