Someone recently asked me what my favorite places to eat and grab coffee were in Philly, and honestly, I don’t have a favorite. I am still in that tourist phase where I want to try everything; every little coffee shop, every restaurant, I want to do everything that Philly has to offer. I have had to explain to a few people recently that I just moved to Philly. Like literally, I still have a box or two unpacked in my closet and I am still buying lamps for the apartment. My decision to move to Philly was made quickly and everything that happened between that decision making and the movers setting up my bed in the apartment was only two weeks. On a Thursday, my life was turned upside down and then shaken really hard so none of it would ever look the same. An unexpected end to a relationship I thought was going somewhere, an unexpected corporate policy causing me to leave my job and basically my career path. There I was, single and unemployed. The following Thursday was my last day at the job I had for the last year and a half. A job I loved from the very first day. Basically, it was the first job that I felt like I could do and felt very supported in my role. I lost a career and that support system that kept me coming to work each day. I could feel my depression/anxiety started to creep in and I knew that if I didn’t come up with a plan quick, I would lay in bed all day feeling bad for myself. I didn’t want to feel lost and hopeless. So I did it. I had this plan for three years that “one day I will move back to Philly”. For the last year or so, I had no real reason to because I was living at home and I loved my job. Luckily, a few months prior I had started to go on job interviews through a recruiter in big Philadelphia law firms for an office job. I had not heard back for months, which is normal for this size of firms.
My last day at my job was a Thursday and on Friday, my parents and I got in the car and drove to Philly to sign an apartment lease. I just did it. I made the decision that for the first time since I graduated from college I had no real plans or commitments and could do anything I wanted. It was now or never. Those two weeks before my move were spent being busy from the minute I woke up until I went to bed. I didn’t want any free time because I would start to overthink this big life change. Instead of I am moving to Philly, I would turn it into I need a couch, hire movers, pack up my entire life, overthink about how much pots and pans were. I couldn’t let my brain go there. I stuck to one decision and one task only. I was moving to Philly.
I love to do lists because they help me break down my day and I like to have control over what needs to get done that day. However, I tried to not write too many to do lists because this move was already terrifying enough, I didn’t need a long list to scare me too. I needed to constantly turn my negative mindset and turn it into something positive. I would wake up in the morning and get anxious that I was sleeping in the guest room because I no longer had a bed set up in my bedroom because it was taken apart because I am moving to Philly. I would turn that negativity into the excitement that comes with moving like I get to decorate a new apartment and start over in life.
People often say that they could never pack up their life and switch careers to move to a new city in only two weeks. People have called it scary or brave, but for me, it is just something I needed to do. For a while, my life had lost direction and I felt like all I did was work, go home, sleep and repeat. I saw other people in their twenties going out with friends and making memories. All I did was work and I didn’t live close to friends. I wanted a change, so I had to keep these plans simple before I made myself chicken out of the whole thing.
When I came up with this idea to move to Philly, I asked myself if it was actually possible. I came up with reasons why it could work out before I troubled my mind with the many reasons of how it could fail. Financially, this was possible because I did have the money set aside for moving costs. I would use all of my savings, but I thought it was a good use of my money. Could I make this happen quickly? I had nothing else going on. Was this plan actually realistic? The crazy thing is that this plan actually could happen. I made the decision to move to Philly and magically everything fell into place when it needed to. I moved to Philly and while the movers were setting up my couch, I got the call for a final interview for a job.
I guess I am kind of crazy to move to a new city with a new apartment, new career at a new job. But this is me starting over at 25 years old. Now every decision or obstacle that I face, I try to simplify it to one task and just do it. I hope I can inspire you to do something that you have always wanted to do. You don’t need the perfect outcome pre-planned before you do something big. As long as you realistically can see it working out, just do it. Now that I look back on one of the most challenging weeks of my life, I realize it all happened for a reason because I got so comfortable in my routine. Why would I ever leave a job I love to start over? Why would I choose to drain my savings for an apartment when I was just fine living at home.
Stop making excuses, put aside the fear and just do it.
Blonde Rosie Blog 