Michelle, thank you for sharing your uplifting story with us! It's rich with love, vulnerability, and tender moments of humor. I especially love these power statements:
"My parents understand more than anyone that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can change the whole trajectory of not only your life, but of generations to follow." ❤️
"They have given me the tools to take risks and be my own safety net." 💥
"I'm My Own Safety Net" --> slogan for your podcast's merch t-shirt? (I would proudly wear it)
Thank you so much Rachael, I'm so happy to hear the piece resonated and I appreciate our conversation around this topic. You really helped me delve deeper into this!
Really love "I'm My Own Safety Net" as a merch idea...🤔
"Sometimes I wonder if I need to wear a shirt that says: I’M A GROWN WOMAN"
LOL, I feel the same way! 😂
"What do your parents think" is the most commonly asked question I get— as a solo-traveler spending 1+ year away from home.
I don't know. I can't speak for them nor will I speculate. I'm my own person. My parents are their own persons. If you want their opinion, then you gotta ask *them* :-)
hahaha Leo this is spot on and the best response! Also, pretty empathetic to the fact that our parents are complicated people with their own thoughts and feelings (and yes, please forward any inquiries about their opinions to them). Thank you for the comment, I appreciate it!
Parents are parents. Pretty much anywhere. Even more so in Germany.
Love to see your dad wearing an Eintracht Frankfurt jersey, it's the football club of the city I grew up in.
Also it will never not be funny to read a post about parental approval of one's path including sabbaticals, and then your dad wearing a shirt with a jobs portal's tagline "FIND JOBS" on it.
"It was a small comment, but I felt the tightness in my chest as his question washed over me. It stung because despite my outwardly confidence in my decision, I felt unsure and insecure. " - resonated with this 100% and I think it is completely normal when you are going against the grain. Cheering for you on the journey
Ahh thank you so much Minh! It's so nice to hear it resonated. You are so right, going against the grain is tough and sometimes I am more fragile then I even realize. I appreciate the kind words! Cheering for you as well!
I love this post so much! You have a beautiful family. Your writing is amazing. I felt like I was right there with you. Many laugh out loud and memorable moments.
I think parents develop to be very risk adverse even when they have a child. It's in our nature to protect our children and anything that might mean hurt, it scares them. I still remember my parents angry at me for wanting to pursue Nutrition school (part-time, alongside my job). I think they are part of the generation that didn't have the abundance that we have. They weren't granted the privilege of the tech industry which allows you to jump from job to job with more to gain than to lose.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I very much do agree with your sentiment. Add that they also had limited exposure to what’s possible vs what we have now through the internet, and I think it adds color to our abundance mindset. I appreciate your kind words as well!
Thank you for sharing this article. I could relate to your story a lot. My parents took a lot of risks so that we didn't have to take any, and they see it as their role to protect us and shelter us from risk taking as much as possible. This, of course, does not exactly match my reality as an entrepreneur, and I need to remind myself that, as you say, whenever they are doubtful, they are coming out of fear, not out of disapproval.
Again, thanks for sharing your journey and reminding us to believe in ourselves and take the risk!
Hi Javier, thank you so much for your comment and for sharing that article! You said it so well here, our parents want to shelter us from hardship and also that doesn't line up with entrepreneurship that requires pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. I appreciate your thoughtful comment and am happy to hear the piece resonated!
Love the highlight of one big bet described here ‘and still they placed all their bets on a move completely outside their comfort zone because they had faith...’
Parents questions will never stop, especially when moving abroad. You just get better at giving them insights in your life before they can see visit and see it for themselves!
Thank you for sharing your story, Michelle, so relatable and helpful.
Yes, definitely a big bet! I can only imagine what happens when you move abroad and things only become more unfamiliar to them. I love that you highlighted the real important thing which is to give them helpful insight as to what's going on. Visiting always seems to help too. Thank you for your thoughtful comment Kelly!
Michelle, thank you for sharing your uplifting story with us! It's rich with love, vulnerability, and tender moments of humor. I especially love these power statements:
"My parents understand more than anyone that pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can change the whole trajectory of not only your life, but of generations to follow." ❤️
"They have given me the tools to take risks and be my own safety net." 💥
"I'm My Own Safety Net" --> slogan for your podcast's merch t-shirt? (I would proudly wear it)
Thank you so much Rachael, I'm so happy to hear the piece resonated and I appreciate our conversation around this topic. You really helped me delve deeper into this!
