Realizations plays a big part on our life. Once we realized something, our mind begins to shift according to it. Most of the time, we experienced that whenever we are in a challenging situation of our life. Our emotions force us to change the way we think in order to protect us from the same thing that may happen in the future. Growing up, every one of us surely realized a lot of things in life. Whether it is personal, finances, goals and a lot more other aspect in our life, there will be a time when we need to change our mindset. I believe that it is when we get more mature, we tend to think of things that only matters to us. Those simple things that our mind used to think of when we are a child, can change tremendously through time. All the experiences and learnings we acquired throughout our journey affects how we eventually think. If you will compare your present to your younger self, for sure there will be a change that you’ll see. All of us go through with that process because it is a continuous journey that we need to personally discover, so we can be more equipped in the future. It is like something that serves as a reminder for us not to do the same mistake again. Although mistake is a part of life and no one are exempted from it, our realizations in life help us to choose what we will go through.

“Achievements of life are momentary, but realizations are longer lasting.” — Avtarjeet Singh Dhanjal

As I chose to work overseas, I’d been realizing a lot of stuffs especially that I’m alone in this journey. As soon as I made it on my own, my experiences made me realized things that became a big part of my existence. For me, every realization is a learning experience that I need to apply in my life. It became my reminder and a guide in every decision I’ll choose. What I do is every time I realized something, I will write it down my journal so I can easily be reminded by it. Whenever I watched or read something inspirational, I tend to write all of the things I learned from that and apply it in my life. Actually, I’d seen how people take for granted the things that they learned from their journey. In my opinion, learning should be the first action that one must do, but it should also be followed by action. This is somehow neglected by many so whenever they learned something new, they ended up forgetting it and going back to what they’re used to. Whenever I got a chance to talk to my colleagues, I always give them advices about this. Of course, I want also the people around me to grow and learn from what I’d realized in life. That’s what life should be.

We need to learn, grow, share and inspire.

Wherever you are right now, make it a habit to exploring so you can realize a lot of things in life. Once you’re done with it, take an action and apply it. One thing I can assure you is your life will change significantly. It will be a slow process of growth but as you reach your goals, you will think back all the things that helped you to be in that position. If you’re still skeptical to start on your own, this blog may help you to decide whether you can do it or not. Like what I always mentioned in this blog, life with no risk is boring. Taking a risk can grant you something that you never realized having. The choice is yours to make.

For me, risk is better than regret.

In this blog, I aim to share all of the things that I realized as an expat in Qatar for six years. With this, I hope that it can inspire others somehow like how it inspires me up until this day. Although my experiences may differ from others, I believe that sharing my story will somehow help someone out there. Even if it just one, it is more than enough for me. Without further ado, here are the top things that I realized throughout my journey:

Invest as early as you can.

The earlier you invest, the sooner you will be financially secured. The truth is, all of us are getting older day by day. Once you get a chance to earn or save more, make use of it and invest on things that you know. Based on my experience, I never thought of spending my six years working overseas. Never in my wildest dream thought that I can stay in one country for so many years. Before, two years is more than enough for me, but little did I know is God plans are way better than mine. Regardless of the years that I stayed here, one thing that I made it sure is that I am making progress in every aspect of my life. That’s how I started tracking all of my goals in order for me to assess it every year. Gladly, I made a lot of progress within six years, and at the age of 26, a lot of people admired me from all the blessings that I have right now. If I will look back to all the things that I sacrificed, I’m glad that I made the right decision even if it cost me hardships. Investing can be seen differently by everyone. It may serve as an opportunity for others, or it may be seen as a liability to the rest. For me, I think that the mindset of us varies from the environment we grew up and the people we surround ourselves. As a child who grew up in an environment in which our parents allowed us to know our struggles in order for us to learn about the reality of life. Due to this, at a young age we were able to be aware of the things that we need to secured first for us to prevent the same thing to happen in our life.

Given the chance to work overseas, I took the opportunity to do something for my finances. Regardless of the basic salary that I have and the situation we are in, I didn’t let that hindered my financial plans. I made it sure that I need to have a progress every two years in terms of my financial standing and in order to do that, I learned to set targets and deadlines for myself. Some may say that that method is not ideal, but that’s what work for me. Without pressure, I will probably let the chances pass by thinking that there will always be next time in everything. Based on what I read in books, a little push can make a big impact of on our life. At the same time, we also need to enjoy the present while hitting those targets. We just need to have a well balance life choices so that all aspect of our life is progressing.

If you are thinking of working overseas, might as well plan ahead all your financial targets. Everything is temporary even if you’ll get a nice offer. Don’t just be overwhelm on what you have right now rather use your time efficiently to secure yourself first.

If you are a breadwinner, make an opportunity for them to earn money.

If you are currently single, start investing on yourself first.

If you think that your old enough, start planning your retirement.

You are the only one who can change your life. Don’t end up blaming someone for your downfall in the future just because you failed to create the right mindset. As early as you can, start investing. Read books, listen to podcast, watch interviews. All of the information is available everywhere, you just need to start it.

