The Secret of Adapting Anywhere
If you arrive at a new destination and keep longing for your prior one, have you arrived at all?
Imagine instead, if you land somewhere in the world and feel at home, even temporarily, and create happiness for you and those around you.
Aren’t you then starting your transition on the right foot while in charge of your new life?
Many times during short (sometimes long) transitions, expatriates adopt the “I’m not going to be here long enough, so why bother” attitude.
But in fact, it’s by arriving with our bodies, minds, and souls that we can experience a sense of home anywhere.
I’m not saying that it’ll be easy. But, I promise that it’s by being present and taking responsibility for your transition that you’ll start the process of adaptation and become resourceful in finding solutions for your challenges.
Consider a family of five living in the United States during the 1960’s. The father was a consultant, and the mother was busy taking care of their three young boys. Both parents desired to create home during the family’s frequent moves. To do so, this wise couple carried paintings to decorate hotel rooms and temporary apartments, guaranteeing that the children created a sense of belonging and of home.
That’s taking responsibility for creating their desired results.
Wherever you go in life, unpack your bags – physically and mentally – and plant your trees. Too many people never live in the now because they assume the time is too short to settle in. They don’t plant trees because they expect to be gone before the trees bear fruit. But if you keep thinking about the next move, you’ll never live fully where you are. When it’s time to go, then it’s time to go, but you won’t have missed what this experience was about. If you never eat from the trees, someone else will. Charles Frame was author Ruth Van Renken’s father.
If we’re going to adapt, thrive and enjoy our lives at any location, it’s essential that we arrive and plant our seeds without expectations.
