Moving Abroad: Is life about to get back to normal?

It’s exciting to see nuggets of optimism that the worst of this pandemic is behind us.

According to the CDC, the percentage of new COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions has declined over 60% since the first of the year.

As of now around 70 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the United States, with over 1.5 million more doses of vaccine happening each day.

Many states are starting to loosen restrictions, and entire countries are once again opening their borders to visitors.

All this good news is giving a lot of people hope that life will soon be back to normal.

But that’s not going to happen. The COVID-19 pandemic was a global game changer, and things will never be the same.

The economic, social, and psychological disruptions have been so disastrous that the damage is still being assessed. Even the most knowledgeable experts are uncertain what the future holds.

Where does that leave each of us? What will our new normal look like?

While we individuals have no control over “big picture” issues like government policy decisions, we are in charge of our own lives. How we think and what we do is our personal responsibility.

Especially after the many troubling aspects of 2020, it is all too easy to get stuck in the negativity of what didn’t happen. The missed vacations, birthday celebrations, weddings, family visits. Fathers weren’t present for the birth of their children, and people died in isolation with no loved ones present.

Without minimizing the damage or sadness caused by these events, the truth is, yes, they took place. And they’re done. Last year is over.

So every moment your thoughts remain focused on a past you can’t change, your attention is diverted from what you can do something about--the present and the future.

Change is paradoxically the one constant in the universe. Often changes happen so slowly that we don’t even notice, but 2020 was the equivalent of a devastating, out of control wildfire.

In the aftermath of such a blaze, nutrients from the burned trees are returned to the soil. Charred remains provide homes for insects and small animals. The forest floor is exposed to more sunlight, allowing seedlings released by the fire to sprout and grow.

In essence the forest reinvents itself.

So too can you choose to focus your thoughts on the opportunities present in this new landscape. Though perhaps hidden from plain view in the rubble, they are waiting to be discovered.

What does all this have to do with Retirement Reimagined! and living abroad?

You have an interest in relocating to another country. And most likely whatever plans you’ve envisioned were put on hold last year.

Whether booking a scouting trip or becoming an expat, now is the perfect time to move forward. Airports are safe and flights are cheap.

But will you? Or will you just continue to “think about it?”

Here’s the truth:

Nothing changes until you do.

You can want to move abroad. You can tell yourself you need to.

But it’s not enough.

Our blog is called Imagine ~ Intend ~ Create for a reason.

Imagining is a necessary first step, but if the thought process stops there it is just a daydream. A hope.

And hope without action is not a plan. It’s only a fantasy.

Intention is what brings the dream to life. Declaring from the depths of your soul, “I am doing this!”

That’s exactly the mindset we embraced over a decade ago when we left the States and moved to Ecuador. Not only were we doing it--we further intended that we were going to make our new life work at the highest possible level.

Once the decision was made the pieces almost magically began to fall into place. Believe it or not, at that point we had no idea where we were going. We’ve often said, “We didn’t find Cuenca. It found us.”

When we got here our container was on the way and we had no place to put our belongings. Again through serendipity we stumbled upon the beautiful penthouse apartment that has been our home ever since.

Intention is a powerful force and the bridge between imagination and creation.

Did we have everything figured out before we decided to move? Absolutely not.

You’ll never have every “i” dotted and “t” crossed. The urge to do so often turns out to be a hidden excuse to keep from actually ever making a decision.

Whether moving abroad or simply moving forward with your life, be a possibility thinker and literally get moving. With all the change presently swirling around us, there couldn’t be a better time to go with the flow and reinvent yourself.

Note ~ If you do decide to relocate, Retirement Reimagined! is designed to provide you with the guidance and confidence for a successful expat experience. Get started here.