As expats, we often blame external situations for the roadblocks we face when we focus on succeeding in Germany. Whether that roadblock is learning German, finding a new job, figuring out how to do your German taxes in English, or making friends, there is something that you need to know…
Sometimes, we are actually caught in our thought- and problem patterns. Sometimes it has less to do with external forces and more to do with our inner selves.
If we keep thinking of these challenges as “problems”, this will further prevent us from recognizing and exploring the opportunities or resources that are actually available to us.
We have Career & Life Coach, Gina Friedrich, here to share with us 6 different lateral-thinking impulses that can help address these roadblocks and find powerful solutions to kickstart your life here in Germany.
Gina invites you to:
- Take a closer look at what is preventing you from achieving your goals thus far
- Explore all elements of your situation
- Come up with new solutions
Are you ready?! Here are 6 things that may be getting in your way of succeeding in Germany (and your solutions)
1 – You haven’t properly identified your goals yet
You don’t have a “problem” if you don’t want to go anywhere, right? That means you might have goals, but you haven’t properly identified them.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Where am I heading? Where do I want to be headed?
- What needs to change in order to solve this “problem”?
- How do I know when my “problem” has been resolved?
Give your answers strength and clarity through positive wording (e.g. “I’m happy” rather than “I’m no longer unhappy”). Your final goals may still be blurry, but it may also be a direction in which you should head towards.
2- You haven’t discovered the “hidden resources” from your past yet
Let’s assume that in every roadblock there is a “hidden resource” that is important for the future, for today! So ask yourself these questions:
- What similar obstacles have I mastered in the past?
- What important experiences did I gain from it?
You need to recognize that not only in this moment but in other previous roadblocks that you’ve encountered, there are numerous valuable experiences that come out of them. If you can see this, finding a way through the roadblock can become quite simple. Appreciate that this challenge gives you the strength to learn.
3 – Have you identified the actual obstacle yet?
Remember when we mentioned that your “problem” or challenge could be anything? It could be learning German, finding a new job, settling in, or making friends. It could be anything. However, have you really identified the real obstacle standing in your way? It could be that you’re not really putting in the effort or that you struggle with anxiety, it could be anything.
Ask yourself these questions:
- How am I preventing myself from achieving my goals?
- How can I alter my perspective to make sure that I do not get in the way of myself achieving those goals?
Through these admittedly laterally thought questions, you will find out how you have so far successfully prevented the solution to your problem. This is also a skill that you can appreciate later in life.
4 – You have untouched resources you didn’t know about
There are problems that can be solved, and problems that cannot be solved (e.g. wanting to set up a company without ANY risk). Let’s assume this is a problem that can be solved with a little creative thinking.
Ask yourself this:
- Which of my strengths and skills could help me to reach my goal?
- How could I use the strengths that I’ve already used in previous problem-solving?
- Which possibilities and forms of working with others have I not used sufficiently so far?
- What could I possibly omit going forward to gain more freedom?
Not sure if you know your core strengths exactly? It’s important to find this out first!
5 – It might actually be good that the problem isn’t solved yet
Sit back and take a breath. You might have missed a deadline or needed to get something done before starting something else, but sometimes there can be good that comes out of not having solved a problem yet.
For example, perhaps you delayed a difficult conversation within your project team at short notice until an important milestone was reached: Initially, the delay was, so to speak, a kind of “aid” for the team’s goal achievement. Avoiding the problem in this case, actually allowed your team to achieve their goals.
So, when solving a problem, you need to know that it’s okay to consciously choose to forego something, to give up something. There is a “price” you could say, and only if you manage to actively agree to this price will you be able to appreciate what can NOW become possible.
Ask yourself:
- What are the advantages of not solving this problem yet?
- What is this problem useful for in my current situation?
- What would I have to deal with if I had already overcome this obstacle?
6 – Do you know what comes after the problem?
After a problem has been solved or the challenge has been mastered, a new task usually follows. It is helpful to consider this problem solved as a new learning skill for when you reach future obstacles.
You can work out this upcoming task with these questions:
- What comes after I successfully mastered this challenge?
- What would I have to cope with if I had been successful?
- Is solving this obstacle really important for my future?
You can see the goal you have just set yourself as the first step and the future tasks as the second step. The thing is, all the many self-help books make everything look so easy – and often give us the feeling that we are failing.
It is NOT easy when we are in phases of change, face new challenges, or have to overcome obstacles on our way. Especially, if we try to go through this by ourselves without any external reflection.
I hope that this post and these 6 steps can support you to focus on some extensive external reflection so that you can reach all the milestones you’ve laid out for yourself and are well on your way to succeeding in Germany.
