With my physical shape as is, I can swim across a 25-meter swimming pool, no problem. For swimming across a small river or lake, I’d choose a paddle boat. To go out on a larger lake or a bay, I would definitely need a boat or a yacht with a motor. To cross a sea or an ocean – a cruise ship with a powerful engine, please.
Motivation is like an engine for our ship. And the more challenging is the change we go through, the more powerful our engine should be. Changing jobs and changing countries are very different challenges, but we need motivation for each of them.
Motivation pushes us forward through the resistance of rough waters & stormy winds. Without motivation, we stop & start drifting aimlessly. No motivation – no moving forward. I mean, there is still some motion going on, but no progress. The opposite side of motivation is apathy. It’s lethargical & can be lethal. So, motivation is vital.
Motivation helps us to answer the most crucial question: Why? Why in the world have we decided to go somewhere with all the challenges included in a package? If our Why is not strong enough & no match for our challenge, we risk sabotaging our progress. Before embarking on any adventure, we must have a solid answer to the “Why?” question for it is going to pull us forward through thick & thin.
For us to answer this question, we need to look around & note what it is that we are missing in our current situation. What do we need the most? Abraham Maslow came up with a hierarchy of needs: Physiological, Safety, Love & Belonging, Esteem & Self-actualization. The decision to immigrate usually touches all of them, more or less. Looking closely at what is pushing us to make a move & bringing it front & center will help us to make our first step & keep moving no matter what.
