Moving to London with a Work Visa

This post is dedicated to share in details my journey to one of my biggest personal & professional achievements: moving to London with a work visa in a leadership position at one of the most recognized marketing agencies in the industry.

I must say that it wasn't just a single action, but a series of actions that led me to achieve this dream. Nowadays, I believe more than ever that we all have the power within us to achieve whatever we want.

There are moments in our lives when we feel we need to change, and for me, that happened when I separated from my ex-fiancé in June 2015. That separation was very difficult, but at the same time, I used it as a POSITIVE TRIGGER to seek SELF-DISCOVERY, aiming to understand what I wanted to do with my life, since I was alone in Porto Alegre, without my family there, and with no reason to stay. And that's where it all began...

**PHASE 1: SELF-DISCOVERY – AN INNER JOURNEY**

At that time, I started reading several books that helped me on this inner journey:

- First, I bought *Emotional Intelligence* by Daniel Goleman, where I sought to understand how I could go through that moment in an intelligent way, without so much suffering – it helped me a lot!

- Then I moved on to motivational books, starting with *Rich Dad, Poor Dad* by Robert Kiyosaki, which gave me an AWAKENING OF CONSCIOUSNESS, realizing that my current life model was no longer what I wanted. I wanted more but didn't know exactly what yet (I highly recommend this book!!).

- Next, I read *The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind* by Harv Eker, and although I didn’t like the title, the book was fantastic. It helped me break through LIMITING BELIEFS about money and create EMPOWERING BELIEFS.

- Then I developed a taste for these kinds of readings and read *Think and Grow Rich* by Napoleon Hill, which introduced me to THE POWER OF THE MIND. Another sensational book!

- After that, I heard about the guru Tony Robbins, my idol! So I bought one of his books: *Awaken the Giant Within*, which brings NLP techniques.

- I then watched the documentary *The Secret*, which I had seen before, but at that time, I didn’t have the same PERSPECTIVE I did after reading all these books. I managed to absorb the teachings about BELIEVING, MENTALIZING, VISUALIZING, and FEELING, which is nothing more than the key to success.

I read other books besides these, but these were the ones that left the biggest impact. Of course, these are based on my beliefs, and many people don’t believe in what these books are about. But I didn’t have any formed opinion before because I had never read anything like it. These books were recommended by people who were more successful than me and whom I considered as REFERENCES. And that's one piece of advice I give: seek references from those who are truly an authority in the matter you want to succeed.

After this phase, which lasted almost a year, I had all the theory in my mind, but I still struggled to put all those teachings into practice. That’s when my friend Jinvited me to attend a lecture on EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. This lecture sparked my curiosity and interest in doing the 3-day Immersion Training, which happened in June 2016. That training was a turning point for me. It was intense, stirred all my emotions, and allowed me to reconnect with myself and regain my self-confidence. Through that immersion, I accessed my INNER STRENGTH and brought my dream of living abroad back to life – a dream I’d had since my sister moved to Barcelona in 2006, but had since been dormant.

Without those "imprints" I got during the immersion, I might not have started my journey to London. I highly recommend this type of immersion, impacful experience such as the Unleash The Power Within from Tony Robbins, which I came to do it in 2024 to get momentum again.

**PHASE 2: DEVELOPING A SUCCESS MINDSET**

With my energy 100% renewed and my motivation sky-high, I decided to dive deeper into understanding NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). I then took the Practitioner course in NLP . This course helped me put into practice all the theory I had learned from books. With a better understanding of NLP: maps, filters, beliefs, mental models, I was able to apply many concepts from the books that had NLP implicitly integrated. I gained clarity on techniques such as Association/Dissociation, Visualization, Reframing Beliefs, and Anchoring. There are many others, but these were the main ones I felt ready to apply, and they helped me recondition my mind and adopt a SUCCESS MINDSET. In other words, I started to have strong beliefs that I was capable, and I began to MENTALIZE, VISUALIZE, BELIEVE, AND FEEL.

