The first article I ever wrote for this blog was about how exercise, specifically MMA, made a really positive impact on my life. I liked telling that story because it was a major turning point for me and a lot of you can relate to it in some way. You can read it here. One thing that connects us as humans is that we all have a personal struggle and dreams that we work towards. I wanted to tell another personal story about when I decided to make a bold move by coming to Florida.
If you’ve read my other articles you know that I lived in New York originally. I graduated from college in 2015 and was planning on moving down to Tampa. I was very excited about the idea and was going to move in with my best friend who was in his senior year at the University of Tampa. It was a perfect opportunity for me to make a big, positive change in my life. My other friends from college were all moving back to their hometowns or a bigger city to try and get a good career, this was my chance to do the same. As I got deeper into planning the move and time passed, I started to second-guess the decision. I was doubting myself and thought the move would be too risky. I had been dating someone for over a year and the thought of leaving her made me sad. In the end, I backed out of my Tampa plans and decided to live with another close friend in Buffalo. Buffalo was familiar to me and the safe option.
I had a fun year in Buffalo, but I had a cloud hanging over my head. I kept wondering ‘What if I had moved to Tampa?’ I kept thinking about the warm weather, beaches, night life, all the reasons I originally wanted to move down there. After a week in my new Buffalo apartment I was already regretting the decision and beating myself up for it. I felt like I missed the boat and was watching it sail away. I did enjoy that year of my life, but my mind and spirit were somewhere else. I was mad at myself for choosing the safe option instead of the adventurous one.
I ended up moving to Tampa the next year and that cloud over my head disappeared. Man, I wish I could bottle up the feeling I got my first night down there. Even the 19-hour drive from Buffalo to Tampa was exhilarating. I finally felt like I was where I was supposed to be. I finally took the jump and was so happy about it. I was in a new, exciting place, over 1,00 miles from home. Buffalo is a great city and will always be in my heart, but Tampa was better in every way. It was like living in a new country with completely different people and opportunities. To this day I sometimes wonder how different things would be if I moved to Tampa right after college instead of waiting a year. But things are going good in my life and I am happy with how things turned out, so it’s all good.
There is an important lesson here: take the jump. I don’t mean literally jump, like sky-diving or bungee jumping. I mean try new, adventurous things. If you see an opportunity and want it, then go for it. I doubted myself and didn’t take the jump so I ended up regretting it. Luckily the opportunity was still there, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes you need to force yourself to do something you are nervous or scared to do because the payoff is worth it. You must do spontaneous, fun things but also think about the big picture and the long-term. Think about the expression ‘The pain of regret is much worse than the pain of failure.’ It’s okay to fail if you tried hard and learned something.
You must know what you want, that’s the key. Right now I have a stable office job with a decent salary, but that’s not what I want in the long term. I started this blog and the Hustle Planet brand to educate and inspire people, and I want it to be my life’s work. I also just started studying SQL (Structured Query Language) because I like coding and want to get into that field. You don’t need to make a big move across the country to be adventurous, that’s just what worked for me. You have your own goals and dreams you work towards, so follow that path. Maybe you want to go back to school for something or visit a country that’s on your bucket list. Maybe you want to ask out a boy/girl you’ve had your eye on or see your favorite band play live. The important thing is that you work towards what you want and take steps to reach it. You can always improve your situation, that’s how I look at it. Fight for what you want, be adventurous, and take the jump!
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