Explore the places you never been before.

Life will never be constant; it can change drastically in an instant. Given the opportunity to work overseas, it is important to at least have another outlet where you can let your stress go. Whether it is activities nor a place, take the chance to discover and appreciate the places around you. After I received an offer in another country, it made me realized the time that I took for granted because of thinking that I still have a lot of years to do so. Now, with the limited days that I have right now, it makes me feel sad that I may not have any chance anymore to come again in this country. This actually made me decided not to do the same thing on the next country that I’ll be. This time, I will discover as much as I can and make wonderful memories during my stay there. Like what I mentioned here in this blog, you also need to have a balance life. You need also to exist in the present. Not all are granted with an opportunity to work in another country, that’s why you need to cherish that blessing by means of exploring what that country’s offers.

I’d been regretting in the past that I failed to discover places around me and I just started exploring recently. Then I realized that going in different places can actually do something to ourselves. The happiness it gives cannot be define by any words. Now I realized why most of people nowadays left their job and become a digital nomad. Isn’t it nice to do something that you love and getting paid for it? That’s what people mostly do now. Because of that, it inspires me to start doing something on my own. By means of discovering places around me, not only I can be fulfilled by the experience, but at the same time can relay information to others. I know that I still have a lot of things to learn in this field. Although it may sound easy but for sure it requires efforts and sacrifices too. So, for you, all I can advice is keep discovering, keep exploring. As you reach your goals in life, learn to live a little.

“I believe that without memories there is no life, and that our memories should be of happy times.”

Life is short. Take time to make memories. Discovering new places can help you to be more inspired, fulfilled and positive. Especially now that mental health concerns are rising, everyone of us needs to find a way in doing new things and have fun. There’s a lot of things can trigger stress nowadays, that’s why it is also important to know how to be happy in simple things. Like if you’re given a chance to be in a new country to work, take time to enjoy different places around it. You will never know until when you will e there so might as well enjoy it right?

Create professional connections.

If your reason for working overseas is career growth, one thing that you need to keep in mind is to prioritize creating professional connections that will help establish your career in the long run. Especially now, that recommendations and referrals are mostly required by company, knowing someone who’s professional in the field will greatly help you. In my case, I learned to take advantage of the people that I met in this journey. Take an advantage in a way that I need to make sure that I will learn a lot from them. It’s not always everyday we’ll meet someone who’s equipped with experience, knowledge and skills. So, if your goal is to have career growth, we need to be all ears to them and have the willingness to learn despite of challenges. We need to have that strength that can help us not to give up in learning something that we think will be beneficial for us in the future.

Especially in working overseas, expect that you’ll be in a multi-cultural environment. Some of the people you’ll meet has been working for so many years in different countries and properties. With their vast experience, you need to take the initiative to learn from their experiences. How? You need to keep asking. Trust me, I’d been doing that since before and because I learned and at the same time acknowledge a lot of people. For them, they want someone who’s passionate to learn. Asking doesn’t always mean you don’t know anything, but it is a way for you to know more about a certain topic from a professional perspective. The more that they know how eager you are to learn, the more they will share to you the valuable learnings that their experiences gave to them. By doing that, you can easily build trust and in a long run have a professional connection to them. Just also keep in mind that there are things that you need to learn in a hard way. Some people will really challenge you not because of any personal feelings, but they only want you to be strong. Experiences that will negatively affect you are those that will push you be strong. Your mindset will change, your heart will be stronger and you will learn to face any challenges with determination.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” – Steve Jobs

If you are in a situation of giving up, think of it as a challenge that you should surpass in order to be stronger. The path to success will not be flowery, it will be full of thorns that may question your decisions in life. Expect that, but choose to go for it. The professional people that you’ll meet along the way are the clear evidence that everything can be surpass if you have determination. Learn from them and your life will change.

Surround yourself with people that will help you.

In any of our chosen path, we will for sure meet a lot of people. Some may genuinely care for us, while some will drag us down just because they want to feel better about themselves. I’d experienced it and this is a sad reality wherever we go. The truth is, not all people will like us. Our differences play a big role on how people treat others. It’s inevitable for everyone to meet some people whose intentions are not that pure. Whether you will choose to stay in your country and take chances overseas, you need to expect this beforehand. Now, you need to learn as early as possible to filter the people around you. You need to keep in mind that being alone is also ok. Your existence doesn’t define you just because you don’t belong to any group. The priority now here is you need to protect your peace. If you need to loss people around you, then you need to do it for your own sake. We will all grow up and eventually find our own journey. Some people will stay, while some will eventually go. You need to accept it.

