Travel is an opportunity to discover not only new places and people but most importantly yourself.
Becoming Resilient
Starting a new life in a far off place can help you build emotional strength around change and how you approach the challenges that can surface after your transition. Heck, it doesn't even have to be a far off place! Any change in community near or far can help you build a stronger perspective on how you adapt. Over my ten years+ abroad, I have definitely become more open and willing to change and have learned to be more mindful in my approach of twists and turns of the expat life.
Strengthening your Confidence
You will definitely build on your confidence level through relocation. Putting yourself in a new country, or region of country, can help you with the courage to get yourself out there and be seen. It can be intimidating at first but by immersing yourself in a different community, you are literally forced to step outside your comfort zone and strengthen your authentic self. You will be learning new things around different areas of your new home such as the people, customs, daily life, cuisine, societal differences, politics, work ethics, etc... all of these things impact the way you engage with people and how you see yourself.
Creating more Self Awareness
Relocating will bring you a whole new sense of self awareness. It helped me to see who I really was as opposed to who I really wanted to be. Being an expat forced me to step back and take a look at myself in a way that I don't think would have happened otherwise. It helped me surface the woman that was scratching to get out! If you are dealing with inner struggles in any phase of life, relocating can be your blessing in disguise and help you surrender and release to all that is not serving you. Sometimes just putting yourself in a different setting can help you see things differently around who you are. You just have to trust and be open to the possibilities.
Empowerment through Compassion and Patience
Living abroad will instill a more compassionate and patient mindset, again, not only with others but with yourself. You'll begin to develop a liking, if not love, of your new home and the new friends you will make who support you. Patience is definitely a virtue in relocation! Sooner or later it will set in and you'll see that the world is a beautiful place be and live.
If you're already living the expat life, please share below how it has changed you.
With Gratitude x
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