One of the tips is to talk to yourself, out loud: "I DID IT!" And visualize the image of reaching the goal, allowing the emotions to surface so you can feel what you're visualizing. Of course, none of this works if you don’t truly believe you’re capable. I found myself laughing at myself several times when I said I had achieved it, almost mockingly. But that's where NLP comes in, reconditioning the mind with a stronger belief so that mockery or negative energy doesn’t take over. That’s why I often used music as an anchor. I would listen to *I Was Here* by Beyoncé with my eyes closed, visualizing my victory, or *Conquest of Paradise* by Vangelis (perfect for these moments!), *Now We Are Free* by Lisa Gerrard.

**PHASE 3: TAKING ACTION**

At this point, I had already decided on my goal of living abroad and had established my success mindset to achieve it. Then came the last stage: ACTION, because it’s no use having a goal and a success mindset without taking action.

This part was difficult because, in the beginning, despite visualizing the final result, I kept questioning HOW. How would I achieve this goal? But the basic rule in both NLP and *The Secret* is to believe, visualize, and feel as if it has already happened, without worrying too much about how to figure out every step along the way, just to keep MOVING toward the goal. It's a tough exercise because, even though I could visualize myself living abroad, I often sabotaged myself with thoughts like, "What are the chances? How will I achieve this? I don’t even have a European passport, or money! How will I interview remotely? How will I speak English well enough to get hired?" I had a thousand fears and uncertainties behind me.

That’s when it’s helpful to have a coach or mentor to help you overcome your fears, gain more confidence, and not give up. So in September 2016, I hired a coach. The sessions strengthened me and helped me structure my ACTION PLAN.

Through her, I established my FOCUS and DEADLINE, which were key! Until then, I knew I wanted to live abroad, but I hadn’t defined exactly WHERE I wanted to live or WHEN I wanted it to happen. The POWER OF FOCUS is what directs all your ENERGY to get results, and the deadline makes it more REAL. After doing some research, I decided it would be London, and I would move in May 2017, 8 months from when i hired a coach.

Once I had chosen London, I bought a small picture of London so that every day I would look at it and reinforce my goal of being there in May. That picture was my ANCHOR.

Once I had my coach by my side I started MOVING forward with the SUCCESS MINDSET, that’s when the first victories began to happen. As I mentioned earlier, being in motion doesn’t mean knowing exactly the path, but rather taking action with your FOCUS in mind. By that point, I had understood that I shouldn’t worry about the HOW because once I was in motion, the answer to that question would come naturally, through the LAW OF ATTRACTION. And that’s exactly what happened!

During my coaching sessions, we defined some basic rules, which are essential to have. Besides moving to London and the May 2017 deadline, I also wanted to go with a good job and a salary that would allow me to live comfortably. I was already in a more stable phase of life and didn’t want to go on any kind of financial adventure. So these were the basic requirements I put in my mind.

At that point, whenever I mentioned my goal to someone, I often heard things like, "Yeah, right, keep dreaming," "It’ll take years to make that happen," or "I’d be happy just living abroad, you’re asking too much." And that’s when I realized: DO NOT SHARE YOUR PLANS! Every time you share them, you dissipate the energy that should be concentrated, and you might end up sabotaging yourself by thinking it’s not possible.

One of the tasks I had defined as part of my action plan was to send my CV to recruitment agencies. I made a list of these agencies and sent out many emails, but most recruiters asked if I had permission to live in London (i.e., a British or European passport), and I didn’t. So most replies were, “No, we don’t have any jobs available with companies that sponsor work visas” – Tier 2 visas require sponsorship. After receiving many rejections, I realized I hadn’t been focusing on where exactly I wanted to work. I had defined that I wanted a job in the field with a good salary, but I hadn’t specified where. I was scattering my energy without a specific target. And as I had already learned, I needed to focus! That’s when I came across a website listing the Top Agencies to work for in London, and 360i was the first one I saw. Coincidentally, both the name and the colors reminded me of something familiar – the Google Analytics 360 course I created years before when I was lecturing.

This coincidence (I put it in italics because I don’t believe in coincidences, but rather in the law of attraction and the energy of the universe) created enough of a CONNECTION for me to feel confident in making a DECISION to work at that agency. Again, the power of focus came into play - Clarity is Power, know exactly what you want.

