Archive for the 'Plan Your Relocation' Category
Even though fewer people are actually moving these days, studies show that people WANT to move because they just don’t like where they live.
There’s just this teensy weensy thing that gets in the way: a job.
However, taking that leap of faith can be a rewarding, fruitful risk.
I recently spoke about this subject with Barb Brady, a life transition coach who helps people figure out where they should live. She’s the author of Make the Right Move Now: Your Personal Relocation Guide
Q: Relocating without a job is a scary thing, particularly in today’s economy. Can moving just for the sake of moving and living somewhere new be a good thing?
Yes, and no. It really comes down to your reasons for moving. For example, if you’re feeling ready for a change in location, and there’s a particular place that’s drawing you, and you think it’s feasible to make a living, then why not?
Make sure you have enough money to sustain you for at least 3 months while finding work. Imagine the best and worst case scenarios with your move. Have a back-up plan for the worst case. You may want to rent out your current home initially instead of selling.
But if you are unhappy in your life and location is just a part of that, first address and deal with the other source(s) of your unhappiness. It could be that your location is fine, but your living situation, job, and/or relationship (with another or yourself) is not.
Get clear on what the real issues are, fix those, then make sure you’re going toward something you want, not just running away from something you hate.
Q: How can one separate a genuine desire for a new life and challenges, vs. just a ‘grass is greener’ mentality?
In addition to my response to Q1, two more exercises can help:
1: Get clear on the gaps between what you ideally want in your life and what you’re currently living. Set aside an hour when you’ll be undisturbed. Put on some music. Write a description of your ideal day and week, from the time you rise until you go to sleep at night.
Be specific – what are you seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting throughout your day? Whether you’re working or not, what does that look like? Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? How are you interacting? etc.
This vision needs to excite you!
Now compare your current life with your vision. What part of this vision are you already living? What needs to be tweaked or changed? Can this be done where you live now? If so, how? If not, what would your new location need to be like?
2. Do a gut check. Imagine it’s tomorrow and you’ve just moved to your new location. How does that feel? What’s your body telling you? Is it tired or energized? Imagine how it feels in 3 months, 1 year, 3 years. Now do the same for your current location.
Which “feels” better?
Q: Let’s say you decide a move would be good for you on many levels, but you don’t know where — what are the 3 biggest factors in helping you make that decision?
A. Ethical and legal considerations – Is there anyone to whom you are ethically or legally committed? It could be a spouse, children, elderly parents or someone else. What criteria is needed to meet to fulfill your commitment to them, and give you peace of mind? For example, if you have elderly parents, it may mean staying on the same coast.
B. Your top 3-4 non-negotiables – (In my book there’s an exercise to help you get clear on what you want in 12 key life areas. For example “strong open-minded community”, “sunny, warm climate”, etc.) Research places that may meet these criteria. Get a map, and highlight potential areas. Tell people what you’re looking for and get input. Surf the internet and peruse books. Visit prospective places.
C. Gut check – The most important! When it’s the right place for you right now, you will experience any or all of the following: relief, lightness, expansiveness, more energy, peace, smiling, excitement.
Click here to see Part 2.
Even if you’re happy where you’re living now, the current economic recession should force you to think about where you choose to call home.
Why?
Because history shows that major upheavals in our country spark huge demographic and economic shifts.
The Depression in the 1930s sparked an exodus from rural states to large cities; the 1970s recession saw huge population shifts from the Northeast to the Southwest.
Many people who didn’t make these shifts ended up in a region that remained economically handicapped for years.
So what areas of our country will be the winners — and losers — a decade from now?
If you work in real estate — or if you just care intently about your own personal financial well-being — you should be asking yourself that question.
I read an interesting theory in a recent edition of Atlantic Monthly. The author, Richard Florida, argues that many part of the U.S. have been stunted economically because of their overrealiance on ‘false’ drivers of growth — in particular, Southwest cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas.
“Although these places drew tourists, retirees, and some industry — firms seeking bigger footprints at lower costs — much of the cities’ development came from, well, development itself,” he writes.
Florida argues that these areas will be feeling the hangover effects for years.
“At a minimum, these places will take a long, long time to regain the ground they’ve recently lost in local wealth and housing values. It’s not unthinkable that some of them could be in for an extended period of further decline.”
Which areas will thrive?
Florida makes the case for population density as a driver of growth. Having people living in ‘close proximity,’ Florida argues, tends to generate more ideas, which get formulated into business plans and help spark economic activity.
This self-regenerating creativity feeds on itself, particularly in an economy that depends more on information than manufacturing things.
“[The economy] depends on generating and transporting ideas. The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas, the highest density of talented and creative people, the highest rate of metabolism. Velocity and density are not words that many people use when describing the suburbs. The economy is driven by key urban areas; a different geography is required.”
The result of all this? The big — and dense — cities like New York and Chicago will maintain their economic vitality. Cities characterized by suburban sprawl — and its attendent waste of resources — will suffer.
Where does your community fit in this sort of analysis? What communities do you see in the future that will help support you and your livelihood? Would it affect your moving or relocation decisions?
I know it will affect mine.
Tim Johnson — Relocation.com
