Why Change isn't as hard as you think

Who doesn't dream of living in a small flat in Paris, where the light glows, everyday objects glitter, you are twenty pounds lighter and handsome brogues notice you on the street as you tuck a baguette (which you purchased in fluent French) under your arm and tuck a flower into your cascading hair? Yeah.
     The thing I've learned from this move overseas, traveling first to romantic France and then moving to breathtaking Scotland, is that wherever you travel, you take yourself with you. You will be the same person you were back home (wherever home was) when you get to your new life adventure. You will look the same, have the same habits and needs, even the same quirks, strengths and weaknesses. And while that may sound somewhat depressing, it's exactly why making a major life change isn't as hard as you might think.
     When everything in your life is changing, its comforting to know there is still one thing you can rely on - yourself. It's why I don't feel all that different as I sit here surrounded by amazing and ancient buildings.      I thought that turning my life upside down and changing everything would make me feel different somehow. But this all feels pretty darned normal. I know that sounds unbelievable considering my circumstances. I'm staying in a flat above the Royal Mile in the thick of the Fringe Festival with the sound of a bagpipe wafting through the open window. But consider this... I took a shower. I ate my breakfast - fruit, yogurt and muesli, I'm actually getting some work done and blogging. These are things I do every day. My needs are being met. I haven't changed on these most basic levels.
     It makes this new life so much less scary, and more fun. Because it's the things outside myself that have changed. The selection of restaurants is exciting. The scenery is over the top and beyond believable. I'm surrounded by new languages, smells, sounds and experiences. And yet, the people and tourists are all themselves too. It just doesn't feel as radically different as you might think.
     And yet, in some ways it does. I have slowly and quietly changed in some important ways that I'm quite proud of. This is not a vacation, so I haven't acquired a tan, but I have figured out what is truly important to me. I have rid myself of objects, obligations and various things that were holding me back. I have embraced new experiences. I have adapted. And I have found that while I am still just myself, I am my very best self through this experience. And that makes it all so much easier.