Inspired by a reader query, here are the 7 personality traits you’re
better off embodying if you want to make your move abroad a successful
and happy one and enjoy your new life as an expatriate
We received an interesting email over the weekend from a British man who’s been offered a job abroad. Essentially he wanted to know whether he should accept the (very generous) job offer and relocate to Asia, having never lived or worked overseas before…and he wanted our advice.
The email has inspired this article because it provoked a very strong reaction in me! The guy listed all the concerns he had about adapting to a new life abroad, juxtaposed against this really attractive job offer, but never once did he display any excitement at the prospect of starting a new life abroad in what is a fascinating yet particularly challenging country!
Far be it for us at Shelter Offshore to give advice to anyone about any aspect of their life – we just don’t feel qualified! But what we can tell you are the 7 personality traits you really do require if you want to be successful as an expatriate – and as we told the man in question, ‘are you really ready for a complete change of every aspect of your life?’ If you are then you’re on the right track, and if you’re not, then why are you even thinking about moving abroad!
If you were offered a good job in a very foreign land would you think twice about taking it? Would you be thrilled at the thought of learning all about a new culture, of discovering a new city, a new country, a new continent? Would you disregard the minutiae of the move, confident in your own abilities to make your new life work? Or would you feel the fear?
Would you be afraid of the challenges that your new every day life would inevitably bring you – from finding a bakery to buy your daily bread to figuring out the trains to get you to work? Would the thought of leaving your family and friends overwhelm you?
The reason for asking these questions is to really make you think about who you are and how you would face the realities of a new life abroad before you sign up and commit to a relocation. Many make the leap without giving the move a seconds thought – and many go on to love their new life abroad. Others plan the move for months in advance and over-think it, arrive and hate it!
So you see, it doesn’t really matter how you go about making the move – it’s who you are inside that will decide whether you make the most of your new life abroad or not. There are 7 personality traits that are really essential if you want to be a successful expatriate – and whilst you can succeed in building a new life even if you don’t possess these traits, if you DO possess them you’d make a jolly fine expat.
As a stranger in a strange land you will have to learn almost everything from scratch – from where to find a reliable doctor to where to catch the bus to work, from how to queue at the bank to where best to shop for a light bulb!
Everything you take for granted now will be taken away. If this thrills you and makes you think of rediscovering your inner child as you go on an adventure of discovery then you’ve got the right attitude. If the thought makes you feel distinctly unsettled then perhaps you should not relocate!
If on the other hand you fear you will miss all that is familiar and the travel required to get ‘back home’ seems too long for comfort, then maybe you won’t like the fact that you’re living abroad.
If you think that there’s nowhere in the world that’s so alien you can’t make it home then you’re well poised for travel and adventure!
For example - if you believe that bribing officials is wholly wrong on all levels and you are certain that it could never be right, when you’re in a nation where oiling wheels with cash is not only acceptable it’s the only way to get anywhere, (and there really are countries like that!!), you’re going to struggle with your conscience and find life tough.
As an expat you need to be flexible, adaptable and good at problem solving and working around obstacles.
If on the other hand you worry when everything doesn’t go according to (your) plan or when you can’t understand why a process has to be done a certain way, you will struggle abroad. You will forever come up against conundrums and annoying situations, but if you can just let it go and not sweat any of the small stuff because it really doesn’t matter in the greater scheme of things, you’ll be just fine!
If you believe that you’re free, if you feel no real burdens of heavy responsibility, if you accept that you’re ‘allowed’ to go where you want and seek out fulfillment of your own dreams then you’ll be able to travel and enjoy where you travel to.
If instead you find that you’re held down or back by thoughts of others or of your responsibilities, you may find it hard to embrace a new life abroad and make it all you want to.
If you’re able to adapt to fit in, you’re happy and willing to learn new ways of doing the same old thing and you feel ready to take on life outside of your current comfort zone, and you’d say you’re adaptable you’ll make a mighty fine expat.
You need to want to go! You need to want to experience the thrill of adventure, to embrace the challenges and to step into the unknown and discover it…otherwise what’s the point of you even considering moving abroad?
Living overseas is fabulous – it can change you, challenge your beliefs, it can give you a whole new perspective and make sense out of a lot of things. If you desire it, if you know that there is more out there for you – don’t hold back. Yes, it is normal to worry just a little bit about how you will adapt and adjust, but if you really want to be an expat and see more of the world, you will rise to the challenges totally naturally and learn to embrace all that life throws at you.
Original post at http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/7-personality-traits-successful-expatriate-10877
We received an interesting email over the weekend from a British man who’s been offered a job abroad. Essentially he wanted to know whether he should accept the (very generous) job offer and relocate to Asia, having never lived or worked overseas before…and he wanted our advice.
The email has inspired this article because it provoked a very strong reaction in me! The guy listed all the concerns he had about adapting to a new life abroad, juxtaposed against this really attractive job offer, but never once did he display any excitement at the prospect of starting a new life abroad in what is a fascinating yet particularly challenging country!
Far be it for us at Shelter Offshore to give advice to anyone about any aspect of their life – we just don’t feel qualified! But what we can tell you are the 7 personality traits you really do require if you want to be successful as an expatriate – and as we told the man in question, ‘are you really ready for a complete change of every aspect of your life?’ If you are then you’re on the right track, and if you’re not, then why are you even thinking about moving abroad!
