​Living in a country different from where you were born and raised confronts you with entirely new ways of thinking, values, and norms, showing that nothing is truly “𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛.”

This topic has always been close to me, but a recent conversation with someone I connected with reminded me how tangible these lessons can be.
Even when you’ve settled in, there are moments when you reflect on your own identity .

Having spent roughly half my life between Korea and Germany, perspective shifts have always felt natural to me. Still, when I listened to her story of moving between European countries, I found myself thinking, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒. 

Someone had apparently remarked to her, judging only by her appearance, “You must have lived abroad for a long time.” The irony, of course, was that she wasn’t even from Germany in the first place.

𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆  isn’t something we’re born with - it’s something we gain by 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 what we once thought was “𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙”. In a global and diverse work environment, this mindset - being aware that our perspective is only one among many - is invaluable. It helps us lead with empathy , communicate across cultures, and keep growing beyond what we once considered “normal.”
 
 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒?