For John Eilermann St Louis was the place where he was born, where he grew up and where he made his highly successful career in business, I never thought that he’d stray from those roots. John and I grew up together and have been great friends since high school. Shortly after college, I moved away to Belgium for a couple of years, and then lived in a few spots across Europe. I dud come back to St Louis, richer for living abroad. John used to say that he was envious of the steps I’d taken and I would always encourage him to do the same, to take a couple of years out and live abroad.
Eventually that magic phone call came, John and his wife would be moving away to France for a 2 year stay, incredible. John and I are both in St Louis now, and both richer for our experiences, and this is why.
Out of The Bubble
The most important point to make here is that when you move away from everything that you have known, you suddenly get a very different perspective on life. It is so easy for us to get stuck in the same bubble, going to the same places, seeing the same people, ultimately this leads to doing the same thing all the time. There is nothing wrong with getting a routine of course, but when you get stuck in it, that is when you have problems. Stepping away from that routine gives you a better insight into your life and what you want.
Comfort Zone
This also proves to be a very good test of who you are and when you leave home and live abroad for a while, everything is new and things can actually be very challenging. Ripping up the script and starting all over again with every aspect of your life is not an easy thing to do and it is something which is really going to help you build character, and learn more about yourself.
Experiences
People are different the world over, there are different experiences, different cultures and different ways of life and meeting with them and living with them is not the same as watching or reading about them. This helps you to grow as a person and it also gives you cause for a great amount of inspiration and motivation.
Depth
Ultimately this is an experience which gives you more depth to your character, this has proven to be the case with just about everyone who has ever lived abroad for a while and it is certainly one of the most compelling reasons to do so. You don’t have to go away for decades to grow as a person, a couple of years will completely transform you and add layers to who you are. If you have ever considered moving abroad then my advice would be to bite the bullet, pack your bags and get away for a while.