Beyond The Comfort Zone – The Expat Journey

Turning An Unwanted Move Across The World... Into An Adventure

Multicultural Children and The World, Our expat journeyI’ve included several personal articles about a move overseas to a location that is often harshly judged and feared because:

  1. Because I LOVE leading change.
  2. Three years of our lives were filled with continuous unwanted change.  …So much so that it was like being hit with enormous waves, each one would knock us down, we would stand again, and another would hit.  It was such a confusing and painful time that to this day tears surface when I think about it.  When the waves stopped crashing there was not much about our lives that looked the same.  And then the transformation within us began.
  3. Because individuals and organizations need direction and encouragement as they navigate their own seasons of change.  (Did you know that year after year, Critical Human Capital Issues continue to be change related?)

My hope is:

  • That by sharing the details and the emotions of our expat journey that you or someone you love will find encouragement for whatever you are in the midst of.
  • That you will be reminded that you are not alone in the struggle to navigate change.
  • That you will find inspiration and answers for the changes you are navigating.
  • That when you are ready, you will help others by sharing your story!

You really can turn unwanted change into an adventure!  #Expat


When we were asked to make this move I imagined that life would look and feel as brown and desolate as the image below.

Thriving in unknown environments

This is our journey:  

November 2012 – As we contemplated the decision but did not tell anyone I wrote this post:

December 2012 – After we made the decision to go, and the reality started to set in but  we could not yet share what was happening I wrote this post: 

Turning unwanted change into an adventureWhen we were finally able to share what we were doing with the world these words became our vision:

As we prepared for the journey:

April – June 2013 – The first 3 months:Expat woman cloak of invisibility

Leadership Lessons from Amsterdam #ExpatJuly – September 2013 – The second trimester:

October – December 2013 – The third trimester:  

The Treasury at Petra Jordan #ExpatA vacation in Jordan proved it is possible to turn unwanted change into an adventure.

Agents of Change: Expat Wives iStockJan 2014:  A series honoring “The Real Housewives of Expat Men”

 

A new perspective at the Pyramids - Egypt #ExpatCarpe Diem! Seize The Day - Lessons from ItalyThe rest of 2014:  More powerful leadership and life lessons

EXPECTATIONS - How low should you go?"I can't do this!"2015:  Lessons are always there if you want to learn!   

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.  To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.  To expose feeling is to risk exposing your true self.  To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd, is to risk their loss.

 To love is to risk not being loved in return.  To live is to risk dying.  To hope is to risk despair.  To try is to risk failure.

 But risk MUST be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.  The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

 He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.  Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave; he has forfeited freedom.

 Only a person who risks is free.

 

Image Credits:  iStock & Personal 

Is your comfort zone limiting you?

Are you missing out on life, on your dreams and on your purpose by staying in your comfort zone?

  • Do you desire to live an adventurous life but are afraid to travel?
  • Do you wish you could make a big difference in the world but are afraid to be visible?
  • Do you wish a loved one would say they love you or are proud of you?  ..But you’re afraid to speak those words first?
  • Are you struggling to find a job, but not sure how to ask for help?  

Comfort or Magic? Go? Stay? Stay? Go?

A few months ago I received this image from Debbie Laskey.

This simple image and 7 words (Your Comfort Zone – Where The Magic Happens) were so powerful that I was immediately impacted.  Since then I have continually shared the photo to illustrate how our daily choices impact individual lives, families and organizations.

Today I was thinking about:

  • People with dreams that are so big they seem impossible.
  • People that have recently experienced a life-altering event and are struggling to believe that good things will ever happen again.
  • Organizations that are seeking to breathe life into a vision that is larger than any one person or department.
  • People that have lived so long in a comfort zone that can’t yet see how it is killing their imaginations, their dreams, their joy, their health and their relationships…

Students

As a Hiring Manager, a former Career Services Director, and a former Recruiter – I’ve coached thousands of teens, college graduates and adults through the struggle to choose between opportunities and their comfort zones.

Pop Your Bubble

And as someone that has relocated multiple times within the U.S., and then to a land that I once feared… I know both the struggle and the growth that come from living outside of our familiar bubbles.


Beyond Your Bubble

A 2-hour workshop that leverages stories from Saudi Arabia while emphasizing critical life skills that your students need.  Young men and women will acquire current information about another culture while learning to embrace discomfort, think critically, problem solve and become more compassionate.  Our students were fixated on Chery’s words!

Chery gave one of the most interesting presentations I have ever heard. Our students were fixated on Chery’s words! They knew that this was REAL life; someone who had truly experienced veering out of their own comfort zone by encountering life in another country. She communicated with the kids in such a manner that they were genuinely engaged. As a teacher, I was so impressed with Chery’s dedication and passion. It is evident that she has a genuine care and compassion for people, especially our youth. Chery is very personable and her compassion shines through. Her kind and supportive approach drew the students out of their own comfort zone, seeking answers to questions they had.-Bev Frank
Geography Teacher, Beulah, ND

View More Testimonials Here


CALL NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Giana Consulting

 

 

9 Ways that the Fear of Conflict Kills and Destroys

Some people and organizations hate conflict.

They fear:

  1. Discomfort
  2. Disagreements
  3. Judgmental words
  4. Explosive behavior
  5. Relationships struggling or ending

Then they allow that fear to drive their results!

  • Some feel victimized by the past and hold so tightly to those emotions that they experience less joy and less productivity.
  • Others have rumbling fires of anger burning about present issues. Occasionally smoke seeps out as they vent to those closest to them. As those fires continue to grow everyone is at risk of their eventual eruption.
  • Some are unwilling to learn an alternative way of dealing with conflict.
  • Others don’t realize there is an alternative.
  • And none realize that their choice to wait for the other party to change, is spreading growth-eating bacteria throughout their organization.