This morning, Mr. Big asked me to move over to Doha. Of course I accepted, but now what? Soon he will be working out the details of a new role and figuring out who will provide my work permit, etc., the Company or us.
Immediately after the news I was turning cart wheels in my living room, just kidding. My studio’s not so big. As the day crept on I began to research jobs online and scoping out the job market in Doha. Things don’t look too bad, just many of the jobs require tons of education or years of experience. Yes, I have a Bachelors Degree, no Master program though. I’ve obtained industry licensing, but I didn’t see many firms over there that even require the licenses. So what does this mean? I don’t know yet.
After researching tons of blogs and groups for women who followed their spouses abroad, I began to see the move as a little “fucked up,” no seriously. There are a ton of good, bad, more bad stories about moving abroad.
From What I Could Gather, I Should:
1. Take my time adjusting
2. Redefine who I am without my career
3. Try to connect with the expat community
4. Remain open with my spouse
5. Know that eventually you won’t miss home as much
6. Fill my time with hobbies, like really??
7. Create a routine
8. Some other shit
So, most of the list is common sense. What I realized is that I can’t allow those things to seep into my mind about moving abroad. Yes, it’s scary and exciting at the same time and that’s everything. It presents me with a sabbatical away from work, hell, I come home at times just praying to have time off work, now I can have it. So what’s the problem? Nothing more than being concerned about how I will really adjust to leaving my family and the career I’ve worked on in Orlando.
Here’s where I get a little spiritual:
1. God’s timing is always on time
2. I’ve seen him restore me from chaos
3. Know that all of the details are already worked out
4. Believe that “all is not lost”
5. You will leave nothing that you could not have handed to you again
6. You’ve seen him do amazing things already
7. Trust the process
Now that I’ve had a chance to say that, I’m a huge believer in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read and the premise is basically to believe in a higher power, always leave people with a gift, keep an optimistic viewpoint on things, and tell the universe what you want.
So my take away will be to block out negative feeds, take the pressure off, and enjoy the journey.
Until next time….
One Girls Discovery 
Five years ago, I moved away from 25 years of establishment to take a great opportunity 8 hrs. away from all that i knew (I was 57 at the time.). What I’ve learned in life is that you are as happy as you want to be, there are like minds wherever you go, life changes despite your attempts to keep anything the same, and bad days don’t last forever. Make the extra effort to take personal risks–what I mean is that you should venture out and talk to people even if you are feeling alone and small. Making yourself do the difficult and scary thing is empowering and rewarding. Finally, I’ve learned that sometimes I’ve needed to be pushed into an opportunity by circumstances–because I’d often overthink the risks/benefits. Fly! These are the things stories are made of and the one that wins is the one that dies with the best stories. Good luck. I look forward to reading about your adventures. Donna
Thanks. I think the experience will be greater than anything I leave behind. Thanks for your kind words.