Why Moving Away From Your Hometown is Always The Right Move
Moving to NYC is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, nothing comes close because my way of thinking is not normal where I’m from. This is why I always recommend moving away from your hometown if you’re different and even if you’re like everyone else because it’s still going to help you grow x100.
When you’re surrounded with the right people and in the environment that’s meant for you and matches what you’re after / your values — some really cool things start to happen, simply because you’re in your element.
Words fail me when it comes to describing what I feel for NYC. I’m not even exaggerating, I’ve woken up almost every day since I’ve lived here thanking the universe for this opportunity. The gratitude does not go away because this place literally feels like home, the way I belong here is beyond me.
If your goal is to constantly level up and live life on your own terms, it’s going to be very difficult to do that living in a place that’s filled with small minded people. And I’m not saying the people in your hometown are terrible, no, if anything, the opposite, their incredible people that just can’t see what you see.
You only accomplish things that you truly think are possible and can clearly see.
Before I go around asking others for opinions, I first make sure to identify how I feel about a situation and what I believe is right for me because two people can be looking at the same thing and see two totally different things.
When I wanted to move to NYC, people would tell me that it’s impossible, there’s no way, it’s too expensive and too competitive. Yet, I’ve been living here for 5 years now.
People will tell you something is impossible because THEY can’t do it. Their view of the world has nothing to do with you, it’s just a view.
When you have really big goals, normally what ends up happening when you share them with others, is people will tell you, you can’t do it or it’s too hard, or you’re insane. Again, they aren’t being malicious, these could be people that genuinely care about you and want you to be safe and taken care of. So, it makes absolute sense for them to tell you these things but at the end of the day, only you know what’s truly right for you and how far you believe you can take things.
There are only 2 things that truly matter when accomplishing a goal like moving away from your hometown or any goal really and that’s:
- Belief in yourself
- Execution
With these 2 things, you can do anything. I really mean that.
The confidence comes from not me believing I’m special or that you’re special. The confidence comes from understanding that if you devote yourself to something, at some point, you will improve or get that thing. It just comes down to having the discipline to take the right actions that you know will move you along.
I have no problem doing difficult things if know it’s going to propel me forward. And so with this mindset, of course I’m going to sit here and believe that I can do anything and be able to confidently tell you that you can do anything too. This is literally how you accomplish things — believing in yourself and executing. That’s it. Period. There is no secret. I’m obsessed with this fact by the way, it’s like candy to me because it means that there are no limits. No boxes and no ceilings. It’s easy to be grateful when you’re looking at life through those lenses.
How to decide where to live when moving away from your hometown
It’s hard to know what city to choose to live in when you don’t yet fully know who you are. I had some idea that NYC was the right move for me but it’s beyond what I could even comprehend at the time.
You have to figure out:
- What’s important to you, what makes you different from everyone else in your hometown?
- What are some things that you value?
- What would be cool for the place you live in to have?
- What kinds of people do you think would match what you value?
- What would it take for you to move to that place?
- What are some actions you’re going to need to take in order to make it happen?
Then go and spend some time in that city, make a weekend trip. Look up YouTube videos on that place, do your research.
I think this is a fair place to start and have fun with this, it’s an exciting stage to be in.
Being homesick
I wanted to mention this in the end because it is scary to leave your hometown, a place you’ve always known and feel comfortable in. That being said, you will feel homesick. Even I felt homesick and I loved NYC from day one.
It took me a month to get used to it, which I never would’ve imagined because I was so sure that NYC was the right move. I’d cry almost every day for a month but I knew this was normal considering the fact that I have incredible parents and there was nothing wrong with my hometown other than the fact that I was aching to grow and expand. I knew that in order to fully grow into who I wanted to be, I had to move away. I say this because something being scary doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the wrong choice.
“Nothing changes, if nothing changes”
Remember, if you have a crystal clear goal AND you’re okay with working towards it for an unknown / extended period of time, there’s no reason why you can’t make it happen. If you believe something is possible, you’ll act accordingly and the inverse is true. You aren’t going to exert effort into something you don’t even think is possible.
