Many people in their twenties or even thirties are constantly debating what to do with their life. They see each decision made to be impactful on the rest of their lives. Although this may be true to some extent, your twenties are there to explore the world around you. There is nothing like stepping outside of your comfort zone to discover who you really are. Your biggest fear should not be doing something different, it should be conforming to whatever seems easiest. Moving around is a great solution to keeping this chapter of your life exciting. Here are a few of the many reasons why you should be spending your twenties living in different cities.
You are not tied down to anything
What is there to lose? You don’t have kids and you don’t have a mortgage to worry about. You are relocatable now more than you ever will be so do yourself a favor and take advantage of that before you start wondering ‘what if.’ As soon as you realize that no decision is a permanent one, there is no reason you should not take the plunge. If it does not work out, move back. If it turns out to be something incredible, aren’t you glad you went for it?
You will realize you are capable of more than you think
Moving to a new city means relying on yourself. Nobody is going to hand hold you when a stranger gives you the stink eye for not giving up your seat on the subway. You won’t be able to seek solace in your familiar, favorite coffee shop back home because that is still going to be located back home. You and only you will have to figure out where to live, discover a new favorite café, and learn how to make new friends. You are suddenly on your own and I won’t lie, it will be hard at first. My first new city was Chicago, which was an extremely difficult adjustment at first. However, looking back at it, I think I grew more in that one year than I did in high school and college together. Doing something outside of your comfort zone only empowers you and builds your confidence to believe that you are capable of doing whatever you want, whenever you want.
You will make new, fresh friends
Making friends in a city is not like freshman year in college where everybody leaves their door open with welcoming arms and a couple of drinks. However, this does not mean that you have a valid excuse to stay home alone every weekend re-watching Blackfish. There are so many ways to meet people in the city if you are willing to put yourself out there. The biggest social meetup site is called, wait for it, meetup.com. There are activities of every kind that will find your fancy ranging from going on a ropes course to bar hopping to dungeons and dragons if that’s what you are into. Also, something I can’t emphasize enough, the best thing about moving to new cities is nobody is going to judge you! So go ahead, shave off one side of your head and finally see if you can pull it off. I’m sure you’ll make new friends who appreciate it. These new friends are the ones that will take you to the best burger joint after 2AM or the bar that is hidden behind the pizza shop. Making new friends in new cities is what your twenties should be about because you will gain different perspectives and learn things you would not have by staying home.
You will be able to go to a party by yourself without feeling extremely uncomfortable
I’m going to get straight to it. I’m pretty awkward in new social situations. Personally, this is one reason why moving to a new city is hard for me. However, having to put myself out there has helped me keep it together when going somewhere alone. Before when I would walk in a party and awkwardly comment on the car ride over, I can now go to a party and crack a joke that people actually laugh at. For the first time, I am now confident and OK with being in places where I don’t see a familiar face. I am not afraid to be myself and this new life skill is one I can definitely see myself getting used to.
You will appreciate a new culture
Although many say America lacks culture, each city does have its own personality. If you have only ever lived in one place, exploring a new city is the perfect solution to discovering new types of people, food, music, etc… Not only will this add value to your life, it helps you become more relatable to others in the future. You will be able to communicate and understand all walks of life, which is not something you can learn by reading or watching TV. Also, the plus side of eating a city’s ‘signature dish’ is definitely not something that should be underestimated.
You will learn to enjoy being by yourself
In high school and college, you were always surrounded by friends. Now it’s the real world and everyone has migrated to different places. You no longer have 5 – 10 friends on speed dial ready to hang out at a click of the button and that is OK. When you figure out that “alone” does not mean “lonely,” you will learn to enjoy being by yourself. If you take one thing from this article, it should be that being by yourself allows you to discover who you are. It will help you feel confident in your own skin and encourage you to be happy with yourself. Embracing your ‘me’ time builds a stronger you for the future.
