Do you really want this?

When I announced to my friends that I was moving to Spain the response from many was overwhelming: “How wonderful! I wish I could do that.”

My response was repeatedly (and probably annoyingly): “You can!”

We’ve already looked at ‘Can’t’ so what I want to address here is ‘Don’t Want To.’ This means a brief exploration of that torturous word: SHOULD:

·         I SHOULD do more exercise

·         I SHOULD lose weight

·         I SHOULDN’T spend any more money

This is a word our conscience uses to beat us over the head. It usually achieves very little other than bring out the sulky teenager in us all who immediately wants to eat a brick of cheese while lying on the sofa shopping online. Or maybe that’s just me…

My announcement to my friends triggered the SHOULD response: “God dammit, that sounds cool, I should do something like that but I can’t because of all these reasons I’m busy making up right now.”

As if being the type of person who wants to live abroad makes you instantly much more interesting and glamorous. It doesn’t. It means you are interested in a particular set of experiences which you know you can find if you spend some time living out of the country in which you were born. That is all.

My point is, please don’t move abroad because you feel you SHOULD. It is totally fine to not want to. 

Wanting to stay put and live your life in one place is just as awesome and can be as challenging, invigorating and stimulating as living abroad. Moving abroad isn’t for everyone, and should only be undertaken if you actually want to.

And it’s not for everyone, not because it is too challenging or adventurous for some faint-hearted home-bodies. It just very simply comprises a bunch of experiences that not everyone wants to have.

And that is fine.

The first thing you have to rule out is: I’m doing it because I feel I should. That might get you on the plane but will leave you a bit high and dry once you actually arrive.

Written by: Katie

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