Hi {{ subscriber.first_name }},

I spent 50% of my life living far from home.

In hindsight, I learned a few things about mindset and behaviours:

1. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕 💀

There’s no booklet or guideline for fitting into a new culture. Too many people move around countries without spending enough time understanding the culture of the new country and the company they work for.

1. 𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 🔎

The biggest mistake you can make is to assume what people think or mean when you deal with them. This is a universal law, but it’s more important when you deal with different cultures and languages. Stop assuming. Start asking for clarification.

1. 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 🗣

It’s not just about the language. It’s the gestures, tone, ways of talking, pausing, listening, asking. When you live and work abroad, you’ll experience more misunderstandings. Invest more time and efforts in mastering your communication.

1. 𝑭𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦

You should spend time learning the culture but people around you don’t wait as long. Especially at work. They expect you to fit in immediately. They don’t see the hard work that you do behind the scenes to adapt your way to the new context.

1. 𝑨𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔 🥋

Adapting is important but stay true to your core values and virtuous behaviors because it’s easy to get off track by following someone else’s path. Don’t change to please others to feel more included. Change only if this is necessary for your personal growth.

1. 𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 ‘𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈’ 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 🌎

Many expats rebuild their own country in a new country. If you see how they behave or go to their houses, it’s like they never left. It’s the “little china, Italy, etc.” syndrome. You’ll always miss home but you’ll never fit in by rebuilding your past.

1. 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔 🇮🇹

You’ll make new friends, expand your network, and learn a bunch of new things s but never forget your past, your friends, or your country. Your past formed your thinking and created your identity. Forgetting your origins is just a way to hide your true self.

1. 𝑩𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒚 😪

You can get lonely when you live abroad. Every time you move, you need to start from scratch. New friends, new colleagues, new neighbors. And the older you get, the harder it becomes. Commit to building your social life as soon as you start a new journey.

Living abroad has been a gift for me but it’s not a plug-and-go.

Be ready to make sacrifices.

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Listen to this wonderful episode here.

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Andrea Petrone

Human Performance & Leadership Advisor to CEOs, CXOs and their Teams | Speaker | Facilitator

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