Ever wondered what makes some expatriates happy and others not so happy? Here is my take on it: THE WINNING SEVEN™ or 7 Habits a Happy Expat.

1. Happy expats are intensely curious. Coming to another land is always interesting. You get to learn about the culture, you get to experience a different way of life, you get to try new foods, and maybe even new sports and new hobbies. A whole new world opens up for you. Being curious around this new world leads to happiness.

2. Happy expats accept others as they come, they don’t judge, and they don’t try to change people to their liking. No matter how much things may bother them and no matter how much they may disagree, a judgmental attitude never gets anyone anywhere. Accepting that things run the way they do is the key to happiness.

3. Happy expats look at everything as an amazing learning experience. Someone once said that “life is always offering us new beginnings, it’s up to us whether to take them or not.” I don’t remember who said it but it’s an empowering way to look at what’s available to us at every moment of every day. And especially to those of us who get this incredible opportunity to not only travel but also live in different places.

4. Happy expats find opportunities wherever they are and they don’t lament those they’ve left behind. Life of an expatriate consists of one move after another. Sometimes we know when that move is coming and sometimes we don’t (in these days of “the crisis” many of us will move suddenly). Opportunities that were open to us in one place may not be available in another. But remember “life is always offering us new beginnings…” There will be new opportunities, so do you want to spend the time lamenting about what you left behind or do you want to spend the time listening and looking out for what’s opening up for you?

5. Happy expats know that feeling sad at times is part of the game. A happy expat doesn’t mean a giddy-at-all-times expat. A happy expat means also an expat who knows that being sad at times is part of the expatriate experience. Being sad about leaving friends behind; being sad about leaving your family far away; being sad about quitting a job or changing a career … this list can go on and on. The difference between a happy expat and an expat that’s not happy is that for the former the sadness is something that’s natural and something that doesn’t take over your life and makes a victim out of you.

6. Happy expats share. Sharing means so many different things. It may mean sharing with your friends and family when you are sad – going through the stressful times alone is no fun. It may mean sharing with a coach – a right client-coach partnership will undoubtedly make your expatriate experience richer. It may also mean sharing your experience with others, helping those like you find the best facets of their expatriate journeys.

7. Happy expats stay clear of criticism, sulking, and stonewalling. It is so very easy to blame someone else in your misfortunes. It’s easy to say that everything around you is horrible; it’s easy to sulk in your misery when you’ve convinced yourself that it’s not up to you; and it’s easy to put a barrier between you and the place you live in. Yet there is no way you are going to be happy where you live, if you consistently engage in criticism, sulking, and stonewalling. Staying clear of those attitudes will help you be happier.

This post is an excerpt from an on-line course called “7 Habits of a Happy Expat” available now at the Global Coach Center Academy. The course includes a more detailed description of the concept of 7 Habits as well as hands-on exercises and tools on how to adopt those habits during your expatriation.

Reproduced by kind permission of The Global Coach Center

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I’ve noticed something interesting happening to me in Russia. Whenever I am outside I always find money on the ground. It’s not a lot of money — kopeks mostly (something like cents) — but I still find quite a few of them. Whenever I am outside of Russia, be it in the US or Europe or anywhere else, I am usually not that lucky. So what is it that makes money litter the ground in Russia?

I am thinking it has to do with an attitude that many Russians hold on small amounts of money. When you go to a supermarket, you will almost always find a kopek coin or a five kopek coin unclaimed at any cashier station. It’s as if picking up that little change isn’t worth it. Picking it up places shame on you for being so “mercantile”, so “small”. It makes you feel small and it’s shameful in the eyes of the others.

Same goes for the money on the ground. If you dropped a kopek or five, you won’t be bending down to get it. And if you a pedestrian who notices this change on the ground, you are not going to take it. Others may see it and then what would they think of you!

These beliefs about small money and how your own worthiness is connected with it translates into other facets of the Russian life and society. Nowadays you are often judged on how much money you make, what position you hold, and how many designer clothes and expensive cars you own. You can buy your degree, you can buy a judge, you can buy pretty much anything. People with lots of money rule the country and the last thing you want to do is to appear as if you don’t have money… which is what will happen if you pick up that kopek!

So I happily go around picking up all the change. I believe money should not litter the ground. It should be respected no matter how small it is… kind of like people who should be respected no matter how much they make.

