Fitness, German Lessons and Salsa

Yesterday at dinner we discussed new beginnings in new countries as I have always moved around a lot and I have been exposed to multiple new places throughout my lifetime. Someone said that some people have a lot more trouble adjusting to new surroundings due to  factors like age and upbringing. That I may find it easier because I have been exposed to it before and I am young. I disagreed. I argued that you are only as limited as you let yourself be. You can start to come up with excuses like ‘I have not been brought up like this, so I won’t be able to fit in as well’ or ‘I am at an age where I am too old to go out, so it will be harder for me to make new friends’. However, I see these as excuses and I believe there are many opportunities everywhere no matter who you are. You can do two things. You can cloud your future with excuses and obstacles or you can make the most with what you have.

It got me thinking to my time here in Zurich so far. I have had a lot of trouble leaving Thailand behind because of everything I experienced there and how attached I became to the place. But as time has passed I have begun to discover activities I am free to do here that I wasn’t able to before. I have created a list of things I wanted to achieve and one by one I have seen many of them become true which I am ecstatic about. An example is my journey with fitness. I have always been obsessed with nutrition and exercise but have tried many different diets and plans without results. Finally, after years of trying I am seeing results in my fitness level and I am happier and more confident with my image because of the hard work I have dedicated to my training. For the FIRST time I have been able to truly stick to a training plan and going strong after almost two months! Woohoo!

Another goal I have set myself is to leave this city speaking German very well or close to fluently… No excuses! I used to limit myself by thinking, ‘well they speak Swiss German here which is not the same as German’ but that is all it is, an excuse! The other day, through a language exchange meet-up, I learnt about an Irish man called Benny Lewis who has been able to master many languages with the goal of learning it in three months no matter where you are in the world. I LOVE hearing inspirational stories like these to really drill it in my head that everything is possible!

Here is the link if you are interested in learning more about Benny Lewis' amazing story!

I love dancing. But I have never dedicated the time to learn one specific dance well. I have decided to change this and truly immerse myself in salsa dancing. I have signed up to classes, I am teaching myself by watching youtube videos and I am attending more salsa events and practicing with many different people, which at the end of the day is the best way to learn. It is embarrassing and hard to be the beginner stumbling about in a sea of amazing dancers but I have decided to not let this become an obstacle. Who cares?! Everyone has to start somewhere! If anything it has become my motivation to try harder and learn it quicker! (Picture below is my sister and I before a dance event)

My conclusion? Everyone is able to adapt to any environment, no matter where you come from, what you have been through, age, gender, etc. DON’T let this become an obstacle to what you can achieve and create!