Presented with permission from Bob Adams, of Re
Presented with permission from Bob Adams, of Retirement Wave. (Transcription of video below.)
I’d like to share with you today a rule of how you can act and behave when you relocate to another nation. It’s a very important rule, and its one you already know. In English we call it “The Golden Rule.” Every language in every culture has its variations it seems. “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.” Treat other people as you want them to treat you.
When you’re moving or relocating to another country, you’re not really an immigrant, but you are going to spend a number of years and possibly, as in my case, expecting to live the rest of your life there.
When you arrive, you’re in a sense an immigrant in the eyes of everybody else who lives there, in that society. Now, many of us come from North America or Europe. Right now, we’ve having a lot of trouble, a lot of discussion, a lot of very strong convictions on the subject of immigration. Let’s put that aside. I don’t want to get involved with that, but I do want to say one thing to you.
Stop and think to yourself: What is it that I expect of an immigrant coming into my society right now, wherever I live? What do I want to see them doing? What sort of actions do I want to hear that they’re taking? How do I want to see them fitting in to my society so I’m happy that they really live here and they’re not just visiting from another nation?
Take those three, four, five basic things you think people should do who are immigrating to your nation, put it on a piece of paper, and carry it with you wherever you go, wherever you relocate. And every month, once a month, twice or more, take a look at that list, and ask yourself: Am I trying to do this? Am I making an effort to do what I expect other people to do when they come to my nation? Am I trying?
You can’t always succeed, you can’t always do everything perfectly, but ask yourself: Am I trying? Am I really, really working to try to meet the basic fundamentals that I expect from others and that they expect from me?
I think that if you can do that, if you can follow that one basic rule when relocating, you’re way ahead of the game, and you’re likely, far more likely I should say, to succeed, to be happy and to have a really interesting and useful life.
When you’re moving or relocating to another country, you’re not really an immigrant, but you are going to spend a number of years and possibly, as in my case, expecting to live the rest of your life there.
When you arrive, you’re in a sense an immigrant in the eyes of everybody else who lives there, in that society. Now, many of us come from North America or Europe. Right now, we’ve having a lot of trouble, a lot of discussion, a lot of very strong convictions on the subject of immigration. Let’s put that aside. I don’t want to get involved with that, but I do want to say one thing to you.
Stop and think to yourself: What is it that I expect of an immigrant coming into my society right now, wherever I live? What do I want to see them doing? What sort of actions do I want to hear that they’re taking? How do I want to see them fitting in to my society so I’m happy that they really live here and they’re not just visiting from another nation?
Take those three, four, five basic things you think people should do who are immigrating to your nation, put it on a piece of paper, and carry it with you wherever you go, wherever you relocate. And every month, once a month, twice or more, take a look at that list, and ask yourself: Am I trying to do this? Am I making an effort to do what I expect other people to do when they come to my nation? Am I trying?
You can’t always succeed, you can’t always do everything perfectly, but ask yourself: Am I trying? Am I really, really working to try to meet the basic fundamentals that I expect from others and that they expect from me?
I think that if you can do that, if you can follow that one basic rule when relocating, you’re way ahead of the game, and you’re likely, far more likely I should say, to succeed, to be happy and to have a really interesting and useful life.
xxx