Expats, what impact do you have in your world?

Posted on 17. Jan, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Musings & Inspiration, Tools & Resources
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If you are reading this blog, chances are that you consciously decided to live your expat life to the fullest. You value personal growth and self-discovery. You are probably aware of the importance of setting goals and working on a personal project.

Now let us add another layer: Are you aware of the impact you have in your world?

That is right. Through working on your personal goals and living your own life, you also get a chance to inspire, motivate or change other people’s lives.

If this sounds way too lofty or downright silly (a sure sign that your Inner Critic is at work, by the way!), try asking yourself: “What do people get from being around me?”

Maybe you have a knack for cheering up others when they are feeling down. Maybe you are a great listener, confidante and sounding board. Maybe your adventurous, positive and ambitious personality inspires others to tackle their own challenges.
You get the idea. Your style of relating to other people is one of your personal talents. It is a gift you can give simply by being you.

How can you bring even more of it to your world?

My impact: Reframing

Through various coaching exercises, I came to realize that my personal talent is reframing.
I have no idea why it took me so long to see it. It may just be that I never took the time to ask myself what impact I have on others. In hindsight, reframing has always been a major theme in my life.

Friends often come to me when they feel stuck or preoccupied, knowing full well that my input may be a little irreverent, humourous and- hopefully- insightful.

When I work my clients, I help them see different perspectives and new opportunities. They thank me for creating new possibilities in their lives, but in fact I did not. I simply helped them shift the way they think about themselves.

Come to think of it, I sometimes even give myself a dose of my own medicine. When I feel scared, upset, unmotivated, what have you, I will often start an internal dialogue that sounds like “OK Emmanuelle, looks like we are going through a rough patch here. Now what are the facts, and what is so upsetting about them? What are we not seeing? What is a different way to look at the situation?”

The bottom line: Don’t just stand there, go have an impact!

As a coach and business owner, knowing I have a talent for reframing is not about boasting, or writing marketing copy. It is about knowing my impact and making it my mission. Look, I hate bloated, empty “mission statements” with the fire of a thousand suns. I will not be “proactively leveraging assets to create synergy” anytime soon. But saying “I will reach out to as many people as I can to help them reframe and have a positive impact in their lives”? Now that is a mission I can live with.

Your turn now! As an expat, you are ideally positioned to bring a different perspective, to open people’s minds, to be a breath of fresh air. How can you take your personal talent and share it with your host country, your community and the people around you?
Will it be through work, volunteering, being the best neighbour and friend you can be? The possibilities are endless…

Emmanuelle