108: The truth about wanting more from your life (even when it’s "good enough")

In this episode, we explore a question many Americans wrestle with when considering a move abroad: Can you be grateful for the life you have and still want something more? And is the grass actually greener on the other side?

We dig into the guilt people feel for wanting a different lifestyle, even when their life in the U.S. is “good enough.” You’ll learn why gratitude and ambition can coexist, why wanting more doesn’t make you ungrateful, and how that desire often signals growth.

We also break down the truth behind the “grass is greener” conversation—when moving abroad genuinely offers a better fit, and when it’s unlikely to solve what you’re hoping it will. You’ll hear the real reasons people feel pulled toward Europe and other countries: alignment, expansion, lifestyle, and the permission to build a life that feels more intentional.

If you’ve ever felt conflicted between appreciating your current life and craving a new chapter, this episode will give you clarity on what that desire actually means and whether exploring life abroad is worth it.

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Website: jordangiberson.com
Instagram: @jordan.giberson

Transcript

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Maybe you need to be thrown into a new environment so you can kind of purposefully build a new life and to have that change. So I think that moving abroad is less about escaping something and more about, I think just growing. Hey, my name is Jordan Giberson. I'm a Texas girl living and thriving in London. The best thing I've ever done? Moving abroad, hands down. And I'm passionate about helping others do the same. Are you curious about finding a job abroad? You're in the right place, friend. I'll teach you the tried and true secrets of how to make moving abroad a reality for you and how to live a fulfilling life once you get there. We'll cover topics like choosing the best visa for you, how to get a job offer in another country, how to get over your fear of moving abroad, and how to live a life you love once you get there, this is The Move Abroad Podcast. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. So I was thinking about this season of holidays coming up and just being thankful for the things that we have in our lives. And I was thinking about living abroad and what that means for me. And I was reflecting on. How it's okay to be thankful for what you have, but also want something more for your life. So this episode is about how the grass is always green on the other side, and whether that's actually the case whenever it comes to moving abroad. And this is a topic that comes up. Pretty frequently in conversations and for people that want to move abroad. So can you be grateful for the life that you have and still want more? And is the grass always really greener on the other side whenever it comes to moving abroad? So this episode is definitely for you if you've been feeling guilty over wanting a different lifestyle, a new adventure, or just a fresh start in another country, even if your life in the U.S isn't bad or is even great. So let's go ahead and dive on into the episode. The first thing that I thought would be helpful to talk about is the guilt that we carry for wanting more I think sometimes there's an internal conflict that a lot of people might feel, but might not talk about out loud. It's like this thought of, I should be happy. I have a really great job. I have amazing friends. I have a great routine. I have a great home. I have so many things to be thankful for and so many amazing things in my life. I think that you might be feeling this. Feeling of Okay. Does that make me feel ungrateful for the things that I do have because I have so much more than some other people have. So if I have all these amazing things in my life, why do I still have this desire to move abroad? Is that wrong? Or I'm giving up so much to to move abroad to something that I don't really know what's gonna look like? And is it going to be as good of a friend group and as good of a job? And am I going to be as happy there? So here's the truth, I think that. Gratitude and ambition for other things can coexist. I don't think that they're mutually exclusive. I think that you can be thankful for what you have, and it doesn't mean that you are signing a lifelong contract to never want anything different for your life. I think you can appreciate your current life and be craving something new and something different. One does not. Cancel out the other. So I think that you can think about it like this. You can love your hometown and still want to travel. You can love your friends and still want to meet new people. You can enjoy your current job and still dream of building a different kind of life. I think, wanting more doesn't mean that you are ungrateful. It makes you ambitious and wants, and it makes you want different things and want more, or just want something different for a little while. I think that it's just an opportunity. I think that sometimes it just means that you are ready to grow. You might have a feeling that you want something different that you wanna grow, but I don't think that it means that you are. Ungrateful for the things that you do have great friends, great job, but maybe you did move to a different city in your state or to a different state altogether. So I don't think that it makes you ungrateful for those things, but I think that sometimes we carry that guilt for wanting more and I think this conversation of why the grass is always greener question matters. I think people might say to you, the grass isn't greener over there. And sometimes they're right, but sometimes they're absolutely wrong. I have people all the time asking me like, why was the U.S so bad? Like, was your life so bad that you had to run away? Like, why wasn't it good enough? Like, why did you have to go somewhere else? I feel like I have people questioning me even now about those things saying that. Like, why was this life not good enough for you? So let's get honest with ourselves about that. I think that the grass is greener and would be better and is a good move for you to move abroad if you're craving a lifestyle change that another country