As expats we have probably done our fair share of reinvention – living in a completely new country, surrounded by new sights, sounds and smells, new language(s), culture and even food that can bring about change both in our lifestyle and our attitude to living.
People choose to reinvent themselves for all manner of reasons – because they are unhappy with where they are, or their business isn’t generating the rewards it should. Because of a need to keep up with what is happening in the business world around them, or something isn’t working for them, financially, emotionally, or environmentally.
First choose! Unless you are committed to changing something, nothing will change. Sounds a bit obvious, but it’s amazing how part of you may be niggling about not wanting to change anything. Really you like it how it is and you are “comfortable” with the habit, or the easier life. Making a change may appear to be very difficult and involve a lot of stepping into the dark and jumping out of that plane freefalling before the parachute (if there is one!) kicks in.
Waiting for the “how” will paralyse you into doing nothing! “How” can be such a big word which represents something so daunting when its actually only three letters. “How” can come later so lets replace the H of how with an N and start with NOW
If you really aren’t sure about taking the first step, then this exercise may help with your decision-making. Start by creating a square with four sections on a piece of paper, or your computer. In the first box write what you want to change. In the next box write why? In the third box what happens if you don’t change and in the final box write “the future” once you make the change.
Now you have your thoughts, use this to drive your decision forward.
Next create a time plan of how you will make the change, broken down into smaller chunks; small bite-size pieces so it doesn’t seem such a daunting task. Spend time on this part as it will be your plan over the coming months and years. Put some timelines in too – with dates when you will achieve each part of the plan.
If you are a visual person, why not create a board with pictures of what your future will look like once change has taken place. Look at it every day to encourage yourself to keep moving forward.
It might also be a good idea to chat through your ideas with a friend, or business mentor. Someone with whom you can share the plan and give you guidance on areas where you may see a blockage, but they see more of helicopter view of where you are trying to head and the changes you need to make to get there.
Of course there will be moments, minutes, hours, days or even weeks when you will be tempted to go back to the beginning and start again. However go back through your original “Change Plan” and remember why you decided that change was for you.