Never let yourself be limited because you think something is too hard to get.
When I moved to Sweden, I didn’t let all the things that I knew about how hard it could be to immigrate to a new country hold me from giving it a real shot and try to get a job and settle in the capital of Scandinavia.
The idea of moving to Sweden sounded impossible. Finding a job will be extremely hard because I don’t speak the language, I can’t compete with the Swedish high standards in the Design and Marketing industry, and why would someone want to higher me and sponsor me instead of recruiting a local? And If I manage to find work, what will be my chances to get a resident permit approved by the government?
Well, I end up finding a job, working in the best workplace of Sweden, recruiting designers and photographers, and delivering an excellent piece of work with wonderful colleagues.
How did I do that?
1- Perseverance
I couldn’t accept the idea of giving up.
2- Believing in myself
Even though the Swedes have high standards, I said to myself that I can have a different style and that my way of working and rigor could be my added value.
3- Questioning everything
I revalue my portfolio, my letter and the way I am presenting myself.
4- Rebuilding everything
To adapt to the market, I had to redo my presentation in a way that speaks to the local system. For example, my letters were too formal because I learned to write motivation letters in French. In Sweden they want them to be more straightforward.
5- Networking
Going out, socializing, reaching people on Linkedin and social media… I did it all.
6- Staying positive
That was quite a hard one with the cold dark -15C Winter… brrr
7- Willing to downgrade to upgrade later
I started with a simple photography job, then some graphic design things that opened the doors to an Art Director position.
8- Keeping myself healthy
One of the first things I did was to take a subscription to the gym – “Mens sana in corpore sano”
9- Learning to adapt
In each new situation, you will have to learn something. Be flexible.
10- Staying focused
Between the thoughts of failure, missing my family, the nightlife temptations, I could easily drift to a different scenario…
11 – Being determined
I said to myself that I had only one option: Make it happen.
12- Having a plan but also following my intuition
Daily goals, weekly schedule, monthly plans… From an intention to a detailed action plan. Writing down everything, and staying open for plan B and C…
13- Doing one step at the time
Breaking down the huge challenging mountain to small easy steps.
14- Being consistent
I kept doing the same thing over and over, on a regular basis with the same frequency.
15- Not giving up
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I hope that by now you can see the underlying advice in these points. You can use each one of the points in any situation where there is a challenge. When it’s difficult, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
“You can get everything when you are persistent, but you can keep it only when you are consistent.”
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