Skilled Migrant Professionals October 2014 | Page 7

Publisher’s Page

O

Setting the course
for a better life:
It’s up to you

ne of the main reasons people migrate to a different country is for a better
life. Sometimes we can lose sight of that ambition when the going gets
tough. Whenever I encounter a challenging moment in my professional
career, one memory always springs to mind based on a discussion I had
with an immigration officer at Perth International Airport on my arrival in
Australia 14 years ago.
I was talking to him about my aspirations. He asked me about my goals
and how I hoped to achieve them, particularly with me entering on a student visa. I told him that I had set the course for my life, which I believed
I had the right to choose. I went on to explain to him that my success in
Australia was solely dependent on me; not on which political party was in
power, tax laws or the economic situation. I knew the success or failure of
realising my goals would depend on my bigger picture; who I wanted to
become. I simply refused to let anything derail my vision for a better life or
be an impediment to my future.
I frequently chat with co-migrants here in Australia and am constantly
surprised to discover that they don’t have a basic plan to guide their lives,
much less contingencies for major obstacles. As unbelievable as it sounds,
most people don’t map out the essentials; finances, career, education or
health, just to name a few key areas. These days, many people see career
opportunities and pursue them assuming that everything else will somehow just fall into place.
When it comes to financial security, they naively hope that the government will ensure they are taken care of in retirement. They wait and wait
until the wait is over only to find they are not as financially secure as they
had hoped but by then it is too late to do anything about it and are filled
with regret. I will not allow this fate to befall me and you shouldn’t either.
The fact remains that no one else is going to do it for you; we need to take
charge of our own destiny.
One of Australia’s migrant millionaires, native Dutchman who was born in
Indonesia, John Hemmes, says: “It’s not being an immigrant that makes
you succeed. Whatever country you live in, are born in, or immigrated to,
the key is having a hunger and passion to make the best of your life.”
Recent reports* suggest that immigrants are four times more likely to become self-made millionaires in Australia than people born here primarily
due to savvy investment strategies. To assist with increasing the number of
successful immigrants in this country each quarter SMP experts will share
ideas to educate and inspire you to make the best and most informed
choices to build your careers and develop your businesses to ultimately
create wealth.
No one can stop us from achieving our dreams. Having said that, it would
be unrealistic to expect plain sailing all the way but with the tools we pro-

vide, you will be able to move on and map your own course. Regard SMP
as your survival kit