The fear of stepping out of your comfort zone

I was nauseous, and my nerves were running wild. The night before I boarded the plane, I had all sorts of thoughts: can I do this, what if I fail, and will I like the country where I don’t even speak the language? What was I thinking?!

No more challenges, I was stuck in my development, I was done with my job as Talent Development EAME Lead, but my manager and I had a plan… I just had to be patient for that one chance to be sent abroad as an expat. Would it be Bahrain, Kuwait, or Kazakhstan?

It turned out to be Kazakhstan, with summers of 40+ degrees celsius and winters of -30 degrees celsius (hence the hat in the photo..). They called it a hardship location. I was the HR Manager of a joint venture on a multi-billion dollar project. The fact that not all of my team members spoke English was a minor detail…

I had just gotten divorced, and this would be my adventure without feeling guilty that someone was waiting for me at home. Not every relationship survives this. It was the ideal setting to go on an assignment.

People often ask what I experienced there. Here are some examples:

• Taking Pilates and Salsa classes in Russian? No problem! You can do more than you think if you observe well.
• As an expat, you are invited to all feast meals, and it’s hard to politely say ‘no’ when you’re served sheep’s ears, brains, or eyes.
• A beautiful tradition is giving speeches. For every occasion (birthday, team outing, farewell, wedding), you give a speech, and yes, everyone is expected to say something. I remember being at a wedding where all 200 guests gave speeches…
• Once, I was pulled into a black tinted windows government car. It happened so quickly. Terrifying! Was I being kidnapped for money?! For our safety, we were never to carry our passports. Ultimately, it was just intimidation, and I was allowed to be picked up later.
• I was also hugely pampered with daily apartment cleaning, laundry service, a driver, and a cook. Yes, it was quite a shock when I moved back to the Netherlands.

What did I learn from this career step?

👉 Stepping out of your comfort zone is scary but is where you learn the most.

👉 Share your ambition, preferably to several people, so they think of you when something comes up.

👉 Dare to follow your heart in what you really want (and say goodbye to those limiting thoughts!)

👉 Be patient, not all career steps can happen immediately.

👉 Experiencing and being part of another culture, even temporarily, enriches your life.

👉 Having a career development plan and clearly discussing your wishes with your manager is so important. Together, you can map out the route to take your next step.

Questions? Feel free to contact me at Connect@feliciaportier.nl.

P.S. Have you downloaded my free e-book: How to Discover What I Want with My Career?