How do you change your life?

Decision to Change

Is it a moment of inspiration? Is it a long and drawn out process? Does it take a lot of thought or little thought at all? Is it influenced by outside forces or is it an internal experience? How does a person decide to completely change her life? Why don't more people do it?

I think it is a combination of all of those things. I think for successful, meaningful change to happen it has to be a combination of impulsivity and careful thought. In the beginning when I first decided I wanted a major life change I didn't know where I wanted to go or what exactly I wanted to do. I started to hunt for jobs all over the internet and all over the world, contact recruiters from various international teaching websites, and even had a couple of Skype interviews. I was dipping my toes in the water to check the temperature. This was a year ago, and I wasn't ready to just pick up and move when I got an offer in Indonesia. I had also just gotten a promotion of sorts at work here in the states, so I was reluctant to just abandon all that I had worked for.

My life was progressing nicely last spring. I had plans to go on a trip to Eastern Europe to present at the BCES conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, my job was locked in for next year, and I had an entire summer in front of me to be on vacation. There was also the hope of a September interview for an amazing school in Thailand. My summer proved to be much more than a string of destinations, it allowed me to have some time alone in a foreign land to reflect on who I was, who I wanted to be, and what I wanted out of my life. It was then that I realized that my life was my own and that there were no limits on what I could do. It sounds so simple, but in a way it was.

I started the school year with a focused motivation and overall calm. I also had the interview with the school in Thailand, and I got the job. I fretted over what to do. There were times where I felt that I would definitely be moving to Bangkok, and there were other times that it was the furthest thing from my mind. What I did discover, however, was that I was on the right path, that I needed a drastic change. It was a combination of things that prompted me to change, and it was the support system of family and friends who helped me realize that moving on and moving away would be the best thing for me. From that point on, it became my mission to find the most perfect job in the most perfect place. It wasn't easy, it wasn't cheap, but it was so worth it.