Not too bad, is it?

Now, I know that only self-improvement aficionados can go through this much introspection without asking themselves: “What’s in it for me? Practical applications, please?”

Here are a few:

- Practical Use #1: Decision making
Expat life is fraught with important decisions. From accepting an international assignment to begin with, to choosing the right type of school for your children and eventually deciding when and where to repatriate, you will come to many major crossroads.
When you ponder which path to choose, your values are your compass. They point you toward your true north- what you need to feel truly fulfilled in life.

Here is an example: Your spouse just accepted an assignment to a country you have always wanted to see. It is a short-term mission of nine months. Should you move temporarily too, or should you stay put?

What is on your list of values? If you value community, friendships, career and stability, chances are you may be happier if you stayed behind, where you can rely on your established networks and a more predictable environment. On the other hand, if you put a premium on adventure, learning, seizing the day and closeness with your partner, then by all means ask for a leave of absence and pack your bags!

- Practical use #2: Goal setting
If your values are your compass, then your goals are your road map. It makes sense to check that they point in the same direction before embarking on your journey.

If at work you are vying for that high-paying, exotic-sounding assignment in Cairo, but you highly value orderliness and quiet… well, let’s just say that you may be better off seeing the pyramids on a holiday, rather than relocating to a busy, noisy and rather chaotic capital city.

This does not mean that you have to give up on either a high-paying job or the expat life. Design new goals that will get you there and support your values at the same time. You could seek a promotion in your current office and later, take a sabbatical to see the world. Or you could look for other assignments that would take you to cities better suited to your personality, such as Brussels or Stockholm.

In the whirlwind of change and activity that comes with international relocation, it is all too easy to let circumstances dictate our goals. Check in with your values on a regular basis and make sure you are not living on autopilot, chasing goals that do not truly serve you.

- Practical use #3: Time management
Take a look at your calendar. Does the way you spend your time support your values? If not, what activities could you redesign, delegate or let go of altogether?

Let’s say that friendship, ease, warmth and informality are some of your core values. Recreating a tight-knit group of friends soon after relocating is a high priority for you. Looking at your calendar, you may find that you have been attending a lot of social functions at various clubs and at the embassy. Yes, you do get to meet fellow expats this way, but is this really the best use of your time?

Because you value ease, warmth and informality, you may feel like a fish out of water at formal cocktail parties where you have to dress up and “work the room”. You may find that these events run too late at night, leaving you with decreased energy the day after.

So what about going to fewer formal events, which would free up several evenings a month and leave your energy intact? How can you put this newfound time and energy to good use? You could brainstorm a number of ways to keep making friends:
- Going for coffee dates
- Hosting a monthly family-style dinner at home
- Throwing a neighbourhood potluck party
The only limit to your imagination is that you want to spend your time with friends in a way that reflect your down-to-earth values.

If that helps, you may want to block off chunks of time in your calendar to ensure that you get enough of the friendship and the warmth that you value throughout your week. Make time for what really matters to you first, then let the rest fall into place.

With this post, our series on core values and identity comes to an end. Is there something I left off that you would like to add? Is there a stumbling block to figuring out your values that you would like me to address? Let me know in the comments!

Emmanuelle

Related posts: How Well Do You Know Yourself?, Identify Your Values, Define Yourself From The Inside Out and Whose Values Are These Anyway?