genuinely provides, whether it's a slower pace of life and more work life balance to safer cities. Maybe it's more affordable healthcare. Maybe you don't wanna worry about going into debt for healthcare. Maybe it's more vacation time. Maybe it's for the adventure of being able to experience a different lifestyle and a different culture and being able to travel more. I mean, there's so many things that a life abroad can provide for you. So I'd say I think that it could be a good move for you, and the grass is greener if you are craving that lifestyle change than another country will give you. I think that the grass is greener and it's a good choice for you if your values align more with the life in another country. I think the grass is greener if you want to meet new people, if you want to challenge yourself, if you want to experience your worldview, I feel like the grass is greener. Whenever you feel like you're tired of being on autopilot, maybe you feel like you've been on autopilot for a while and you don't feel challenged. Maybe this chance to move abroad is a chance for vibrancy and a new challenge for you that will push you and help you to grow. Maybe the grass is not greener whenever you are expecting to move abroad and that it's going to fix. Everything. Maybe the grass is not greener. Whenever you're running away from problems instead of moving towards new possibilities, maybe the grass is not greener. Whenever you are imagining a fantasy version of the country instead of the real one, because it's not always a permanent holiday, it's not going to feel like a holiday. It's going to feel like real life. There's still going to be challenges and things you have to work through. You still have to do your laundry. Like there are still like. All the normal life things. It's not just going to feel like a permanent holiday. So the grass is not going to be greener if you have this fantasy version of moving abroad, but the grass is greener if you want this to be an opportunity to grow. So I think that this question of is the grass always greener? I think it's a valid question to be asking, but I don't think that we need to be feeling guilty if. We feel like the grass might be greener or if we want to reach for a new opportunity, that that makes us ungrateful for the things that we do have. So I think that moving abroad can be. Absolutely super incredible, but it's not perfect and no place is, I mean, think about your life now. I'm sure there are things about your life or your current location that you think, okay, I really wish that this was different. I think every country has its bureaucracy. Every country has its cultural differences and challenges. It's frustrations and it's, ugh, why is this so complicated moments. I think we all have moments like that. So. The question isn't necessarily is the grass greener? The real question is, which grass feels more aligned with who I want to become in this new phase in my life? So what does wanting more actually mean? I think whenever you feel that pull, there might be a bit of a whisper, if you will, that desire for something different. Maybe you can't help but bring up moving abroad in every conversation that you have. I know that was me for sure. I think that's usually a sign that you are outgrowing your current environment. Maybe that you're craving expansion in yourself and the challenges you have in life. Maybe you want to prioritize lifestyle over the hustle that you feel like you're experiencing now. Maybe you're searching for meaning, or maybe you're searching for adventure. Maybe you just need a bit of a change. Maybe you're ready to design your life intentionally and not live by. The defaults that you're just used to. Maybe you need to be thrown into a new environment so you can kind of purposefully build a new life and and to have that change. So I think that moving abroad is less about escaping something and more about, I think just growing. I think that's the biggest thing that it's about. So I think a lot of people might mention that they're having a challenge in suffocating routines, or maybe there's responsibility. So whenever you're imagining living in Europe, it's not just about the cute coffee shop or the charming architecture, as amazing as those things are, and with many, many more things that are also incredible. I think it's about giving yourself permission. It's about not feeling like. The sense of guilt. I think that we can definitely be thankful for the life that we have and for our past and for our present, but to be dreaming about the future and how things might change and evolve and for the adventure ahead, it's about giving yourself permission to say, yes, I want to experience those things. Permission to slow down, to reinvent yourself, to live a life that feels like you really excited about something that's a new challenge for you. While you're still feeling very grateful, because as we said, those things can happen simultaneously where you feel very grateful, very thankful for the life that you have, but also feeling really excited about the potential for change and for a new challenge and for grass that might actually be greener in some ways for you. Although whenever you move, you might say. Okay. The grass is greener in this and that way, but in this and that way, actually it's better where I came from, and I think that that's normal because as we talked about, no country is ever going to be perfect. But yeah, I think that you can want more for your life. You're allowed to want a life that feels fuller. If you think that moving abroad is that for you? For me, it was, and it is. I feel like it's life that's fuller, calmer, in some ways more exciting and more aligned with the life that. I want to live, and maybe that ends up being you as well, but we won't know until we try. You have to experience that and to check, well sort of check that box to say, yes, I did it. I moved abroad. I gave myself that experience and challenged myself to do that. And then to see if it does feel calmer and more exciting and more aligned to the life that you want to live. But maybe you live there for. A year or two and you say, great, I accomplished that dream of mine and now I'm gonna go back home. Or you might be like me, where you think you're gonna live there