Canada is home to many who came here by choice or happenstance. When all we have at hand is a bag full of undefined goals, learning to adapt and succeed in a new culture can be a daunting process. The road sure gets bumpy. While our goals start forming at an early age, they are mostly similar to daydreams about what we want to be when we grow-up. As time goes by and we develop, surrounded by a microcosmos of familiar things, actions, and people, these goals get to reshape, be reimagined, and reinvented. Even though our macrocosm pertains to a bigger picture of the world as a whole, we are still seeing it through the specific cultural lenses we have at hand. Our culture will always define us. It is normal that we, depending on our background and our personal perceptions, will get to see a slightly different picture. Our microcosmos, which includes the customs and traditions linked to our smaller circle, our family, friends, or mentors, or even our entire family tree, will serve as the lens we use to look at the world.

Even if this is a multilayered and complex situation, we can quickly see what can happen when we move to a different demographic area while carrying this precious microcosmos on our shoulders. Those goals are now getting pulled off, they are uprooted. Restoring them requires some meticulous planning. The planning doesn’t happen. We’ve packed clothes in a suitcase and moved money into an account and we think that’s enough. As the suitcase gets really heavy, we will just push those other thoughts away. At night, when we rest, we feel this invisible load pressing heavily on our chest. The thing is, all that carefully programmed cultural background cannot be simply deleted. Our system sends desperate warnings. It reminds me of that computer warning we receive when we’re deleting something major – a big red “STOP” sign pops-up and opens a window reading “are you sure?”

In a beautifully exhilarated state of mind (normally called courage) we quickly click “yes” and dismiss the “are you sure?” question that popped up. It’s done. We’ve decided to start over. New everything. As our courage and spirit of adventure takes over, preparation is either forgotten or left behind. But this is a real world. Not only everything is new, but everything gets very real, very fast. No matter how prepared, we all know that flawless transitions are a myth. Yet again, we like that saying so much (“if you don’t get hurt, wet, hungry, and lost – you can’t call it adventure!”). And we forget how different we are. We forget that not all of us are necessarily adventurous. We forget that what makes people beautiful is their diversity. Yet in the end, it is acceptance that makes us glowing and successful. Acceptance of cultural diversity and understanding of all those different people that surround us.

Supporting young talent throughout this big transition has inspired me in ways I did not foresee. Several work scenarios and life experiences I have encountered in one or the other of the many roles I’ve taken up along the way (student, mother, homemaker, daughter, immigrant, worker, manager, coach, educator), made me reflect on the importance of using personalized approaches when trying to support those who have a cultural background that is different than mine and whom struggle to identify their career goals and reconnect with their true calling. Driven by a tool used to measure hopefulness and hope-centered competencies, the Hope-Action Inventory,[1] I’ve started to encourage international students to use self-reflection in the process of finding their career goals. Direct feedback from international students indicated that this approach has supported a better management of their own career expectations. This career development tool, called the Hope-Action inventory, is based on the following elements:[2]

• Hopefulness
• Self-reflection (identifying what is important to you, what you value, what skills you possess, and what you want to develop further)
• Self-clarity (developing answers to the questions arisen from self-reflection)
• Visioning (considering future possibilities that are desirable)
• Goal setting and planning (identifying meaningful goals using the answers you’ve clarified)
• Implementing (taking action)
• Adapting (re-evaluating when there’s new information)

Reading ‘Hope-Filled Engagement’ (Amundson & Poehnell), has enriched my understanding of the powerful role hope plays along our life happenings: “We believe that people have been created to be people of hope. It may be very difficult to see hope in some lives; it may be hidden beneath layers upon layers of hopelessness laid over the years, as if they were layers of wallpaper or paint. But it is there. One just has to look at young children to see that hope is a gift given to us at birth”(p.52) [3]. If you just went through a significant change or transition, or had to swim against the current for whatever reason, it is normal to feel hopeless. Use self-reflection to return to your roots, values, dreams, and hopes, and the process will empower you to move forward and clarify certain questions. Find appropriate supports in your immediate network, talk to a coach, and take action to discuss the future possibilities you envision for yourself. Not only you can set meaningful goals, but you can do it with grace. Bristle at prejudices, buckle up, and enjoy the journey.

[1] Niles, Spencer G., Yoon, Hyung Joon, & Amundson, Norman E. The Hope-Action Inventory. Online assessment, ©2017, hopecenteredcareer.com/hai/login.php

[2] Niles, S. G., Amundson, N., & Neault, R. Career flow: A Hope-Centered Approach to Career Development. Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall, 2011.

[3] Gray R, Poehnell, Norman E. Amundson. Hope-Filled Engagement: Creating New Possibilities in Life/ Career Counselling. Ergon Communications, 2011.