My First Month Living in NYC
CONSTANT MOTION
Next week will mark 30 days living in NYC, of course it’s flown by crazy fast and I’ve loved every second of it. In just 4 years I’ve lived in 3 states and 7 apartments. It feels like a blur but it has always felt like there was always something “more”. Like I was leveling up in a way. Going from Texas to Chicago, I learned how to be adapt to a new place and enjoy starting fresh. From Chicago to LA, I learned about business and how to grow my network as well as create meaningful and exciting relationships. Moving to NYC has felt like the final chapter of evolution in my 20’s. It’s like I’ve taken my knowledge from Chicago and LA and adapted to this new place as best as I can.
I feel like I’m spoiled because I’ve been able to live in the 3 most major cities in just 4 years. The draw to NYC is the constant motion and the drive everyone around you has. You can’t sit around and wait for opportunity, you have to literally go out and chase that down. All your peers are laser focused and living here to become the best version of themselves. That’s why I came here. I want to be challenged, not only by myself but my city as well.
FREEDOM
Living in LA I felt almost locked in. I couldn’t get out unless I wanted to drive through tons of traffic and just be stuck in the car for most of the day. This really messed with my creative headspace. If I just wanted to stop by the beach to think or meditate I had to plan out a 4 hour window of when I would leave, where I would park, and what the traffic would be like heading back home.
NYC has felt totally opposite. If I wanna go somewhere I can just walk outside. I don’t need to think about driving or parking, just going wherever I need to be at. This has been one of things I missed about living in Chicago. Being able to just leave your apartment and soak in the energy of the city in seconds in something I will never get tired of. You’d have to do some black magic to not feel motivated in this city.
“IF, THAN”
My whole adult life i’ve been so hyper focused on “If, Than” statements. For the most part they’ve been correct but a few times I realized it was a mental thing I needed to work along, not a change to my environment. I feel like a lot of my moving around has been because of thinking like this. It took me honestly a while to finally understand my internal happiness and mindset would trump the feeling of needing something better in life. I think we tend to blame where we live or who we surround ourselves with as a crutch. This blame game can totally be true but I feel like most of the time it’s not. I always look into the future and forget about the present that it causes me to miss the past because I wasn’t there for it. I told myself with this NYC move I was going to live in the moment. I’ve dealt with anxiety heavily because of how much I try to construct my unknown future, rather than living in my current world.
I say all of this because I feel like I’ve triggered moving to a new place with thinking all my problems will disappear with my “new “life. It’s taken 7 apartments and 3 states to realize that just isn’t true. I still deal with the same stuff I did 4 years in Chicago but I’m learning how to handle those internal fears and struggles into creative energy.
LEAVE HOME, IT’S FOR THE BEST
I know too many people who never leave home. Maybe they go to college a hour away but they are still always attached to “home”. To me, I grew so much leaving Texas 5 years ago and never moving back. I feel like everyone needs to be put in situations where they need to learn how to adapt to new people, new surroundings and new challenges, and I’m talking about the real world, not college. Go out and see the world. Find a career that isn’t where you have family or friends at. Look around the US and see where you would wanna live and see how you can make that work. It’s this step into the unknown that will make into someone special. I understand some people need to stay close to home or just can’t afford to move but most of the time I feel like it’s just someone not wanting to step out into untapped waters. If you are in 20’s, single and no kids. Get out and see what is out there. Meet new people, live somewhere where you feel like you can thrive and make something of yourself. With this shift in your life you will see just how much you are capable of.