The 4 Cs ยท 1 of 4
Centered
Before anything else, ask yourself why. Your reason for wanting this relationship to work is the fuel for everything that follows.
What is Centered?
Centered is the drive to keep showing up when cross-cultural life gets uncomfortable. It is the difference between wanting to be there and merely being sent. It comes first because motivation has to be in place before learning about a culture, planning, or adapting is worth the effort.
The one question to ask
Why do I want this relationship or interaction to work?
Picture what success actually looks like. Then come to it with humility, without assuming your way is the default or the standard.
Three roots of drive
Real interest
You genuinely enjoy people and places different from your own.
Something worth gaining
You can name the real good that comes from making this work.
Belief you can do it
You trust you will be effective. That confidence grows with time and exposure.
Centered in the field
Pakistan: sabr
A Culture Guy guest describes sabr, patient endurance rooted in faith, as what carried him through low income and life as part of a religious minority.
Indonesia: laughing through it
Another guest named resilience and humor as the way people get through economic and political hardship.
Colombia: a steady conviction
A returned missionary credits a settled testimony, not dramatic experiences, for sustaining him through danger and hardship.
Try it this week
Name one cross-cultural situation that feels hard right now: a coworker, a neighbor, a visit coming up. Then write down, in one sentence, why you want it to go well.
Centered โข Curious โข Considerate โข Confident
The 4 Cs ยท 1 of 4