for a year or two and go back home. And then you're like, actually, I really love it here. And I'll be here until further notice and we'll see if what happens. You just never know where life takes you. So I think that you are allowed to choose the location that supports your future dreams. I think that you're allowed to explore what's possible out there. Even if it means leaving a life that isn't terrible and maybe even is great, but maybe you just want to explore a life that you truly want something that has been a dream for you for a while, so you're not being irresponsible, you're not being ungrateful, you're not being dramatic or silly. You're just listening to your intuition and to that inner voice that's telling you that there's something more that you want. And I think that that is one of the most powerful things that you can do, is to listen to yourself and to the dreams that you have in this life because life is going to pass us by so quickly. And I think that sometimes we just have to snatch those opportunities and those dreams whenever they pass us by. So is moving abroad worth it? Is the grass always greener on the other side? Am I being ungrateful for the things that I have whenever I'm dreaming about moving abroad? Especially in the season of thinking about being thankful. And I think if you're listening to this episode at a later time, if you're like, okay, this is not really a season necessarily a being thankful. At this moment in time. But you know, I think we can always be practicing gratitude and thinking about the things that we have in our lives and being thankful for the things that we have. But anyways, here is my honest answer is moving abroad worth it if the desire keeps coming back? If you feel like you are thinking about moving abroad on a regular basis, whether it A few times a week, even once a week, or maybe it's every day you feel like you are having this desire, then I think that it's worth exploring. I think that we have to explore those things, those desires that we have and those dreams. And maybe you do a bit of digging. You're like, actually, I don't think that this is for me for now, but maybe you say. If I don't go, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life. So I'd say that it's worth exploring if you have that desire and it keeps coming back. So I think that you're not necessarily committing, you're just exploring, because sometimes I think that the curiosity in and of itself is a bit of a sign. I think sometimes it's that desire or that dream it's kind of knocking and maybe it's your future self and knocking on the door and saying I feel like this is something that I really want, and if you do decide to move abroad, then I think that. You gain things that you cannot even predict. You gain so much confidence and resilience and new friendships and different friendships, honestly, different viewpoints from different cultures. You gain new perspectives and you have so much fun with the adventure and you grow so much. So I think that all those things are amazing things that you don't even know what's ahead of you in the best way and so many positive surprises. I know for me, I honestly did not. I guess I didn't really have that many expectations, but I think that the expectations I did have, or what I thought that my life abroad would be like, it ended up, honestly, honestly, honestly, ended up being so much better than I ever thought that it would be. And if you do a bit of digging and you decide not to, then I think that you at least know that you made a conscious choice instead of an avoidant or fearful one. So I'll say that one more time because I think it's important. I think that if you do explore and you decide. Not to move abroad. You make that conscious decision, then I think that you at least know that you made a conscious choice in your life instead of one that is from fear or avoidance of making that final decision of moving abroad or not. But I think either way, you deserve a life that lights you up and it makes you excited. I think that the grass is not necessarily always greener, but I think sometimes we have to experience that to kind of know and to say, yes, I experienced life in another country and I did that for myself, and now I can move back. Or maybe you say, wow, this is so much better than I ever dreamed that it could be. And I don't think that it makes you ungrateful for the life that you did have, but I think that. You're providing that opportunity for yourself to live life to the fullest in this short life that we have. I think that in this season of being thankful, I think we can absolutely have gratitude for the things that we do have. I know that am. So thankful for so many things in my life, and for the life that I still have back home. I mean, I am still so grateful for my friends back in the U.S and Texas. I'm so grateful for my family, for my parents who are so supportive for my siblings for the life that I get to enjoy whenever I go back home and experience life in Texas still. I love that I have the best of both worlds, but I love my life abroad and all that. It's brought me in so many positive things that I never would've guessed would happen, but have in the best way. So, yeah, I hope that you found this episode, encouraging. That's the purpose of it is to just feel encouraged. To just think about the possibilities and to say, yes, I am grateful, and to not be, I guess, shut down whenever people accuse you of not being thankful for the things you have or not being grateful for the life that you've been given. Because I think that we absolutely can feel that state of gratitude and being so thankful, genuinely for the things that we have, but to also be thinking about. Possibilities for the future and how things might change and grow, and the ambitions we have in life. And I think that's a beautiful thing as well. So I hope that you found this episode encouraging and helpful. And I just wanna say, I am grateful for you. I have so much gratitude for this podcast and for those that listen. So thank you so much for being here, for listening to this episode of the Move Abroad podcast and for being here. Thanks for listening. I'll see you next week on another episode of the Move Abroad podcast. Same time, same place. I'll catch you then.