I sent this thought to the universe: "I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but I know it’s going to happen, and I will be working at 360i in London by May 2017!" I wrote this phrase down as an official declaration, and for days, weeks, and months, I visualised it. To help with the VISUALIZATION, I researched the agency, watched videos, and even looked it up on Google Maps to see where it was located. I visualized myself walking down the street where the agency was, getting a coffee from the Starbucks across the street – I did this many times and FELT THE EMOTION of having achieved this dream – another technique to increase the energy of attraction.

(The first time I stepped onto that street and saw the agency in front of me, I was so emotional; I laughed and cried at the same time – probably looked a bit crazy to the people around me.)

After making this declaration to myself and starting the process of mentalizing and visualizing with emotion, I had a bold insight to reach out to the CEO on LinkedIn and send him a message introducing myself, briefly talking about my professional experience, and giving reasons why he should grant me an interview where I could demonstrate how I could contribute to the agency’s growth. In that brief message, I conveyed confidence, boldness, determination, and ambition, enough to get his attention.

Two days later, I received a message from the Director of Analytics at this company, who, by coincidence, was looking for someone in the field for a leadership position! Needless to say, it was one of the happiest days of my life because, although I didn’t yet know what would happen, I was already witnessing the evidence of the law of attraction, the power of the mind, the power of focus!

Call me crazy with all this talk of NLP and the power of the mind, but the fact is, I did it! After four nerve-wracking months of interviews (because my English wasn’t fluent either), I received an official offer with a good salary, where they agreed to sponsor my work visa. That was truly the happiest day of my life – a personal achievement, earned through my own effort, inner strength, faith, and confidence that I was capable, proving to myself my ability to overcome.

I found out a bit late that I needed the IELTS exam, an English proficiency test, to apply for the visa. Considering I learned English by watching *Friends* (but it wasn’t too bad since I’d always liked the language), you can imagine my panic at having to take the test in two weeks! Normally, people spend at least a few months preparing. I felt very unsettling at first, but then I told myself that it had already worked out, after all, I had already received the offer. And off I went, mentalizing and studying like crazy. My score was 6.0, just enough to meet the minimum requirement of 4.0 for the work visa.

And then came the day to say goodbye to Porto Alegre, my friends, and family... letting go takes courage! I think that could be a theme for another post. But here I am, living proof that it’s possible!

It took almost two years of preparation, without knowing exactly what I was preparing for. It started with self-discovery, which brought my dream back to life, sparked my interest in motivational books, and introduced me to NLP. Through this, I reached out to my coach and decided, in September 2016, that by May 2017, I would be moving to London with a job. Said and done!

Honestly, who would have thought that a message on LinkedIn would give me a great opportunity to move to London, work at one of the best agencies, and land a leadership role? Some might say I hit the jackpot. I believe it was the universe manifesting in response to all the energy and movement I had been putting into making it happen. It was the biggest proof that I didn’t need to worry about the HOW, as things naturally fell into place – as long as you stay tuned in and have massive action.

**FINAL ADVICE**

I sum up my story into 10 pieces of advice:

1. Know exactly what you want to achieve. Have FOCUS!

2. KNOW yourself! Understand your weaknesses and strengths so you can use them to your advantage and enhance what needs improvement.

3. Change your MINDSET with SUCCESS filters! Understanding NLP helps a lot!

4. BELIEVE 100% that you’re capable, and if a little voice tries to block you, repeat your DECLARATION to yourself to reinforce your BELIEF.

5. VISUALIZE your achievement! If necessary, draw it, create a vision board with magazine pictures representing your VICTORY.

6. FEEL that victory! You need to inject emotion, feel the moment happening as if it’s now. Say out loud: "I DID IT!" Feel the energy surround your body.

7. Be discreet and don’t share your dreams until they come true.

8. Take ACTION without worrying about the HOW! Things will start happening naturally when you move toward your goal.

9. Have a MENTOR or COACH to give you strength and pull you forward. It’s not easy to maintain a success mindset when obstacles arise; we need ANCHORS to strengthen us.

10. Enjoy the JOURNEY! Celebrate every small victory, every step you take, even a change in mindset!

I hope that by sharing my story, you, the reader, are a bit motivated to take a small step, which could be the start of a great transformation that depends solely on you.