Finding your groove in a new home

It can be incredibly daunting and nerve-racking to move, but sometimes that’s what you need most. Once you’ve lived in a place for a few years, you have it all down. You know where and when to buy your groceries, where to park downtown and all the best restaurants near you.

By all means, your life is great! It’s stable, you have a good group of friends, a job, and a community. You have a routine that works perfectly well for you. But maybe that’s the problem…your life is great, you have everything you need, but when was the last time you altered your routine? Went to a new grocery store, talked to a stranger, and went on an adventure? I’m guessing it’s been a while…

While routine is great, it keeps us in a loop. A constant where our interactions and experiences are quite limited. We become comfortable and complacent with the things that just are in our lives. Sometimes all we need is change, but change is the last thing on our minds. We’re comfortable and happy, so why screw it up?

I completely understand. But my question to you is, are you really happy? Do you feel fulfilled and complete? Have you explored all of your hearts and mind’s most extreme desires?

I know If I were to ask myself these questions, my answer would be no. Definitely not. While I am comfortable or rather I was comfortable where I was in life, I didn’t feel fulfilled. Each day I would wake up, go to work, exercise, hang out with my friends and significant other and call it a day. I had a pretty constant routine. Something was missing. That something was a passion for life, new experiences, and people. It had been so long since I last did something I truly enjoyed and felt passionate about. I would hike or go on trips but it wasn’t the same, it didn’t feel right…I lived in paradise and yet I still felt empty.

I needed a change and a drastic one at that. So I moved. I left my home in Santa Barbara and moved back to the Bay Area. While this isn’t my ideal location to discover and follow through on my passions in life, it will do. It’s a stable home paired with an unstable life. Sounds unhealthy, but maybe that’s just what I need right now. A dose of uncertainty and doubt to come out of this experience a more confident and surer woman. Sure of myself, my goals, and aspirations. That’s the goal.

I’m 22, and while I thought for years in college I had a set plan for post-grad life, I surely do not. I bet many other college grads can say the same. While I’m grateful to be employed and have a roof over my head, there’s still a lot of life left for me to sort out.

What are my passions? Who are my people? Who am I? And lastly, but most importantly, where do I want to see myself in 5 years?

I read an interesting quote a few months ago when I graduated college that has really resonated with me, “focus on 3-5 years down the line. Most people don’t realize the life you live right now is based solely on decisions made 3-5 years ago.”

I also listened to a podcast recently that said every decision you make affects your identity. Your identity is who you want to be. Not who you were, or who you are now, but who you want to be tomorrow. Every moment and every thought we have ever had is now in the past. So set yourself up for greatness, equip your future self with the tools needed to live up to your identity, and make your previous self proud.

These changes don’t need to happen all at once, but they do need to happen in order for you to become the individual you hope to be. To be the identity you tell yourself constantly you will be one day. So make a change. Go to a new grocery store, talk to a stranger at the bus stop, give yourself the opportunity to explore and discover. Let yourself try and fail. Let yourself start then give up. What is meant for you will find you but you need to be looking. If aren’t looking you won’t know what’s waiting for you at your doorstep. Keep searching, trying, and failing and you will discover your identity.

While I can’t say I recommend completely uprooting your life to everyone, it does work. You’re pushed to really discover what makes you happy and what doesn’t. That’s the first step, getting out of your comfort zone. So how are you going to make a change in your life, today, this week, and this year?

What will you do to discover your purpose? Let me know, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, you’ve heard mine (: