5 Life Lessons From My Working Holiday In Canada
Since I’ve moved to Australia when I was 19, traveling has always intrigued me. There’s something about being in unfamiliar places and getting lost makes it so exciting! I’ve traveled to many places, mainly in Asia but this is the first time I’ve done a working holiday. It has been a goal of mine for quite a long time (since I was 20) and I’ve been pushing it back due to life but one day I decided to go for it. I was 28 at this time, 8 years of thinking if I was ready for this and finally I had the guts to do it! Oh and I was so glad I did it. Looking back I realized that the only thing that was stopping me from doing it was fear and I am so happy that I was able to push past. So with all that being said, these are 10 life lessons I’ve learned from the two years on my working holiday in Canada.
Fear is only in your mind
Moving to a new country with just a suitcase and a backpack is scary. Knowing that your life is packed neatly in a 76 x 48 box on wheels and a 5L backpack strapped on your back for a whole two years is not something an average person would say is fun. I had mixed emotions while packing, “Is this going to be enough? What if I can’t find a job I like? What if I ran out of money?”. Thinking back now all the fear that was manifesting in my mind for months was something I’ve created on my own. For two years, everything that was in my suitcase and backpack was enough. I’ve had jobs that I did not like but that taught me to appreciate jobs that I do like and money, not only did I have enough I also learnt how to save. Never let your fear of the future take away your moments from present.
Change of perspective
What is happiness? Is it owning a beautiful house with a happy family? Or getting the next promotion? Or getting the dream car that you’ve been wanting for so long? While this can be a form of happiness, it is not sustainable. Two years in Canada taught me that happiness can’t be bought or received, it comes within. I’ve met people that live in their vans with no hot shower in winter, no place to call home and they are some of the happiest person I’ve met. The key is appreciation, once I’ve learn to be present and appreciate what’s in front of me happiness came naturally.
Connecting
Meeting new people and learning new culture really built my understanding of the world. While traveling in Canada I’ve not only met Canadians but people from around the world. Taking my time to genuinely get to know others really opened my mind different perspectives of life. There are reasons why different cultures do different things. Understanding them not only stopped me from judging but opened doors to new relationships.
More time
I used to always think that I did not have enough time for anything more in my life. All I did was wake up, go to work, get home, have some dinner, watch Netflix and head to bed wondering where did all my time go. Since moving to Canada and hitting the reset button, I’ve learned that I have more time if I managed my time better. All I had to do was plan my day from start to finish and fill in the gaps with things I wanted or always wish I had time to do. This did not come all at once, I started small with one or two things like reading for 10 minutes, stretch for 20 minutes and meditate for 10 minutes a day. Before I knew it I started writing journals and selling photos online. Little changes makes can make a big difference in the long run.
Minimalist
I know it’s the modern cliche but it actually does work. Moving to Canada with only a suitcase and a bag pack really limited me from buying things that I did not need and with that I spent less and because I spent less I saved more! Even though I earned less in Canada I had saved a lot more. Every time I had an urge to buy something I really had to think about it and ask myself “is it worth it? Do I need it? Will cost more to bring it back with me? Will it fit in my bag?” With this I only get things that I really needed and spent money to do things I really wanted like a big road trip to America’s desert. What an experience it was.
You do not need to travel across the world like me to learn lessons like this. This could be done on a daily basis. We just have to take a step back and review our life to take everything into consideration as a lesson to lean. I hope you guys take something from this and apply it to your daily life. Thank you for reading!