If you were offered a good job in a very foreign land would you think twice about taking it? Would you be thrilled at the thought of learning all about a new culture, of discovering a new city, a new country, a new continent? Would you disregard the minutiae of the move, confident in your own abilities to make your new life work? Or would you feel the fear?
Would you be afraid of the challenges that your new every day life would inevitably bring you – from finding a bakery to buy your daily bread to figuring out the trains to get you to work? Would the thought of leaving your family and friends overwhelm you?
The reason for asking these questions is to really make you think about who you are and how you would face the realities of a new life abroad before you sign up and commit to a relocation. Many make the leap without giving the move a seconds thought – and many go on to love their new life abroad. Others plan the move for months in advance and over-think it, arrive and hate it!
So you see, it doesn’t really matter how you go about making the move – it’s who you are inside that will decide whether you make the most of your new life abroad or not. There are 7 personality traits that are really essential if you want to be a successful expatriate – and whilst you can succeed in building a new life even if you don’t possess these traits, if you DO possess them you’d make a jolly fine expat.
1) You See Challenges as Opportunities
If you see a challenge as a chance to learn, discover or try something new then you have the right attitude to succeed as an expatriate! If on the other hand you hate facing challenges in your life and the thought of having to learn a whole new way of doing pretty much everything daunts you, forget it!As a stranger in a strange land you will have to learn almost everything from scratch – from where to find a reliable doctor to where to catch the bus to work, from how to queue at the bank to where best to shop for a light bulb!
Everything you take for granted now will be taken away. If this thrills you and makes you think of rediscovering your inner child as you go on an adventure of discovery then you’ve got the right attitude. If the thought makes you feel distinctly unsettled then perhaps you should not relocate!
2) You Believe it’s a Small World
If you think that it’s a small world and you’re thrilled when you see similarities around the planet or when you meet up with people who, thanks to the six degrees of separation concept, have ties to your old life then you probably won’t be daunted by distance.If on the other hand you fear you will miss all that is familiar and the travel required to get ‘back home’ seems too long for comfort, then maybe you won’t like the fact that you’re living abroad.
If you think that there’s nowhere in the world that’s so alien you can’t make it home then you’re well poised for travel and adventure!
3) You Can Think Outside the Box
Linear thinking is not a good trait to live by if you’re an expatriate – in your new life abroad you will face all sorts of challenges to your every day world and you will even be challenged in terms of your beliefs and perhaps even your morals! You need to adapt the way you think to the situation.For example - if you believe that bribing officials is wholly wrong on all levels and you are certain that it could never be right, when you’re in a nation where oiling wheels with cash is not only acceptable it’s the only way to get anywhere, (and there really are countries like that!!), you’re going to struggle with your conscience and find life tough.
As an expat you need to be flexible, adaptable and good at problem solving and working around obstacles.
4) You Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
If you can look past the fact that shops shut at annoying hours, you can ignore the fact that ‘things’ don’t always work as advertised, that time keeping is a foreign concept and that you have to jump through random hoops to get to where you need to be bureaucratically speaking, and you really don’t let any of it bother you, you’ll go far!If on the other hand you worry when everything doesn’t go according to (your) plan or when you can’t understand why a process has to be done a certain way, you will struggle abroad. You will forever come up against conundrums and annoying situations, but if you can just let it go and not sweat any of the small stuff because it really doesn’t matter in the greater scheme of things, you’ll be just fine!
5) You Feel Free
Do you feel shackled by a burden of responsibility to your mortgage company, the taxman, your family or just your employer? Or do you believe that you’re free to live your life the way you want to (as long as you stick within the law of course)?!If you believe that you’re free, if you feel no real burdens of heavy responsibility, if you accept that you’re ‘allowed’ to go where you want and seek out fulfillment of your own dreams then you’ll be able to travel and enjoy where you travel to.
If instead you find that you’re held down or back by thoughts of others or of your responsibilities, you may find it hard to embrace a new life abroad and make it all you want to.
6) You Are Adaptable
Whilst you may have a fairly good idea about the country you’re moving to because you’ve holidayed there or because the native language is the same as your own, you will still find situations and people that challenge you when you live in a new nation.If you’re able to adapt to fit in, you’re happy and willing to learn new ways of doing the same old thing and you feel ready to take on life outside of your current comfort zone, and you’d say you’re adaptable you’ll make a mighty fine expat.
7) You Desire Change
Ultimately you need to want to experience a change in your life if you’re to be happy abroad. If you love your current life but feel you ‘should’ take a job offer overseas because it will give you more money, or you’re following a spouse or a friend overseas out of a sense of duty, how will you find happiness?You need to want to go! You need to want to experience the thrill of adventure, to embrace the challenges and to step into the unknown and discover it…otherwise what’s the point of you even considering moving abroad?
Living overseas is fabulous – it can change you, challenge your beliefs, it can give you a whole new perspective and make sense out of a lot of things. If you desire it, if you know that there is more out there for you – don’t hold back. Yes, it is normal to worry just a little bit about how you will adapt and adjust, but if you really want to be an expat and see more of the world, you will rise to the challenges totally naturally and learn to embrace all that life throws at you.
Original post at http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/7-personality-traits-successful-expatriate-10877
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