I think that the secrets to achieving one's goals are the same, whether you're at home or in a new country. There are clearly other factors that also come into play when in a new country, mostly cultural aspects.
1. Define clear and realistic goals - You really have to know your capabilities and limitations imposed on you when establishing your goals. Setting goals that are too low can result in accepting mediocrity and not reaching your full potential. On the other hand setting goals that are too high and unreachable due to a lack of ability or external constraints that you haven't considered can sabotage any chances of success that you may have otherwise had. Yes, you have to set goals that provoke you into stretching your limits, think outside the box and innovate, but they can't be "the impossible dream" either.
2. We are all driven by consequences (results). It has been said that "We don't do anything without expecting to get something out of it." (results or consequences) This is quite true. We have to examine what we're doing to achieve those results and what we expect those results to be. Do we motivate ourselves to do something to achieve success or are we doing what we do just to avoid failure? If you're just trying to avoid failure then you're not going to be the success you possibly could be. You're probably going to stop before you reach the top of the "success ladder", because you get to the point where you know you haven't FAILED and you get stuck there.
3. You've got to ask yourself 3 questions before you embark on any new venture. First - Can I do it? If you can't then you've got to learn the competencies necessary to be able to do it. Second - Will it work? Why would you even waste your time trying to do something if it just won't work? Find something else that will. Third - Is it worth it? Is the end result going to justify all the time and energy you put into reaching your goal? This could be something that would put you off of trying to achieve other goals in the future. If you take on too many projects that really aren't worthwhile in the first place you might become a defeatist and think any future projects are worthless because they're doomed to only partial success or won't yield the results you expected.
4. The cultural aspects of the country where you are operating in will also need to be considered. Things like the local work culture/work ethic, local customs and traditions you will need to respect, local beliefs, etc. Just because something works well in Poughkeepsie or Podunk Hollow doesn't mean it will work just the same in Jakarta or Jubail. You may have to rethink the way you do things, approach problems or process information. There's an old saying that really rings true here... "If you always keep doing what you've always done, you'll only get what you've already got."
If you're looking to succeed in another country you have to invest a lot of time and effort in doing your homework. You've got to go into that country knowing as much information about the place, its culture and its people as you possibly can. There should be no surprises waiting to drag you down. You need to know about local customs, laws, political situation, trends and most of all establish a REAL need for your product or service. If they don't need what you're offering, you can try until you're blue in the face, but you'll never succeed.
Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team
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