Have you set clear goals for yourself as an expat? Do you know what you want to have accomplished by the end of your stay overseas?

Developing a vision for your expat life is particularly important when relocating entails a major lifestyle change. A typical example is that of accompanying partners who cannot find employment in their new country of residence. The transition from successful professional to stay-at-home mom or dad can be quite challenging.

When key elements of your identity, such as your professional status, undergo a radical change, you may find that your life suddenly lacks direction. Having a personal project to focus on makes it much easier to retain a sense of purpose and get out of bed in the morning.

I speak from personal experience. Shortly after moving to Canada, I lost my focus.
What happened? Well, I spent all of my energy on my short-term goal: to make it through the first 6 months and to find a job- any job- so that I could support myself in Vancouver.
There was nothing wrong with this goal per se, of course. The problem was that I neglected to set longer-term objectives as well. As a result, I stayed stuck in dead-end jobs for far too long. On a personal level, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by kind, supportive, wonderful people but I did not focus on growing my networks beyond my circle of friends and acquaintances. In other words, I was in a rut.
I did eventually get back on track, but what a waste of time and opportunities…

I wish I’d had a coach or a mentor back then, someone who would have inspired me to get my act together and be more ambitious!
In fact, one of the reasons why I became an expatriation coach is because I do not want to see other expats repeat the same mistakes I made.

I urge you to take the time to come up with an exciting vision for your future.
Get crystal-clear on your goals and how you plan to achieve them.

Expatriation is a wonderful opportunity to learn, grow and reinvent yourself; so go for it with gusto!

Emmanuelle