Jan 21
7 Harsh Truths every new immigrant must accept
Read this if you are a newcomer looking for a job in Canada 🇨🇦
I have lived in Canada since Oct 2019 (3 years now).
I wish someone explained to me this before I come. Here are some harsh truths you’d better accept earlier rather than later.
Harsh Truth #1:
No one has been waiting for you here.
On the outside, it seems like Canada is attracting “young, talented, and hungry” to build this beautiful country up.
On the inside, you know this from your experience: Immigration is the ultimate test of your survival skills.
You have to become something new, something you have never been before, to embrace the transformation and learn how to bend the reality to your will.
You are coming here to re-invent yourself. You plan to become a Canadian. That means that some elements of your identity have to die out.
Harsh Truth #2
You can do our best and still fail — and it is not your fault.
Job Hunting is tough.
You operate under pressure. Your savings are running thin. The gap on your resume is growing bigger. You can see how your peers are securing jobs one after another. Yet you are still here — fighting for tomorrow.
Keep in mind, that it’s a tendency of the human mind to be too hard on itself. Don’t. Program your mind: You are valuable. You are enough. You matter.
Job Hunting is door-to-door sales. You don’t stand banging your head on the door if the door doesn’t open. You move on to the next one.
Keep moving. You need only one door to open. Someone will give you a shot. Confirm for them that it was the best decision they have ever made.
Harsh truth #3.
You don’t control the things that happen to you.
But you always control how you respond.
Making an offer is the decision of other people. How impactful is the rejection — that’s on you.
You decide what external events have the ability to penetrate your mind.
And no one can make you feel like a victim without you being complicit.
Refuse to participate in the process of victimizing you. Choose to make your mind an impenetrable fortress.
Harsh truth #4.
You are not everyone’s cup of tea 🍵.
And that’s ok.
We are all very different people.
You don’t know what biases are filling the mind of the person who is calling the shots and is now in a position to judge you. Maybe their judgments are based on some shitty experiences they had in life — you will never know it.
That’s ok. Strive to find your people, your tribe, and your community. Place yourself in the environment that is most conducive to your growth. You don’t want to work with people who have failed to see your worth.
Harsh truth #5
Your past is gone. You don’t live there anymore.
Focus on building the foundation for your future.
Some of us left very successful careers back home in exchange for a dream. Don’t lose sight of that dream. You are here for a reason.
Look around. You have a lot of data points in your circle that tell you all the same — here truly the sky is the limit. If you are hungry, talented, and hard-working, you can achieve so much more than you ever had before. Work towards that. If you are having a bad day, remember why you are doing this. Your vision is real. Execution is everything.
Harsh truth #6.
You can’t cheat your way to success.
Playing games is a sign of immaturity.
Just like marriages, friendships, and partnerships, business is built on relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust is a child of authenticity.
Make it your motto and live it: Authenticity over everything.
Treat others like you are building a 100-years business together. Be honest, thoughtful, and caring. Success is just a by-product of this mindset. When people know the real you, they tell others that you are the real deal.
Harsh truth #7.
The shortcut is the longcut.
You can blame the system, recruiters, and government all you want. The truth is — the path to your desired state lies through hard work.
You know all the things that you need to do to secure employment. (If you don’t, you are welcome to check my resources). But if you know and you are not executing, then what excuses do you have?
Many people misunderstand the concept of luck.
If you throw 10 darts into the dart board blindfolded, what are the chances of success? But what if you throw 1000? 10,000?
The good news for everyone is this:
You can’t cheat the grind.
If you invest all of yourself in the process, establish good systems, and learn and calibrate, things will start to happen. 💯
