Currently back from Sweden and discovering the nomad life between France, Sweden, and Switzerland I moved/traveled through Europe for the past 10 years.
I left France for Berlin in 2011 and spent a bit more than 3 years before heading to Sweden for 6 years!
It is fascinating how crossing borders can open up to so many cultural differences. We share borders but yet stay so different from one another. I always believed that being confronted with those cultural differences will help me out in building my career and a fair advantage going forward.
Not everyone has the opportunity to travel but know that when I first left France, I had one bag and no place to stay in Berlin. It was all improvised and my savings were the ticking clock to how long I will be able to sustain this new life without finding a job.
I highly recommend people to move away from home and put themselves in this uncomfortable but exciting experience. Someone once said that “success is not a comfortable position to be in, you’ve got to start feeling comfortable being constantly uncomfortable”.
Becoming aware of the cultural differences between people that I believed to be quite similar helped me to develop my leadership skills and become a better leader for my team.
TIPS: If traveling isn’t an option for you, watch more movies and series in their original language + subtitles. It doesn’t need to be super intellectual! Just get in touch with people who don’t share the same perspective.
Some picks from my watched list:
Loaded – Discover the start-up life of 4 British guys and the British humor that I looove.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6210192/
The Circle Game – The Circle is a Netflix Original reality show
Players compete against each other to become the most popular, but never actually meet. Instead, they communicate through a specially designed app and are able to portray themselves in any way they choose.
I enjoyed the season in Brazil!
The Broken Circle Breakdown – A beautiful and dramatic movie from Belgium.
Although it doesn’t necessarily portray Belgium, listening to the actors expressing such strong emotions in Flemish was breathtaking.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024519/
10,915 total views