Forcing Myself Forward: Moving to NYC
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By Samuel Ryan
Freelance Lessons
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Ambition and comfort rarely run together.
I began freelancing more than five years ago, while living in Atlanta, Georgia. Cost of living was low, I had no children, my newlywed wife was working, and business was easy to come by. I soon moved to the Midwest, and enjoyed a comfortable life, working my own hours at my own rate. The work was a bit boring, but I was very fortunate to be where I was and I can't ever complain about having a job and a roof over my head. But I also knew that I was getting less ambitious and more uninspired as each year ticked by.
I needed a catalyst. I needed a way to force myself forward -- to move beyond a growing apathy. So last year, I sold my car, ended my apartment lease, and bought a one-way ticket to NYC. Two weeks later, I brought over my wife and daughter, and found an apartment in Brooklyn. I'm now in my 15th month living and working here.
Granted, moving doesn't necessarily change you and it's easy to dismiss a move to New York as naive wanderlust. But for me, it was the right catalyst at the right time. In the last year, although I've continued freelancing, I've also learned to work harder, have met some great people, and have begun on new opportunities that I wouldn't have otherwise. Moving to NYC required me to change the way I was.
It's not that different from other catalysts people use, from a drastic diet to attending a university overseas. There simply comes various times in people's lives when the only way to change is to force it. I'm not sure where I'll be a couple years from now, but I hope that I will always be ready to force myself forward.
(Note: Since I've begun updating this site again, I've actually began using my Twitter account. You can follow here for latest updates).
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