You Can Move Somewhere Sunny, But Your Shit Will Pack Its Own Suitcase

Old news: I emigrated to Spain.

(Three years ago already. I’m not exactly the type to keep my socials updated.)

So is my number one piece of advice for people who feel stuck: “Just move somewhere sunny”? Absolutely not.

Emigration is not a reset button, not an escape route, and definitely not a magical “now everything will be better” solution.

It’s hard. Frustrating. A lot of work. The opposite of carefree.

The biggest trap?

Your shit emigrates with you.

At first you don’t notice it much. You’re too busy with the sun, palm trees, new people, and trying to find bread that doesn’t taste like a sponge.

But after a while?

Everything you thought you left behind comes boomeranging straight back at you.

– Your old patterns. – Your doubts. – Your sore spots. – Your unfinished business.

And it hits even harder. Because in the meantime:

– You can’t quite be yourself yet in a foreign language. – You can’t understand the car mechanic (or the teacher, the plumber, the neighbour, or the parents at the playground). – The bureaucracy makes you cry in the car.– Your relationship is under pressure from stress about money, work, housing, homesickness and — oh right — raising your child.

Yes, we have literally been on the roof terrace in the middle of the night, manually draining rainwater. From a relatively new house, no less.

So what is my number one piece of advice?

I don’t have one.

As a coach, I don’t tell you what you should do.

What I do instead is help you give your baggage — your past, your shit — a place.

So it no longer determines what you do now, what you dare to do, or what you hold back from doing.

Whether it’s about a new job, a relationship, an emigration, or simply a new year ahead: only when you make choices from who you are now (and who you want to become) can you truly move forward.

With direction. Calm. Self-knowledge. Self-confidence.

You can move to the sun, but your shit will happily pack its own suitcase.

So… are you ready to look at yourself honestly, soberly, and with curiosity? Ready to let go of what can be let go — and choose what truly fits?

Life gives you enough shit. Don’t carry around what you don’t have to.