According to a 2018聽, 81% of American expats are satisfied with their life overseas. Around 56% of those who reported being unhappy blame their mood on a lack of a 鈥榩ersonal support network'.
Almost all those who are satisfied point to the flexibility their jobs allow them. Maybe unsurprising is this factoid: the major are writers 鈥� or wannabe writers.
Despite insufficient previous expat experience, US expats seem truly enjoying life abroad 鈥� over two in five (44%) state they are planning to stay abroad, possibly forever, compared to barely 32% among all respondents worldwide.
While love is the most frequently mentioned motivation for relocating (17%), about one in eleven US expats (9%) say that a better quality of life was their main reason for moving abroad. Being, or becoming, professional writers account for that as most think of themselves as a potential modern-day Heminway, idling away hours at sidewalk cafes, sipping expresso and having long, deep and meaningful conversations until the sun goes down and then switching to scotch and soda, ala a Hemingway.
Simultaneously, many expats who turn to writing are fearful of being considered 鈥減ast their prime鈥� for turning to writing. Is a person ever too old to begin a writing career?
NO!
Often people ask if I regret 鈥榳asting' the decades before learning to believe in my writing. I take their question seriously and tell them, 鈥淣o. I was gestating, gathering experiences and the material I tap into when writing my articles today.鈥�
As expats, we are people of life and of experience. We are the ones who have loved and lost. We have fought and survived the wickedest day's life can throw at any single human being. But we are also the ones who don't give up 鈥� no matter how bitter life finds to go wrong. We are people of a 鈥渃ertain age鈥� and we were born to be writers.
Although we celebrate young writers who achieve success, we are drowning on the Internet's listing of 鈥淏est Writer Under 30.鈥� What about us? Those over fifty and have dreamed of becoming a writer?
The best time in our culture to be a writer over fifty is now. Going online opens up opportunities which never existed before. There has never been a better time.
We can create a blog, self-publish and build a battalion-size legion of followers. Between Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, I have about a half-million 鈥榝ans and followers.
