Why You Should Move Somewhere Else For At Least 3 Years
For most of us, home holds a special place in our hearts. There’s nowhere quite like the city or town where we grew up.
It doesn’t matter if you’re from a small town in a tiny country, or from a huge city in a large nation. Where we grow up colors our perspective on nearly everything.
With that said, it is incredibly powerful to make big changes in our lives. From these major adjustments, we grow and improve.
One of the biggest adjustments you can make is to move to a different city, one which is a meaningful distance from where you grew up. I believe that if possible, each of us should do this for at least two years.
How Far Away Should You Move?
First off, let’s consider how far is far enough? Or perhaps, how close by is too close?
I would argue that one should live at least far enough that it is easier to take a plane flight than to drive. I grew up in Los Angeles. If I were only going away for a few years, San Diego probably won’t be far enough (wonderful as it is). San Francisco probably would be (it’s a borderline case), and Seattle definitely is.
If you’re in Washington DC or Boston or New York, moving from one of those cities to another might not be a meaningful enough difference. However, relocating to Chicago or Atlanta would be.
In an international context, this is easier in some nations (larger ones typically) than others. If you live in India, moving to a city that is a few hours flight from you, within the same nation, is very much possible. The same is true in China. In Costa Rica or Indonesia, this would be less true. Of course, moving to another country might be a possibility.
All of the examples I’ve offered here are larger cities. Of course, these are not the only places worth moving to. Perhaps a smaller town in the Pacific Northwest is of more interest, or a fishing town in Maine. That’s fantastic. The point is to go somewhere further away.
Why do I think it’s important to live somewhere which is not within an easy drive of where you grew up? Simple. The closer you live, the less you’re forced to get out of your comfort zone. You can’t simply drive home every other weekend.
You’ll Have To Make New Friends, & Get To Know Others Who Are Different From You
If you’ve lived in the same place for most of your life, you’ve probably formed some strong friendships. Friends you grew up with, and perhaps attended school with, might be amongst your strongest ties. Perhaps you worked with a great group of colleagues, and they became good friends. These are the sorts of bonds that make life special. We ought to preserve them.
Now, imagine you move to a new place. Those ties from the past continue to carry you forward. Yet, you want to experience the joys of friendship, which brought so much positivity to your life.
To do so, you must form new friendships. If you’re attending college or graduate school in the place you moved to, this might prove to be quite easy.
Yet, if you are out of school (and thus in the workforce) this could take more time. You’ll probably need to join some social organizations and meetup groups. Perhaps, you’ll need to take up a sport, or some other sort of musical instrument (another way to meet folks).
Through all of this, you’ll grow. You’ll also form friendships on the basis of comment interests. In some respects, you might find these bonds more enduring than those which are solely based on having known each other as kids, or during college.
All of this helps you to grow. It enriches your worldview, and gives you a new set of contacts. These are people whom you can support, and who will support you, as the years go on.
You’ll Learn How To Better Deal With The Logistics Of Life
When you move to a new city, there are a number of transitions you must make. You’ll need to find a place to live, and perhaps buy a car. You’ll want to figure out where to buy groceries, and which gym you’d like to attend.
This might not sound like a very difficult or complicated process. After all, how hard could it be to select an apartment, or join a gym? Perhaps it’ll be simple for you. Often, it won’t.
Through these experiences, you’ll be able to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone. You can better understand what you like, and what you don’t.
If you’re from Texas, and have grown up in larger living spaces, you’ll need to figure out how to make a smaller Boston or New York apartment work for you. On the other hand, if you’re a New Yorker moving to Texas, you’ll have to figure out what to do with all of that extra space!
It’s not just living spaces, grocery stores, or gyms. You’ll have to navigate daily life in a place where you don’t know as many people, and the overall feel of your existence is far less familiar. This is where growth happens.
Different Weather, Different Life
Los Angeles, like Miami, is a city with few seasons. Like many Angelenos, I’ve sent my friends who live in other parts of the country photos from the beach in December. If you see the chaotic traffic and driving patterns on a rainy day, you’ll realize that we really don’t know how to manage differences in the weather.
When I moved to New York, things were very different. We had a hurricane which knocked out the power in lower Manhattan (including my apartment). I had to walk nearly 5 miles in the chilly weather, as I went to stay with my aunt, who lived in a neighborhood unaffected by the storm.in In the past I ignored the differences in climate between these two locations. I didn’t any longer.
Of course, New York doesn’t just get cold. Los Angeles can be hot, but New York City in August is scorching. I hopped over to Washington DC for July 4th one year, and the humidity was indescribable.
I noticed my own mood and behavior shift with the weather, in multiple ways. In the winters, I would sometimes feel a bit isolated, and my spirits would dampen. Yet, I also was more focused on work, in part because I didn’t feel the same need to wander around the city.
In the summers, my only desire was to be outside. Yes, it was hot and uncomfortable, but somehow, I felt alive. I wanted to soak in every minute of it.
From this experience, I figured out that while winter had it’s benefits, I thrive in a warm climate. After many years, I moved back to Los Angeles. Overall, I felt happier. I attribute the climate to part of that. Living somewhere else helps you figure out how your body and mind responds to climate, and thus what works best for you.
Why 3 Years?
Why do I think that it makes sense to live somewhere else for at least 3 years? Why didn’t I suggest 2 years, or perhaps 5 years?
As I see it, 3 years is long enough to experience the inherent discomfort that comes with moving to a new place, as well as the joys of starting something new. It offers a meaningful opportunity to grow, to experience new things, and form new friendships.
1 to 2 years is simply too little time. You don’t have enough of an opportunity to adjust to your new surroundings. By the time you’ve started to get used to your new environment, it’s time to leave.
Of course, it’s very possible that you’ll move somewhere else, and decide to stay there. I have a friend who moved to Los Angeles nearly 8 years ago, and swore that he would always move back to Texas.
That doesn’t seem too likely now. Sometimes, a place makes sense for you, and you decide to stay there for the foreseeable future. That’s just more proof that you made the right decision in the first place.
The Exceptions
To be sure, there are few situations in life where one size fits all. There are some people for whom moving simply doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps you have family who need your help, perhaps because they’re dealing with a medical issue. Or, maybe you’re involved in a business, which requires you to stay where you grew up. Did you start a family at a young age? In that case, relocating to a different
In these situations, it might not make sense to move. You should probably stay where you currently live. Often, life does not offer us the opportunity to do what we want, when we want. We aren’t in the driver’s seat. Perhaps in the future, you’ll have the chance to experience the joy and growth that comes with moving somewhere else.
The Final Word
When we experience change, we’re forced to step out of our comfort zones. We must make sense of a new reality. We learn, adjust and improve.
There are few better ways of forcing such changes than making fundamental changes in our lives. I can think of few things that are more integral to our lives than the community we reside in.
By moving somewhere else for (at least) several years, we’re forced to step out of our traditional boundaries. We change.
So, figure out where you would like to go. Start packing your bags. It’s time to start writing the next chapter.
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