Really love "I'm My Own Safety Net" as a merch idea...🤔
"Sometimes I wonder if I need to wear a shirt that says: I’M A GROWN WOMAN"
LOL, I feel the same way! 😂
"What do your parents think" is the most commonly asked question I get— as a solo-traveler spending 1+ year away from home.
I don't know. I can't speak for them nor will I speculate. I'm my own person. My parents are their own persons. If you want their opinion, then you gotta ask *them* :-)
hahaha Leo this is spot on and the best response! Also, pretty empathetic to the fact that our parents are complicated people with their own thoughts and feelings (and yes, please forward any inquiries about their opinions to them). Thank you for the comment, I appreciate it!
Great essay, Michelle that talks to the tension between who we are when young and who we grow into as parents
Thank you so much for your comment Karena! It seems like the tension always exists and then we inherit it and want the same for our kids.
Parents are parents. Pretty much anywhere. Even more so in Germany.
Love to see your dad wearing an Eintracht Frankfurt jersey, it's the football club of the city I grew up in.
Also it will never not be funny to read a post about parental approval of one's path including sabbaticals, and then your dad wearing a shirt with a jobs portal's tagline "FIND JOBS" on it.
Cheers!
-Johannes
Even more so in Germany 😂
It's nice to hear that many parents are similar to mine! That's so funny about the "find jobs" jersey 😂 Thank you for your comment Johannes!
Hi Michelle, I love this post.
"It was a small comment, but I felt the tightness in my chest as his question washed over me. It stung because despite my outwardly confidence in my decision, I felt unsure and insecure. " - resonated with this 100% and I think it is completely normal when you are going against the grain. Cheering for you on the journey
Ahh thank you so much Minh! It's so nice to hear it resonated. You are so right, going against the grain is tough and sometimes I am more fragile then I even realize. I appreciate the kind words! Cheering for you as well!
I love this post so much! You have a beautiful family. Your writing is amazing. I felt like I was right there with you. Many laugh out loud and memorable moments.
Thank you so much, Miche! I'm so happy this essay found you and I'm touched by your kind words!
Wow this was a lovely read.
I think parents develop to be very risk adverse even when they have a child. It's in our nature to protect our children and anything that might mean hurt, it scares them. I still remember my parents angry at me for wanting to pursue Nutrition school (part-time, alongside my job). I think they are part of the generation that didn't have the abundance that we have. They weren't granted the privilege of the tech industry which allows you to jump from job to job with more to gain than to lose.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I very much do agree with your sentiment. Add that they also had limited exposure to what’s possible vs what we have now through the internet, and I think it adds color to our abundance mindset. I appreciate your kind words as well!
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for sharing this article. I could relate to your story a lot. My parents took a lot of risks so that we didn't have to take any, and they see it as their role to protect us and shelter us from risk taking as much as possible. This, of course, does not exactly match my reality as an entrepreneur, and I need to remind myself that, as you say, whenever they are doubtful, they are coming out of fear, not out of disapproval.
Again, thanks for sharing your journey and reminding us to believe in ourselves and take the risk!
Last, but not least, some years ago, I read this article: https://dunn.medium.com/the-risk-not-taken-40cf0a8919cb
At that time, it was what I needed to read. Reading your story reminded me of it. You might enjoy it.
All the best
Hi Javier, thank you so much for your comment and for sharing that article! You said it so well here, our parents want to shelter us from hardship and also that doesn't line up with entrepreneurship that requires pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. I appreciate your thoughtful comment and am happy to hear the piece resonated!
Love the highlight of one big bet described here ‘and still they placed all their bets on a move completely outside their comfort zone because they had faith...’
Parents questions will never stop, especially when moving abroad. You just get better at giving them insights in your life before they can see visit and see it for themselves!
Thank you for sharing your story, Michelle, so relatable and helpful.
Yes, definitely a big bet! I can only imagine what happens when you move abroad and things only become more unfamiliar to them. I love that you highlighted the real important thing which is to give them helpful insight as to what's going on. Visiting always seems to help too. Thank you for your thoughtful comment Kelly!