Navigating your Breakthrough Abroad

We all want to live as our true, authentic selves no matter the circumstances. Whether that means we’re on a quest to increase self-confidence or exploring another aspect of personal improvement, we want to see ourselves as capable of making changes that will lead to a truer expression of who we are. But when it comes to the challenge of living and working abroad, we might find ourselves faced with more breakdowns than personal breakthroughs.

Moving to Norway so my husband could pursue a new job, I was determined to meet the challenges of living in a new country head on. I began learning the language and continued pursuing my career path even as I struggled to connect to my new neighbors, colleagues, and potential employers. My breakdown came while I was doing my best, trying to hold it all together. I was giving a presentation in my new language that I hoped would launch my career in Norway. Fighting back nerves, I managed to get through the presentation in Norwegian and felt a moment of triumph. Then, a hand went up in the audience. I had meticulously memorized my presentation in Norwegian, but I hadn’t been prepared to use my new language to answer questions. I had to respond in English and after the meeting, I was told I was not learning the new language fast enough to be a viable candidate.

Living abroad as an American, you’ll be faced with a range of situations that invite both breakdown and breakthrough. What I now know but didn’t realize at the time was how my breakdown moment was actually laying the groundwork for transformation and breakthrough. According to Lisa Nichols and Sean Smith, there are three major components that are needed to achieve a breakthrough: irritation; declaration; and new action. When we come up against the point of irritation – whether you’re trying to impress a potential employer in your new language or just trying to navigate the grocery store in your new home – that presents the opportunity to declare. Are we going to let things stay as they are? Are we going to give up? Or will we push forward with authenticity and vulnerability? When we make a declaration that we will move forward, we initiate the breakthrough because we become open to the new actions we could take to change life as it is.

The beautiful thing about this model when we think about authentigration is that it welcomes the struggle and the hardship that we have to embrace as part of our quest to live as our authentic selves after moving abroad. There will be many moments of breakdown – from grieving your old life to dealing with culture shock. But we can learn how to embrace those moments as part of our authentic journey, something that The Authentigration Program will teach you how to do with greater certainty and confidence.

Questions for Reflection:

·       Have you had a moment of breakdown recently? What was it like?

·       What new challenges do you think you’ll face as you transition to living abroad?

·       What kinds of emotions do those challenges bring up with you?

·       What does authentically navigating a breakthrough mean to you?