Making Moves.
The idea of moving somewhere completely new can be a bit terrifying. Not knowing anyone, starting over, rebuilding a support system… that deters a lot of people from picking up their lives and moving somewhere new. The “what ifs” flooding your mind, coming up with a million reasons why you should just stay put. When we decided to move to Denver, CO there were definitely moments of panic when the thought to just stay in Wisconsin crossed my mind. But then I stopped to think, if we look back 5-10 years from now, will we regret not moving? The answer for me was yes. Colorado for us has always been a beloved vacation destination. We love being outside, hiking, paddle boarding, and skiing. Although Madison has all of those things, we want more. Instead of Colorado being our go-to vacation spot, we decided to make it our forever home.
One thing I have learned about being an adult, there will always be people telling you not to do something outside of the norm. Challenging your every decision. But why would I want to be like other people? Living in a state of comfortability. My husband, Erik, has always supported my outlandish ideas, gone on every adventure with me, and is always down to jump outside of the box. Have you been wanting to move somewhere but there’s always something holding you back? Have you wanted to start a new business but you’re scared of the what if? There will always be that lingering voice telling you to stay put. Something in the back of your mind saying it’s too risky, too much money, it’s not worth it. But what if you commit to that idea you’ve had in the back of your mind and it changes your life for the better? Yes, you might fail or experience challenges but you won’t know unless you dive in.
Four years ago, Erik was working as a graphic designer right out of college. He hated it. After he had been working there for about 6 months, I stopped asking him how his day was because it was always the same answer. Shitty. He took a chance, bought a camera, and taught himself photography by watching endless YouTube videos. After trial and error, taking hundreds and thousands of photos he started a new career. With Erik there is never an end, there is always more to learn. He then taught himself how to shoot and edit video… again all from watching YouTube. He landed a full-time job as a videographer once he built a solid portfolio from freelance work. It takes so much work, dedication, pushing passed the frustration but he did it. His passion is contagious. It’s inspiring.
Here is a gentle push to jump in. Whatever you have in the back of your mind that makes you a little nervous because it’s new or risky, it might be your ticket to true happiness. For us, we’ve decided to move to Colorado. Not all jumps are the same size, just as long as you jump forward. Maybe you’ve been wanting to learn to swim but you are feeling self-conscious about it, that is okay! You’ve been wanting to take a painting class but you don’t want to be bad at it. Letting go of that feeling is truly one of the hardest things as a human being but once you do, you can experience progress. Happiness. Personal growth. The possibilities are endless.
Take this blog for instance. Erik had been encouraging me to try out new hobbies, find something that I enjoy outside of work. After dragging my feet, rolling my eyes a couple times, I started doing a bit of research. Blogging…. interesting idea. But who wants to read about my daily experiences? I finally committed to building a blog and writing my first post. Even if no one else reads it, that’s okay. I just might have found something that I can call a hobby and that brings me joy.
Now it’s your turn. Try something new today, big or small. Just take that first baby step towards something different.
“If there’s even a slight chance of getting something that will make you happy, risk it. Life’s too short, and happiness is too rare.” -A.R. Lucas
Written by: Barb Vega-Brolin
