Why Moving is a Must

Most of us ventured away to college 6 odd years ago. Some stayed close to home and others ran as far as they could. As college came to a close many of us had to make the decision whether to retreat back home to a rent free lifestyle or take on the world. I too retreated home, but I must say when I moved I found myself in a different world. Literally the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was all worth it and here's why.....

1. Big cities have the career you want.

You can be courageous in the country and still come up short.  If a market won't allow for you to have a chance in your industry then you MUST move. 

2. Big cities put you in your place.

"You don't deserve a job if that's all you've done" My mouth dropped when I was confronted with my grim reality. There I sat in front of a man who was beyond successful as he tore into my resume and "lack of experience." Before moving to NYC everyone boosted my ego. I graduated thinking I was creme of the crop. That was until I moved out the kiddie pool into the shark infested ocean. In big cities people don't hold anything back seeing they have earned the right to do so. The reality check you receive in a big city will make you have to step your game up and get sent home.

3. Big cities put you in another gear.

The minute I walk out the door each morning, I get in mode. I blow past the crowds to make the train before the door closes, 3 trains later I scurry across an intersection to avoid a wave of oncoming traffic and hustle in the office because, well, everyone else moves fast too. See in most big cities you don't have the privilege to have a car so you and public transportation become one. This new found survival mode follows me in every aspect of life.

4. You deal with cut throat work environments.

Lets just say if the Devil wore Prada I'm convinced she may of had a glass or two of cognac. There's a deadlines for deadlines and everything is of the utmost of importance. Having a sane boss and leaving work at a decent time is almost unheard of in big cities. When I first moved I promised to never become a work-a-holic now I make promises to leave the office before the street lights come one.

While working in high stressed environments you learn to make things happen at all costs

5. There's never a dull moment.

Always a cool concert. Always a huge festival. Always a new restaurant you have to try.Big cities are full of opportunity so 20-somethings from seemingly every country descend on them. Soon enough, you befriend people from all walks of life (foreign and American), broaden your worldview and begin to understand where you fit in this giant spinning orb called Earth.

6. You learn to budget your money.

Smaller apartment = less furniture. Smaller bedroom = less mattress. Smaller closet = less clothes.

In a big city, you learn to sacrifice. I didn't get a job in NY until two months after I moved. Budgeting my money wasn't an option it was my livelihood. I ate better in college than I did those first couple of months and that says a lot. With the cost of living so high in big cities one learns to get very creative with their money. 

7. Huge ideas happen in a crowded place.

LifeStyleOlogy has humble beginnings in a brown stone that is located in the heart of BedStuy do or die. When you're surrounded by people who want to make it as if their life depended on it you adapt that hunger. People bounce ideas off each other and start these small businesses that are later transforming the lives of others.

You don't need $5K to move, you don't have to have a butload of friends, you don't need to have your dream job offer. All you need is the drive and determination to make it.

Xoxo Kolleh