We grew up in a society that requires for everyone to be part of something, if you don’t belong to anything then you will be seen as outcast. With the years that I worked overseas; it made me realized that we need to look back on the main reason why we are working. Oftentimes, we are forced to be part of a group not because we want it but because we need it. That’s actually what the society requires but it not necessary to do so. For me, I learned to protect my peace even if it cost for me to loss people. To tell you honestly, working overseas taught me to be strong on my own. I realized that most of the people that I will meet here will stay temporarily in my journey. They stand for a purpose and once that’s done, I need to let them go without any hard feelings. The only thing that I can keep with me are the memories we shared together and the things that I learned from them. I need to focus on my own story and be happy on whatever they choose in life. For the rest of the people who you feel not genuinely support you, then one thing you need to do is to cut them down.

Don’t ever let them affect your decisions in life.

Don’t adapt but be a good influence to them.

If it doesn’t work, you need to make your decision as early as possible.

I’d been there, and there are times that I let them decide my own life. It took me time to realized it but when that time came, I instantly remove myself. No explanations needed. You don’t owe them anything. If you can tolerate it then be with them, but if not, you need to remove yourself.

Do yourself a favor.

Prioritized your peace.

One thing that I realized as an expat is that peace of mind is not actually a place, it is a state of mind to be in peace regardless of any challenges in the environment. Oftentimes, we are easily affected by anything that is happening around us. Because of that, our mood instantly changes from time to time depending on those things. Whether it is work related or people, most of us are very sensitive to those. Let’s just say that some of us are not emotionally stable so rather than letting all our worries go, we let it consume us. Little did we know is it will gradually reflect in different aspect of ourselves, from physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual. Once we let it happen, our life will slowly fall down and we’ll eventually live a life full of stress, complains, worries and negativity. That’s why wherever you are right now, you need to have that kind of mindset in which you can easily divert negative things into positive one. Here are some advices that I learned throughout my experience as an expat here in Qatar, which greatly helps me to surpass all the challenges I experienced:

1. Worry but not too much. You are allowed to feel anything but not to the point you will spend all of your day worrying. It is a waste of energy. If you are currently facing a challenge, be proactive by looking for solution. Dwelling repeatedly on the problem will not give you any advancement. What’s done is done, you need to look forward and seek solutions.
2. Face your emotions don’t restrict it. We are allowed to cry, laugh, celebrate, be happy, be sad, be angry any more other emotions. Whatever you feel now, face it. Cry your heart out, laugh like there’s no tomorrow, celebrate your wins. Don’t restrict it, you need to release it.
3. Life is here, Life is now. Stop regretting the things that are already in the past and let go of anything that won’t matter in the future. We need to live in the present and enjoy every single thing that is happening right now.

After applying these in my life, I feel a sense of relief and peace. Especially now that I need to start again on my own, these helped me a lot no to focus on the negative things but rather look forward with excitement. As soon as you apply this in your life, I can assure you that you will feel the same.

Time passes by so fast, don’t take it for granted.

Like I always tell to my family, life abroad is very fast. Since you usually go to work every single day and probably do the same routine, you won’t realize how fast the time is going. Before, I have this thought that I need to keep saving for my future but it also cost me time away from my family. After my vacation last September 2022, I realized that being with them are irreplaceable. Regardless of how many years I stayed overseas, the time I shared with my family and loved ones will always be the best. Every time I go for vacation, I can still vividly remember all the moments I spend with them. For me, it feels like a blessing to experience all of these after all the hardships that we’d been through before. Regardless of what age we are right now, nobody knows until when we are here in this world. Especially for our parents who are getting old right now, we need to value their time by means of spending it with them. If you are decided to work oversees, you need to create a timeline so that you can be aware of your targets. Keep in mind your mind that spending time with your family is your priority. This is often taken for granted by many Filipinos’ working overseas and that cause them a lot of time aways from their loved ones.

As you work on your own goals in life, let your loved ones feel the things that they deserved as well. That’s what me and my siblings is doing right now. We want to provide at least a little bit of happiness for them that they will surely remember for the rest of their lives.

“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” –Friedrich Nietzsche

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As I chose this path where I need to be alone and discover my journey towards my goals, there are things that I realized along the way.  With these realizations, it helped me to develop myself for the better and fixed my mindset. It has been a wonderful journey for me to spend my six years here in Qatar. I know that I’d been blessed a lot and I will use it as an inspiration to the rest. I want them to discover their potentials and not to limit their own selves because of fear. We need to change our anxiety into excitement. Changes are pivotal in progress. If we want to change something on our life, we need to start planning out and take an action.

With this opportunity of working in middle east, I used it as a way for me to make progress in different aspect of my life. As I close this chapter here in this country, I am proud of the person that I become with the help of all my experiences here. This blog aims to inspire others to go after their dreams even if they need to start alone in a country far from their home. My journey is the evidence of how wonderful it is to go beyond your expectations and start a journey all alone.

You may need to take a little risk but I can assure you that it will be worth it in the end.

As I’m about to take a new big risk in my life in which I need to start all over again in a new country, I believe that there’s a big adventure waiting for me to experience. All I know is I’m afraid yet excited for another wonderful journey that I’m about to experience once again!

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