I Moved Across The Country

If you're one of those types of people that has always thought about moving across the country for no specific reason other than to get yourself out of where you are, and to just start over in a completely new place full of new faces, I say DO IT. And here's why.

Now of course the thought of moving somewhere you don't know, full of people you don't know can be daunting as hell, trust me. If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I ever would have considered moving 3,000 miles away from everyone I ever knew, away from my comfort zone, that would have been a no from me fam. The thought of moving that far away from my family and friends baffled me. Why would anyone want to distance themselves like that? It was such a terrifying thought until recently when I decided to do it for myself, and little did I know how big of a stepping stone that would end up being!

I moved for multiple reasons.

One being that the situation I was in was extremely toxic and was no longer a good space to be in.

The second reason being that I had grown up on the west coast my entire life, mostly in Oregon and didn't really know what anything else was like outside of that.

A third reason being that I had always wanted to travel but was too scared or too poor to afford it.

And lastly, the age old question of "why not?".

I mean for real, why not? I didn't have a legitimate reason to stay, nor did I care to stay at that point anyways. My fear and anxiety were going to be the only things holding me back from moving, and I knew if I didn't move purely because I was scared of the unknown, I would have regretted that decision for the rest of my life.

I'm what you'd call a true introvert, and being pushed out out of my comfort zone like that would be the last thing I'd ever volunteer to put myself in the position of. BUT, even with that said, I for real don't even want to imagine what my life would be like if I had never left. I truly believe that I've grown so much as a person, become stronger in who I am, more confident, and I'm constantly learning more and more about what I actually want and not just what gives me instant gratification in the moment.

I will say too that once you choose to move away from home and the comfort of your parents or whoever you depended on at that time, it really forces you to grow up in ways that you didn't realize you had too until you literally HAVE to and theres no other option except to just keep pushing forward and to get through whatever the task at hand may be. Also the thought that you don't have the support system that you're used to right around the corner to come bail you out the first time things go sideways, which can be terrifying- but I believe that it's a big part of what forces you truly learn the realities of adulthood and how the real world works. It teaches you things that no one else can. Even if they try to tell/warn you about something a thousand times, you wont retain the information until you have to honestly learn it for yourself because of whatever situation you might find yourself in.

So whats my point in saying all of this you may ask, I'm saying this because if you're someone like me who has always looked at others who are living out their dreams, traveling, taking risks, doing the things that you've always wanted to do, but then you never actually strive for any of those things for yourself because you're the master at making excuses for why it doesn't "make sense right now", I'm here to say screw those excuses and to just go for it! I've learned that you'll forever and always be able to find an excuse to not do something or move somewhere and the timing will probably never be "perfect". But if you ever have an opportunity that presents itself to where you have the ability to move or do something that might dramatically change your life for the better, find a way to make it happen! I mean, there will always be the "what ifs" but what if it does work out exactly how you imagined it or even greater than that perhaps? I believe that majority of the time the experience you'll gain will almost always be worth it, good or even if it's not the best. Regardless, you'll still learn something about yourself! Plus living with the regret of never stepping outside of your comfort zone is not something that anyone wants to add to the mound of baggage we're already carrying around.

All in all, Moving across the country was quite literally the best thing I've ever done for myself in my 24 years of life, and of course being nervous and scared of the unknown is normal, but just don't let the fear and anxiety of change take away what could possibly be the best decision for you for your life. Long story short if you can you should, and if you're already thinking you should well then I believe you have your answer. Also, if you were looking for a sign to help you make your decision, this is it right here fam, staring right at you.

So best of luck to any and all of you who decide to take the risk to go live out your dreams, because in the end we only have one life to live and life doesn't stop for anybody. So you do you you boo boo, make it happen, do the work, be as successful as you can be, because god damnit you earned it! and I stand by that, 100%. Cheers ya'll.