My 2 cents … or kopeks worth…

Reproduced by kind permission of The Global Coach Center

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The time has come for us to leave Russia and move on to our next post. We are bringing with us boxes and boxes of Russian souvenirs (perhaps too many!), photos of places we visited, and memories of people we’ve met and of things we’ve done. And even though all of those mementos will do their job of reminding us of our times in St Petersburg, Russia, I still feel I need a final touch to complete my Russian experience. I need my “What will I miss” list.

I first wrote this list when we were leaving Argentina and I am glad I did. Because every time I read it now memories of my life in Buenos Aires take on especially vivid colors. As human beings we tend to replace old memories with the new ones and so recollections of a country, where you were awhile ago, will most certainly fade to make room for the new ones. And that’s where the “What will I miss” list comes in handy. It makes that long-gone experience alive for you all over again. I suggest you do it for each place you leave behind too!

So here is my list about St Petersburg, in no particular order:

• I will miss the beautiful white nights when memories of a harsh and grey winter disappear as fast as the speedboat to Peterhoff and when you suddenly feel you can live in this city forever.
• I will miss our trips to the Mariinski and the Mikhailovski and the Philarmonics and the Capella and the … I can go on and on. I will miss the fact that in this city you can go to a high quality performance every day.
• I will miss the New Years celebrations – the time when the city is transformed into a magical fairytale where Ded Moroz (the Father Frost) and Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden) are the main characters. I will miss the optimisim in people’s eyes during that time and the omni-present “S nastupajuschim” (“Wishing you an upcoming holiday”).
• I will miss the beauty of the city where each building is not only an architectural wonder, but also a historical one.
• I will miss people’s dedication to remember the World War II and especially the Siege of Leningrad. I will miss the holiday of the 9th of May, when the whole city comes together to celebrate its survival after the war and to remember those people who perished. I know there is a lot of political exploitation of these events, but I am not going to remember them.
• I will miss some of the world’s greatest museums and I will miss seeing group after group of Russian children touring them with their schools.
• I will miss seeing the opening of the bridges on summer nights and I will miss the moment when the sun doesn’t disappear behind the horizon, but instead comes up as soon as it sets.

There are probably a few more things that I will miss and I can add them later. And, of course, there are things that I will not miss, but I am not going to try to remember them.

What about you? What would you miss when you leave the place where you are living now?

Reproduced by kind permission of The Global Coach Center

If you are relocating to Russia, please contact Accommotel for assistance with serviced apartment accommodation.

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Expatriate Coaching – Nicola McCall, Live Life Now Coaching

Coaching is a personal development tool that supports learning so interfaces well with life as an expatriate, where living abroad challenge you to learn and understand yourself in unusual circumstances on a regular basis. Coaching allows the coachee to develop skills and ways of being that make them more able to adapt to the rapid changing demands of life in general.
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The Cost of Relocation and Cross Cultural Training – Ines Hijmans, crossculturate.com

Did you know that over 30% of the expatriates do not finish their assignments abroad and return home before the end of term? The costs are borne by the company and can amount up to three times the employee’s yearly salary. That is huge, but there is something that can be done about it.
Read more at World-of-Relocation.com

NZ Employee Relocation Issues – Ivan Flinn, Woburn International Ltd

HR specialists giving immigration advice face penalties of seven years in prison and/or fines of up to $100,000, says June Ranson of Woburn International Ltd. She warns that the potential industry’s growth will require migrants to fill the skill shortages and relocation faces a new challenge when coming to New Zealand.
Read more at World-of-Relocation.com

Relocation Depression, What to Expect and How to Avoid or Overcome It – Heather Markel, culturetransition.com

When you relocate, whether you’re moving with a job (expat/relocating professional), or following a loved one (trailing spouse), your transition could feel like a rollercoaster ride. For the trailing spouse, this is especially important to realize if you gave up a job or a career where you’ve spent years building up your reputation, only to move someplace where you have no job lined up.
Read more at World-of-Relocation.com

Repatriation, The forgotten frontier? – Coppergate International

If you speak with any employee who is or has been an expatriate, or if you visit any expat website, you’ll discover why repatriation support is such an important element – although often forgotten – with overseas assignments.
Read more at World-of-Relocation.com

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