All my life, I lived in Texas. I was born and raised in Denton, Texas. Then went to school in East Texas at the University of Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas for four years. Shortly after college, I moved back home where I fell more in love with traveling. Frequently visiting cities all across Texas and the entire United States. A little over a year ago, I packed my car with all it could carry and set off for Denver, Colorado, leaving all my friends and family behind. And while on this journey of reinvention I’ve discovered a number of things about both my surroundings and myself.
You learn to be alone
Being alone in a new city, requires you to become more independent. It gives you time to reconcile with your own thoughts, dreams, and insecurities. It challenges you to enjoy spending time with yourself and to embrace the solidarity life offers. You’ll find yourself eating at restaurants or going to the movies alone, which sounds intimidating, especially when you see groups of friends enjoying their time together. However, it will also help you build confidence in yourself and help you realize that you are never actually alone.
You learn how to get lost
Even though we all know the blessing that is Google Maps, getting lost when you first move to a new city is just as useful. When trying to learn your new city it helps you to go without the back up and experience the city in its fullness. You should get out and explore your new surroundings and check out what’s available without having to look away and check where to go next on your phone.
You learn how to rely on yourself
You learn to eat and cook your own healthy meals, how to manage your money, and get all your chores done; you’ll learn to depend on nobody but yourself to get everything done. Living in a new city you are usually far away from your home, your family, you’ll quickly learn that you are the only one responsible for your own success or failure.
You become fearless
Its natural to feel afraid when you are first moving to a new city. Just the thought of packing your bags, leaving your family and friends, and moving to a strange new place can be pretty frightening. However it’s important not to let fear control your life. Instead let your sense for adventure run free. Just the fact that you were able to do this alone is a brave in itself.
You learn to reinvent yourself
Every day, you reinvent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: forward or backward. -James Altucher
In life it’s important that we as humans continue to grow as individuals. If you feel stuck, whether in your career or your personal life, you must make an effort to change. Constantly challenging ourselves and facing our fears, is crucial to our well-being and destiny.
