By the end of 2013 I was in a serious rut and in desperate need of a life change. Things had stagnated in pretty much every way that is important. I concluded that the only thing to do was to move abroad.
I was quite flippant about the whole thing at the time. I was going to quit my job and move to England, where I would find a better job and do lots of travelling. I had no job offer or professional contacts in my field at the time. I had a couple friends and a bit of money I’d squirrelled away into my escape fund.
I remember multiple people insinuating that I was crazy, or that it wouldn’t be as easy as I made it out to be, that I hadn’t thought it out much. That was simultaneously true and untrue.
I had thought about doing something like this for a long time. When I set everything in motion, though, I hadn’t really thought out the details at all. I just figured I’d figure things out as they happened. I made a few dumb and/or costly mistakes on the way but after all that, I more or less accomplished exactly what I set out to do.
I moved to London, into a good place with great housemates, made friends, travelled a bit and found a better job within a few months.
Which isn’t to say that there haven’t been some setbacks along the way. There have been many. But I have been surprised and humbled by the kindness and generosity I have been shown by people in London, and it’s their support and the support of many people at home that has made it so much easier.
I’m really glad I did it, and I think I will always look back at 2014 with fondness.
So if you’ve got a crazy idea like moving abroad with no clear plan sitting on the back burner of your brain, my advice is to stop overthinking it and make it happen.
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