Changing perspectives: My own Russian and German reality

It is all about your own perception and attitude

I am traveling to Saint Petersburg pretty often, as I need my city to „physically“ remind me of my origin, of my „Russian soul“. Two months ago I went there again to visit my friends and to breathe in the air of this vibrating city full of contrasts. I was so happy to feel the spirit of white nights, walking in the city center at midnight, admiring the glory of incredible architecture and history. I literally forgot how you normally feel when the night is not getting darker and your body does not immediately recognize the time to go to bed. Not only was I happy to see my loved ones. I was experiencing again a bunch of emotions and went through some deep reflections. This time it was all about one’s attitude to change, security and stability. My friends in St. Petersburg have gone through all possible crisis times since last couple of years and now are living in the era of „sanctions“ and „economical exclusion“. Well I don’t want to elaborate on this topic any further. I am not writing about politics or current state of world’s economy. So they continue living their lives and adapt to permanent changes. So do I and a lot of people I know in Berlin do adapt to changes be it new professional challenges, people coming into and leaving one’s’ lives, new social roles and responsibilities. To mention above all: I have a „Russian soul“ and I am, how I call it, already pretty „germanized“. I used to live in the Russian „reality“ and I constantly get in touch with it: be it through the short trips, Russian television or talking to my friends and relatives. However I got used to the stable and secure German everyday life. And I’ve quickly learned to appreciate it. I am very thankful and proud to live in a country with one of the strongest economies in the world and to benefit from the „German social state“.

Well, what made me reflect on my status quo of how I feel about security? I realized that living in a stable environment makes you feel very save. What I mean here by „feeling save“ has less to do with emotional safety. It is more about economical and social security. You know that this country is not going to leave you alone on the street without giving you at least couple of chances to fix your life and earn money. People in Russia don’t really have this opportunity the way people living in Germany do. Are they less happy? Do they feel generally less save? I do not know about all of them. But I can tell you about my friends living there. I would say they perceive things from another angle. Their attitude is different. They do not have the possibility of this direct comparison me or many other people have who move to Germany for a better life. However they try to and do taste, smell and enjoy life with all their senses. Their comfort zone is probably just a bit more flexible when it comes to adapting to changes especially affected by external factors. Of course it is also all about the system you grew up in and how your parents and persons of reference “lived” the security. To me living in a stable environment however bears some challenges. You get hesitant to leave your comfort zone or you just forget to appreciate things, which normally seem so obvious. Your mind gets less flexible when looking at certain circumstances or facing difficulties.

Going my freelancer way means not only living my dream of self-fulfillment and idea of accompanying people on their journey of transformation and personal development. It is also a wonderful opportunity to test and experience my needs for security and stability and limitations of my own comfort zone. I want to challenge those needs, stretch the boundaries of my own perceptions and attitude and to give more space to my “Russian” part.

#changingperspective #security #comfortzone #flexibility #perception #attitude #luckyme #grateful #appreciatewhatyouhave #raisingawareness

When was the last time you challenged the status quo of your life and/or just appreciated things and people around you? Mine was just several seconds ago.

In case you need some support on broadening your horizons and changing perspectives let me know and we can work on it together in a coaching process!

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