I have never lived in an area for more than 5 years, I don’t often like to settle down in one place. I feel more at home between locations, perpetually in a state of transition, I find I push myself to explore and experience more when I know there is an expiration date on this chapter in my life. The freedom and adventure of moving to a new city and restarting your life is such a rush for me. I love being given the opportunity to rebrand myself as I grow more confident in myself. This move to Chicago has been no different, with all the opportunity all around me in this beautiful city I have felt so grateful for all the new connections and exciting activities around me. But I am asked frequently, by new and old friends “why did you move to Chicago?” and honestly there wasn’t just one glaring reason. But quite a few things that told me it was time to get out of Northern New York.
I was definitely feeling trapped in my routine. It was comfortable and often I felt very content doing the same things but there was always an itch for more, for something more fulfilling. When you’re feeling trapped in your routine it can sometimes feel like you live in a loop, when there are no new challenges you can just feel stuck.
When you start complaining about where you live often times that’s a telltale sign you need to get out. If you’re not feeling inspired or challenged by the area around you it can be very stifling and cause that trapped feeling. The complaining bread negativity in your life and can often seep into other aspects of your life such as your relationship with friends and loved ones. When you find yourself complaining constantly about your office, or the weather, or the lack of places to go or things to do it is definitely time to reevaluate what is keeping yourself in that city.
Your dreams can be one of the best reasons to move. My dream of continuing to grow this blog into a platform for people to feel inspired has been a driving factor for me to make this move. I love writing and I felt like Syracuse wasn’t giving me the opportunity to really stretch my wings and bring new and creative content to this platform. I felt like I wasn’t really creating my best work. There are also more opportunities to connect with new businesses and bloggers in a bigger city and learn from their experiences.
A lack of opportunity for growth is also a reason you would want to move. As I mentioned above my dream of growing this blog into something more was a driving factor to move to Chicago, and the lack of opportunity in Syracuse was very evident to me the blogging community there wasn’t thriving and I wanted an opportunity to meet other like-minded bloggers. Career growth and growth personally are some of the best reasons to look for a new place to live. Growth in your job, not just promotions or monetarily but your job should always challenge and inspire you. When that doesn’t happen anymore it’s time to have a long talk with yourself about how to move forward and better yourself.
Another huge red flag I think is if you feel like nothing is really holding you there, yes your friends are great, and you have fun going out occasionally but you feel like you could do that anywhere. Do you sit and daydream of a holiday in different cities exploring? If nothing is holding you there, then its time to start entertaining those ideas of exploration. Being in your twenties is the best time to be adventurous and give in to that wanderlust.
Along with feeling like you live in a perpetual Groundhogs Day feeling alone can also be a great reason to explore new cities. I have always been one that struggled with feeling accepted in some of the places I’ve lived. I have mentioned before that being an army dependent, I feel like I look at life and opportunities differently than others and it has been very difficult to create strong ties to people in many instances. If you’re feeling like you are isolated at work or you’re spending most of your free time alone you need to find a place with like-minded people that inspire youYou feel alone
Finally, I think the strongest sign you should move on is that gut feeling. When you feel like you just need to get out you need to go. Don’t let the what ifs give you doubts. Trust yourself and know that you are the only person who knows what’s best for you.
Are you ready for a change?