1. You will free yourself from mind-numbing routine.
It is a serious condition, being stuck in a rut. And 93% of people don’t even realize they are trapped in one. Researching about moving overseas and savoring International Living publications is already shifting your rut. Thinking, planning, and dreaming about your future expat adventure puts a disruptive spanner in your rut cogs.
2. You will get younger!
Okay, so once you have eased into your new expat paradise, you figure out that living in a different country means you have to use your brain a little more. And, as it starts to tick over, it is kind of a nice feeling, like giving your brain a complete reboot.
Some reboot their brain by learning the local language. There are often small language schools and plenty of private tutors available and they are very affordable.
Others use their brains to work out local transport systems and others how to find weekly supplies. It is a steep learning curve but that is not a bad thing.
Current brain theory suggests that as we age we need to use our brain in different ways to keep up healthy brain function. No-one wants to get all “dotty” and confused as they age. Getting out of your rut and thinking in new ways is going to help revive your cognitive functions. So, your brain will get younger!
3. You will have time to spend on the important things.
Moving to a country where living costs less money has the most amazing, life-changing advantage ever. If you don’t have to spend time sweating out a living, and you are not paying much for rent and bills, you will find yourself with an unusual prize.
Time.
Now that you are an expat, you will have time. Time to spend on the most important person in the universe, YOU.
Living in a country that can provide an affordable lifestyle means that you will need to get busy doing the things that you love. This may be further travel, helping out at community events, learning to play the guitar, or flamenco lessons.
Personally, I’ve been way too busy to join the gym yet, but it is still on the list.
I like to look at it as a personal growth plan. You will able to do the things that feed your soul.
And let’s face it, it doesn’t get better than that.
4. Broaden your world and it will broaden your mind
Oh boy do I hate clichés but I do have to admit that there is truth in some of them.
When you settle into your new country you really do begin to see life through fresh eyes. And, to be honest, it is such a refreshing thing. One example that comes to mind for me personally is the idea that in Thailand (my country of choice) people often bow.
At first this made me uncomfortable. I am a person who is against hierarchies. I like the idea that we are all equally important in this world. When I was told that a person of my “position” shouldn’t bow to someone of a lower position first, I felt uneasy with it.
I have since found out that if I break the cultural behaviors here, I can actually make the other person feel uncomfortable. I really had to challenge my belief systems. I had to see through and beyond my own sets of values and culture to solve my dilemma. I realized that I had no right to impose my belief systems onto my newly adopted country.
I have found a way to live with my values even though I am still respecting the values of my new home country. I believe I am a better person for it.
5. You will never be boring again
A few years back I was at a memorable dinner party and someone cheekily suggested that marital relationships should be over once you have heard all of your partner’s “stories”.
He continued to state that if you begin to hear the same stories for the third time, the relationship is dead.
Although I don’t subscribe to his point of view, I still think there is some validity in having a life where new “stories” are being created on a daily basis.
The last 10 years of my working life, I admit I had the same stories. But since becoming an expat, my story file is extending exponentially. I have the one about the piña coladas and the tuk-tuk race, the hike in the jungle when I heard a lion roar, the day my 76-year-old mother (an expat too) went to the Night Bazaar to get a tattoo, and many stories of me making a general fool of myself in front of the patient locals.
You will never be boring (or bored) again. After all, the expat life isn’t about “the good old days”, it’s about the wonderful days ahead.
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