Your goal should be to belong in Canada without losing yourself in the process.

You are an immigrant, but you are a lot of other things as well.

Surround yourself with optimistic people. You already have enough to worry about.

There is no one newcomer experience. But you can shape yours by asking the right questions.

Come to Canada with an open mind.

You already packed your life into two or more suitcases and moved to a new country. So what else are you scared of?

You already did the hardest part. Everything from here compounds, sadly, including your bad choices.

Never define yourself by the rejections or the many things you’ll face as you work on making Canada home.

Belonging is never given. You’ll have to work towards it.

Being an immigrant strips away the invisible latticework of belonging that we took for granted. And what you’ll miss the most is that sense of fitting in and not having to explain or prove yourself almost all the time.

The first step towards belonging in a society is economic belonging. So go get that job.

Belonging means leaving the door open for others to come in, no matter their race, culture, gender, or age.

Networking must become your second job because you have to rebuild years and years of social capital in a few years.

Don’t stop networking once you land a job. 

Optimize for building relationships. It makes almost everything else better.

Think of a relationship like a bank account. You can’t withdraw from day one. You have to invest in it first.

 All you can control in life is how you respond to life.

Circumstances make you a victim. The choices you make determine if you remain one.

Failure is how you find your blind spots. It is the only way to unearth what you didn't know you didn't know.

Never waste a great crisis. Every crisis is an opportunity to reinvent yourself.

The grass is only greener where you water it. 

Comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t compare your year one in Canada to someone else’s year twenty. 

It takes seven to ten years to feel grounded. Give yourself some grace.

Focus on the positives.

Get involved in your new home’s future.

Build new traditions.

Drop your sense of entitlement.

Almost every good thing is outside your comfort zone.

Never undervalue your past experience.

The first two years are going to feel like you are running on an inclined treadmill at 16km/h. Hang on.

Pick what serves you from your culture and what serves you from your new home, and ignore the rest.

Adjusting to your new life in Canada will be harder than it was described.

You don’t need to change your accent to communicate clearly.

Never paint Canada with a broad brush because of what one person did or said to you.

The memories of home you are protecting may be nostalgia for a time that no longer exists.

Integration is a two-way street. So don’t feel guilty if it seems like you’re the only one trying. 

Maybe hard work gets you noticed back home. In Canada, being visible gets you noticed.

That you understand different cultures is a superpower.

Where you land in Canada — and who receives you — can shape your entire settlement journey.

Your community and social relationships, not your immigration status, are what make you happy. So find a community as soon as possible.

But don’t limit yourself to a community of people from your home country.

The fear of not trying should outweigh the fear of failing. Apply for that job.

Know your stories and tell them. Employers want to know how you’ll solve their problems.

Celebrate your wins.

Choose to love Canada. And it’ll love you back in equal measure.