I was recently reading a book about moving to Mexico called Gringos in Paradise and I came across a quote that stuck with me. It defines very well the type of person that decides to live in Mexico.

When two expats were asked if their family or friends express envy for what these two had accomplished in making their dreams come true they answered yes.

"Lot's of them come down to visit, look at properties, and get the itch. Then, at the last moment they back down."
"Why?"
"Fear of the unknown. In the States you know there's always a fix. Here, it's fix-it-yourself. You've got to have that spirit."

I found that to be very interesting. Fear of the unknown holds many people from reaching for their dreams. That's why eagles have to push their chicks out of the nest. The difference is there may be nobody to catch you if you mess up in a foreign country. The kind of person that makes a success of life in Mexico is one who has a fix-it-yourself spirit. Living in the states, though it can have difficulties, is arguably easier than living abroad. As this expat stated, whatever goes wrong, there is usually a fast and easy fix in the states.

To live successfully in Mexico, indeed anywhere outside your comfort zone, you have to have a self reliant attitude. You have to display some adaptability, improvise. You have to embrace a new way of life. Understand that sometimes here, there is nothing that can be done, so you have let things happen at their own pace.

It's impossible to change a culture to fit you, you have to change to fit it. Letting fear dictate your decisions may keep you in a comfort zone, but it can also prevent you from seeing all the beauty that exists beyond it.

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