Are you fed up with your mundane day-to-day working life?
Does the thought of getting out of bed in the morning when it’s cold and dark outside depress you?
Are you dreaming of starting a brand new life overseas?
Would you like to know how to find the courage and commitment to make your new life abroad a reality?
Then read on, get the facts that you need to start planning your new life today…
Research shows that at any one time more than half of us are dreaming of a new life overseas, but few actually succeed in making the transition from fantasy to reality.
I’ve done it, and I know others who have too, but at the same time whenever I speak to my friends ‘back home’ I hear the same old same old: -
“I wish I had your courage…”
“I wish I could do what you’ve done…”
It’s true, to completely turn everything on its head and start your life all over again in a foreign country is an incredible undertaking, but it’s far from impossible! And those of us who have actually bitten the bullet and taken the chance have reaped the rewards.
The quality of life I now enjoy is unsurpassable!
I left my 50 hour working week and 15 hour commuting week behind…
I gave up the rainy grey days…
I established my own business in one of the sunniest spots on earth…
I wake up every day when I’ve finished sleeping…and I no longer suffer from the extreme tiredness that was the main feature of my life before I relocated abroad.
Yes at times it has been oh so hard - but I don’t regret a single moment of what I’ve done!
So, if you’d like to know how to: -
Define your new life
Find your motivation for making your new life happen
Overcome any fears or uncertainty
Practically work to find your ideal destination
Avoid some of the more common pitfalls
And ultimately find the courage and strength to go about making your dreams come true, let Shelter Offshore guide you.
Step One - What is it about your current life that you would like to change?
This will be the most important step on your road to getting a new life - finding out whether you really do want a new life or whether you simply need to make adjustments to your current life - it’s all about finding your motivation!
Even if you’re certain that you’ve considered what you’d be giving up and leaving behind, and you’re convinced you know exactly how a new life abroad will benefit you, please, just humour me and do the following exercise…
Take a look at the following areas of your life. Write down honestly and exactly why you are dissatisfied or disillusioned with them, or how you would like to change them. Then write down if and how moving abroad will bring you closer to satisfaction in these areas.
Hopefully there are areas of your life that you are perfectly happy with, if that’s the case, make a note of how these areas of your life will be affected if you move overseas - either positively or negatively.
a) Your work/job/career.
Consider the hours you work, your commute time, your general working environment and your future career potential.
b) Your living environment/your home/your home town.
What are your living costs, your mortgage/rental costs and how much of your monthly income is taken up with these bills, how much financial commitment do you have? What do you like/dislike about your home, living conditions and the area in which you live?
c) Your personal/family life.
Consider the strength of your family ties - from your primary relationship to the bond you have with your parents and siblings. Do you have children, how are they developing in the environment in which you live. Do you have set familial commitments, if so detail them, if you have a partner do they share your dreams for a new life abroad?
d) Your social life.
What are your main areas of interest outside of work and the home? Do you have time to pursue and develop your interests? Do you have close friendships and set commitments that go with those friendships.
The point of this exercise is getting a reality check and ultimately defining your motivation for seeking a new life.
Firstly it forces you to examine what it is about your current life that you hate and what it is you love. It forces you to consider what you can and must change and what you really don’t want to change.
Now if you already have your destination and new life abroad all planned you can ask yourself whether it will actually fill the satisfaction gaps that you have in your life and whether it matches and supports those areas of your life that you would like to keep ‘just so.’
Don’t worry if your plan just went a little awry, with the knowledge you have gained from this exercise you can do more research, do more planning, whatever it takes to make the reality match and fit the dream.
You can keep coming back to what’s important to keep and what’s important to change as you progress with your planning. This will make sure you stay on track and aren’t running away from something negative only for it to follow you, and you aren’t leaving behind something important.
Once you have your motivation defined this will guide the rest of your journey.
