many others had to establish my place in this country. Here, the “previous credentials do not matter” principle helped me again. I had to put aside the diplomas, ambitions and achievements of my previous country and start demonstrating who I am through my actions. I re-certified my PhD, obtained a license
as a psychotherapist, established a new business and built a wide social circle that included many different kinds of people.
Some of these people arrived several years ago and established themselves, some still struggle and complain, and unfortunately some of them left unable to fit in. It’s interesting that successful stories usually include hard work, patience and as one immigrant said being “ready for everything”. I know of people with MBAs who initially started from the lowest administrative level, and now possess high level positions. I know doctors who yearly continued to re-approve their status, and eventually did. I know of those with PhDs who went from waiters and cleaners to owners of successful businesses while at the same time I know of many who couldn’t come to an agreement with their vanity and with this attitude ultimately failed.
What unifies successful stories? They all “accepted” the fact that a new environment needs proof of who you are, from the ground up evidenced by your actions and behaviours. Remember, our life flow consists of three parts — past, present and future. The temptation is to win once and continuously display this award, believing that it’s forever. It’s an illusion that prevents growth.
Reality is demonstrating every day who you are, and renewing your overall value. The opposite side of such growth is despair — when we are doing our best but not getting the desired results. But this is another story… NV