Change your expat life
Why You Should Never Say “I Don’t Know”
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sense that you don’t have the answers you need?
I have.
Anyone who has wrestled with the many moving parts of a big international move, the need to find a new job, the pressure to ensure that everyone and everything is okay… we’ve all felt it at some point.
When we’re caught in the overwhelm, it’s really easy to feel buried alive by all the times we might find ourselves saying, “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know.”
Three little words.
They seem innocent enough, don’t they? After all, they’re just a simple observation describing the limits of our own knowledge, right?
Wrong.
In reality, these three little words are leading you further down the path of confusion, frustration, and overwhelm. They are insidious. They are a trap. And they are preventing you from tapping into your intrinsic inner knowing – that guiding awareness that helps you move forward in life.
Today, it’s time to set aside the “I don’t knows”, ignite your imagination, and tap into the inner knowing that you already carry within yourself. Are you ready?
What’s there to know?
If you are an expat partner living abroad and trying to make everything work, you’ve probably caught yourself saying at least one of the following “I don’t knows”:
- I don’t know how long I will be in this country
- I don’t know where “home” is anymore
- I don’t know what school to pick for the kids
- I don’t know whether I will be able to get a work permit
- I don’t know whether my visa will allow me to work
- I don’t know whether I will have time for the family if I go back to work
- I don’t know what I want to do with my life
- I don’t know if my dream makes sense financially
So many people in exactly your position struggle with these very same questions. And it’s no surprise! The logistics of living abroad include making a lot of decisions and navigating a lot of new circumstances.
But the problem is, every time we look at the complexities of our circumstances and say “I don’t know”, we just wind up spinning. We give into the confusion, we make space for the frustration, and we often wind up feeling helpless.
And unfortunately, we’re less likely to take actions that will move us forward.
Of course, this is probably where you’re thinking, “sure, but if I don’t know, I don’t know!”
Stop there. Just take a pause. Is this really the end of the story?
Start asking questions instead
We all hit the limits of our knowledge sometimes. That’s how we grow. It’s what inspires us to learn new things.
Let’s take a step back from the big life questions. Imagine what it would be like if you just said, “I don’t know” when confronted with new technology – a regular occurrence in this fast-paced world where every new gadget comes with a learning curve. “I don’t know” can’t be the end of the story. If you don’t know how your new phone works, you go find out! You ask questions – you ask Google, you ask a professional, you ask a family member. You gather information and you start making progress.
The same goes for the big life questions. When you don’t know the answers, it’s time to start asking questions.
Powerful questions asked with curiosity will open the doors that the words “I don’t know” have closed.
And here’s the thing: when it comes to asking the big life questions, you’re the expert! You just need to get curious, ask questions, and believe that you will find your inner knowing along the way.
Are you ready to learn a powerful method for asking the right questions and guiding yourself toward taking action in your life?
Tune into this week’s episode of LOVE YOUR LIFE, the Girafe Coaching Podcast, where I’m talking about an empowering practice and methodology for moving form “I don’t know” to “Yes, let’s go!”
See you there !
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