Which Books Can Help You Prepare for a Life Abroad?

Start with these 5…

Are you preparing for a life abroad?

Do you know where to start?

Do you want to focus on what’s in your control amidst the enormous changes?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to one or more of the questions above, then this article could help.

I navigated careers across Asia, Europe, and North America, all within a short period. 5 fast-paced years, where I often felt I was biting a lot more than what I can chew.

I know what’s it like to build a whole new life from scratch and I have helped over 100 people do it.

The nervousness of the move, combined with taking a leap of faith to find trustworthy people, is difficult. You need to learn to be comfortable with constant and vast discomfort, and it takes serious thought and action.

Books can help. They’ve played a crucial role in my life. The right book I need at a stage in life finds me. This happened while living as an expat, too. Here are 5 books which have stayed with me over the years.

‘Strengths based Leadership’ by Tom Rath

This book provides a much-required reminder of your strengths while adjusting to new environments.

It helped me think of ways to leverage them more. I was used to embracing them in home environments. This book made me realize I can use it in new environments to build further credibility.

For example, I enjoyed negotiating new deals. In new environments, I was good at the data analysis part of the negotiation, but needed to learn relationship-building skills.

I learned to get specific about what I can do well, and use it.

If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything. ― Tom Rath

‘Insight’ by Dr. Tasha Eurich

We all think we are self-aware. Reality is most of us aren’t as self-aware as we think ourselves to be.

This book taught me that self-awareness is not only internal but also external, i.e., how others see you. ‘How others see you’ can change drastically in new environments, so it takes time and effort to be self-aware.

Had I not read this book, it would’ve taken me longer to realize it.

When the winds of change rage, some build shelters while others build windmills. ― Tasha Eurich

‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer

You might get frustrated trying to figure out cultural differences, or you can take ownership and understand.

Some of the key culture parameters include communication, leadership, decision-making, relationship management, feedback preferences. There can be many more.

This book can help you communicate your style better and also adapt to other’s preferences through an active dialogue.

No other book comes close to help you understand these cultural parameters.

Trust is like insurance — it’s an investment you need to make up front, before the need arises. When interacting with someone from another culture, try to watch more, listen more, and speak less. — Erin Meyer

‘Awaken the Giant Within’ by Tony Robbins

This book was a rare find and provided me with insight into something I was looking to understand for many years.

Life abroad changes your identity and often values.

When we face internal conflicts in values, this book can teach you to recognize those and steer yourself better.

I knew ‘being an achiever’ used to be one of my values. In new environments, I am learning to enjoy the journey more than chasing enormous accomplishments.

The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you are asking yourself. ― Anthony Robbins

‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey

This one’s a classic, but a glorious reminder of what habits to hold on to when you move abroad.

It can help you get the basics right when everything else changes. To me, it meant prioritizing the right things, and seeking to understand others before expecting to be understood.

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny. ― Stephen Covey

Conclusion

Building a life abroad is going to take patience, skill and intention.

These books will come in handy when you look for answers to questions you didn’t think you’ll ponder over and not know who to ask.

To summarize, these are some ways in which these books have helped me.

• Remind me of my strengths and teach me how to leverage them.
• Teach me how to build self-awareness in a new environment
• Teach me how to deal with internal conflicts over values.
• Understand and adjust to cultural differences
• Keep the basics going, when everything changes.

I hope they’ll do the same for you.

I’d love to hear from you. Let me know which ones on this list surprised you? What other books would you add to this list?

If you’re looking for more tips to navigate international career transitions, my free e-book could help.

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