Seize Tomorrow and Whisper Your Grand Adventure Into Being

Summary

The website content provides tips from the book "Let’s Leave the Country! A Guide to Your Family Year Abroad" on how to communicate and actualize the dream of living abroad, emphasizing the importance of sharing your plans with others to make it a reality.

Abstract

The article encourages individuals to vocalize their aspirations of living overseas to transform their dream into a tangible goal. It suggests that discussing your intentions can lead to valuable contacts and support, despite the potential discomfort or vulnerability involved. The author, Jacqueline Jannotta, advises engaging with online communities like Medium's Globetrotters and The Expat Chronicles, practicing how to articulate your adventure, and owning your dream without needing all the answers. The article reassures readers that the current post-pandemic climate is more accepting of bold life choices and that speaking (or writing) about your vision makes it feel more real and attainable.

Opinions

Sharing your goal of living abroad can lead to finding helpful contacts and diminish the shock factor once plans are in motion.
There is a balance between privacy and openness; while some may prefer to keep plans private, others can benefit from sharing their vision.
Discussing your dream with the right people increases the likelihood of realizing it.
Practicing how to communicate your goal is important for framing your adventure positively and confidently.
The societal shift post-pandemic has made people more open to seizing the day and embracing significant life changes.
The author acknowledges that sharing life plans can be uncomfortable, especially for introverts, and suggests referring back to one's 'Why' for motivation.
The article is part of a series providing 'Save It For Someday Tips' from the author's book, aiming to empower readers to embark on their own adventures abroad.

Tips from my book “Let’s Leave the Country! A Guide to Your Family Year Abroad”

Photo by SawitreeLyaon from Getty Images/Canva

I’ve been sharing tips from my book for those who hope to spend extended time abroad someday. Up until now, all the tips have centered around initial data-gathering and explorations. But the following tip is the one where you get out of fantasy and research mode, and start communicating your intention:

Don’t be shy about bringing up your goal of living overseas someday. People might categorize it as a mere pipe dream, but when you put your plans in action, no one will be shocked. And you might even reap the benefit of gathering key contacts as the word leaks out.

Once you begin talking about your idea, you signal to others that you want it to be a reality. This can feel risky for any number of reasons: Will you feel supported or judged? Will you feel pressured to answer questions you’re not ready for yet?

You might understandably think, “What I’m planning is nobody’s business but my own. I’ll keep this to myself until it’s time to go.” (And that might be the best move for you at this point, depending on your circumstances.)

But if you are discerning and can talk about your goal with the right people, you greatly increase the likelihood of finding those who can help you create the ideal adventure. And after the past two years of pandemic life, there’s no doubt people are far more embracing of carpe diem life choices!

At a minimum consider taking baby steps in announcing your “someday” plans:

Engage with those on Medium who write about their experiences (Globetrotters and The Expat Chronicles have a plethora of writers to check out).

Practice how you’ll frame your goal of creating a life-changing adventure outside your home country.

Get comfortable owning your dream without feeling like you need to have all the answers.

The more you talk (or write) about what you envision, the more real it will feel. And as it feels more real, you start to enter the realm of “realizing” your dream.

L: Photo bySergeyNivens from Getty Images; R: Photo by LeoPatrizi from Getty Images Sig. — both via Canva

For those who lean more introverted (like myself) talking about life plans can feel super uncomfortable, so it also helps to refer back to my first tip of knowing your Why. But for anyone who dreams of a big adventure well outside their familiar world, it’s a bold, useful, empowering step to make a simple declaration and put it out there.

Can you put your vision of an adventure abroad into words? This is a safe sounding board if you want to practice in the comments here!

I write about other stuff too:-)

P. S. If you run out of free Medium articles, I invite you to subscribe through my link, which helps support writers like me. (Plus Medium offers an endless supply of delightfully ad-free content!)