【英語】 7 Life Lessons I Learned in Canada
Years full of challenges, hopes, joys, discoveries and emotions. Canada is a part of my identity. After having lived in this beautiful country for a little while, I realised that life lessons can come in any forms and shapes. I reckon that a lot of Japanese people abroad would face some trials, so I would like to share 7 lessons that I learned to overcome my life struggles with you.
7 Essential Life Lessons
Life consists of continuous learning experiences and unavoidable challenges, and this is especially true for those who live in a country different from their own. And yes, I am one of them.
Throughout my life in Canada so far, I keep rising and falling, which forces me to actively tackle obstacles to grow and teach myself something meaningful.
People wouldn’t learn lessons unless they are under certain circumstances. However, somebody’s life lessons are something that could save you time and help you find yourself, so I will unpack 7 essential life lessons I learnt in Canada.
1. Don’t be afraid to be selfish
It’s important to take care of yourself, especially if you are living in a foreign country where you may be taken advantage of because of your status.
From my perspective, Japanese people on student permits or working holiday visas pursue success or a way to stay as long as they can in Canada, so that your business owners may attempt to exploit you by offering sponsorship or visa support in exchange for extra work, lower pay, or dirty jobs.
You do not deserve to be treated unfairly because of your status or concerns, considering that you also give them back some labour power already, which is absolutely a win-win relationship.
Thus, I strongly recommend you stand up for yourself and don’t hesitate to say no, ask for a raise, or look for a better opportunity. Remember that there are good people around you who will help if you need it.
2. Eat a lot
Eating good food absolutely boosts your mood and energy. Probably not as inspiring as other few, I know, but this works under any circumstance.
Scientifically speaking, it is known that eating food releases dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is a reward centre in your brain so whenever the release of dopamine is caused, you theoretically feel happy.
Amount you eat reflects your energy. Quality of food supports your health.
Anyways, energy and happiness help you perform better, maintain health and stabilise your nervous system.
As we already know that living abroad is tough, mentally taking good care of yourself by eating good food at the right time is a major component of having a successful life in Canada.
So please eat a lot.
3. Avoid being cheap
It’s understandable that you may need to be frugal while living abroad, especially if you are a student or have a tight budget.
Temporarily being frugal concerning your finances is normal, but being cheap is completely different.
Being cheap means being unwilling to spend even a small amount of money on things that you need.
Not only spending money on items but buying food or products regardless of qualities just because of discounts is considered as being cheap.
While it’s important to be mindful of your finances, it’s also important to spend your money wisely.
There is no need to buy something unnecessary, but when you spend money, I advise you to buy good ones that keep you healthier, last longer in the long run and make you happier.
In addition to them, don’t forget tipping customer service workers when asked as this is very important for its economy and yourself.
Generously using money for someone else in a proper way reminds you of the real value of money.
Spend money for your own good.
4. Take action before overthinking
This lesson is not necessarily only for ones abroad but anyone who is looking to do something challenging.
Many people think and plan something, but they do not implement it because of the fear of a failure or whatever sabotages you. I never criticise overthinking that actually helps contingency planning, and I am a type who contemplates risks before trying.
There frequently comes a moment in your life when you feel regretful based on your poor decisions in the past. It is natural for you to take a good long time to chase your perfection.
However, overthinking can discourage you to be on board because there is always risks and negatives behind a good plan.
Your plans and ideas can shine whenever you actually implement them, but you would not know that.
When I planned to make a blog website, I just did it. I persistently insisted on moving to Canada during the pandemic. I managed to move without planning any details. Yes, I just did it with minimal supervision.
What are the takeaways from my bold decisions?
I got a job, made enough money to rent a flat in Vancouver and started off my new business.
So, this is one of my precious life lessons I learned in Canada.
Again, thinking is not bad at all. It is rather smart and organised, but don’t let fear of failure or other doubts prevent you from trying new things.
If you are thinking of doing something, just give it some quick reviews and make it happen already. It is far better to swing and miss than to never try at all.
5. Go outside even if you have nothing to do
In comparison with Japan, winter in Canada is harshly cold, dark and wet. It always rains or is cloudy and you barely catch the sun. You could say that it is depressing. Yes, many Japanese people in Canada get depressed due to weather and boredom.
So sometimes all you need is to leave your flat and go somewhere like a cafe, a mall and a park. Wherever is fine.
The most important part of this lesson is that you will not find any single opportunity just being sat at your table all day long, but there could be your fullest opportunities out there.
While other ones stay home, you could make some friends, get some job opportunities and have a new experience.
For example, on this very rainy day in Vancouver, I walked around the city and ran into a regular customer from the cafe where I used to work. She knew that I was seeking a solid job in a specific field, and she was with her friend and introduced him to me in person. Turns out, this guy is a well-known camera man and he offered me an assistant position for him.
I wasn’t into photography much, so I needed to kindly decline the offer, but the bottom line of this is that even on the very worst day, a life-changing event could happen to you outside your flat.
So, get out of your comfort zone and expose yourself to some new experiences.
6. Making excuses help you find more opportunities
Making excuses for your mistakes or whatever is usually considered as an irresponsible behavior especially at work, but sometimes excuses help you find your possibilities and opportunities.
Japanese may struggle with finding a job, speaking English and making friends in Canada since everything is different from where you are from. Some people just take these as your fault or responsibility, and some don’t.
However, making excuses can save you from stress. Taking all responsibilities on your own is totally respectable as a worker, but you do not have to put much pressure and stress on your life too.
If you manage to make an excuse for something that happens in your life, it is so great that the excuse you make is the direct issue you can actually work on.
I will give you a big picture of this.
You were talking with your classmates after class, but you could not join the conversation because they were way more fluent in English than you are, so you possibly would say that
- I started learning English these days
- They are from a country where a phonetically similar language with English is spoken
- I am not as talkative as they are
Those excuses tell you what you lack.
In brief, you have to undertake those weakness. By making excuses, you will get to learn your weakness and space to improve. So, I advise you to positively make excuses for whatever you did inadequately, and do not reinforce you into taking all responsibilities.
By the way, I have an article on how to confidently speak English.
7. Believe in yourself even if no one supports you
You just need to have a strong belief in yourself no matter what happens.
As I told you to take care of yourself in the beginning of this article, the way you treat yourself significantly impacts on your belief in yourself, which makes you more confident and stronger.
Thus, you could weed out other’s opinions and judgements.
Most likely, you are alone abroad, and you cannot rely on others as easily as you used to in your country. People can be manipulative when they see those vulnerabilities in you. So, you need to protect yourself from them attempting to control you for their own sakes.
Your friends, coworkers and employers would say that they believe in you, but that doesn’t always mean that they will help you. Besides that, they probably would not be reliable if anything bad happens to you. Eventually, they will just throw you a kind word and show a gesture to give some help. That’s all you might receive.
I am not implying you to be anti-social, but you have to believe in yourself more and you need to know that you are more capable of anything than you ever thought because they might not support you.
There are impetuous ups and downs in living abroad so that you need to be stronger.
Conclusion
You cannot spend any single second of your life without learning something new. You will experience good and bad anywhere. How the weather changes tomorrow or day after tomorrow isn’t predictable. Neither is your life, but you can control how you deal with it.
By following these essential life lessons, you can make the most of your time living abroad and overcome the challenges that come your way.
