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Sunday, October 03, 2010
Is This Place Working For Me?
The best-selling author, Eckhart Tolle, wrote in his book, "The Power of Now", that he found he could be more creative on the West Coast of North America rather than other destinations on planet Earth. He said that everyone has a place that "works" better for them, and for Eckhart, it was the innovative "energy" of the West Coast of North America that caused him to write his masterpieces. In many ways, this makes sense, since not only is the West Coast where the internet was born, and with millions of books sold later, I do believe he is onto something.
Combined with the fact that since my move to Switzerland, people have asked me repeatedly how I like it and if I am going to stay, I decided to reflect on Eckhart's theory, and identify why I feel Switzerland works for me:
1. Order: The Swiss are known for their tidiness and pristine organization. For me, this works. Although I love India and places that have life moving at a million miles a minute, for a place where I feel I can function at my highest potential, surroundings with less "distractions" work best. Everyone collects information differently, according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and for me, when I have too much going on around me, I get too caught up in the details and then, I can't process anything.
A very good school friend commented on this the last time we were in the supermarket in LA together. With these mega markets, I often get "overwhelmed" and end up walking out in a daze. She, on the other hand, is an "N", as opposed to me, an "S", according to the MBTI, and processes information in a different way, so she wasn't as highly affected. This is the same reason why I prefer to have things put away in drawers or cabinets in my house. When I come into the room, I do not have to process every little rubber band or gadget sitting on the table. When I lived with boyfriends or roomates in the past who didn't mind the clutter, it was a constant battle. People look at the world differently, and the neatness/orderliness of Switzerland really works for me on a daily basis.
2. Challenge: I have also learned that I am driven by "new" experiences. As soon as something gets old or routine, I don't feel energized by it. This is probably true for many people, but for people with my MBTI, this is even more of the case. This also probably explains the 12 boyfriends in 10 years, and the 14 apartments to go with it  . Here in Switzerland, I am consistently learning a new word, expression, or part of Swiss life. My language level is advanced intermediate, so although I can get around and do everything, there is still much to learn. At the same time, I feel grounded, since I spent a lot of time here as a child, and understand the systems (the post, the trains, etc), but life is always full of new things at every turn. Also, since almost all people here speak English, I know I will never be totally stranded and feel safe, but by having a daily challenge, it keeps me motivated.
3. Values I Respect:
a. Education: The people of Switzerland are primarily very well-educated and are very logical in their decision-making processes. For me, this is a very high value of mine, and for this reason, I walk around with a great deal of respect for not only my friends and colleagues, but also for the post office lady and the television commentator. It is up to us to surround ourselves with people we enjoy spending time with, and for me, I find the people here great. Of course, there are great people everywhere, but for me, I find it here more consistently.
b. Food: Since nutrition has always been a pet passon of mine, plus we spend many hours a day putting food into our bodies, I realized that it was important for me to be in a place where I was in agreement with the way food is prepared. Up until now, Switzerland has been able to stay further away from preservatives and chemicals that infiltrate the food much more than in the U.S. and the EU, unfortunately. I know not everyone is sensitive to organic vs. non-organic, but for me, it makes my quality of life just so much better.
I believe that the West Coast of North America has worked well for Ekhart since he respects and believes in innovation. For me, between the way I personally process information, love having a consistent challenge, and agree with the values of the Swiss people, it has helped me answer the question with a yes, I am going to stay. Yodel-ay--Yahoo !
Posted by Ingrid on 10/03 at 06:51 AM
(3) Comments •
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