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15 Signs That It’s Time to Move to a New City

Move to a New City

Sometimes you just know that a major life change is in order. You feel compelled to quit your job, go back to school, or move to a new city and you just go for it. Other times you don’t have such clarity and find yourself in limbo; part of you hangs around unable to move forward while another part is contemplating unexplored possibilities. If you feel that way about moving to a new city but can’t seem to make up your mind, check for these telltale signs that the time is ripe to make that move:

1. You just can’t afford to stay where you are!

Money matters are obviously major reasons to move to a new city. If your finances (or lack thereof) are constantly stressing you out; it seems like you can’t afford anything nice anymore, and even some basic necessities; you want to be able to grab a drink with friends every now and then or give your kitchen a fresh coat of paint, and you refuse to accept that such simple things have become items of luxury… That’s your inner wallet talking. It’s telling you that it’s time to move.

2. FOMO

You’ve never moved anywhere before, and this nagging voice inside is constantly wondering what you’re missing. This kind of curiosity rarely goes away, and if you don’t follow up on your wanderlust, sooner or later you will probably wish you had.

inner calling

3. An Inner Calling

Have you ever felt strongly compelled to go someplace? Maybe even a place you’ve never visited, a place you only heard about and watched in films and TV, but have always known you must absolutely go as if you were drawn there. Your friends might find it strange, but a part of you has felt like you belong there for as long as you can remember. If you feel like a certain place has been beckoning you for ages, you should consider turning that dream into reality.

4. Let Your Dreams Point the Way

You’ve been putting your passion on the back burner for too long and you’ve reached the point in which your life is just on auto-pilot. Moving to a new city will shake things up and open new opportunities for you. Following your dream is a great reason why you should move. Some cities are natural go-to places for dreamers, like New York for stage fanatics and Portland for aspiring craft beer brewers. What is the Mecca of your field?

weather

5. Weather Worries

You. Are. Done. With. The. Weather.
Too hot or too cold, too windy or too wet- it doesn’t even matter, because you are totally done with it. The weather may sound like a silly reason to uproot your life, but the truth is it has a very strong impact on your health and emotional well-being. If you’ve had it up to here with local forecast, it’s a good a reason as any to go where you need to go.

6. Too Many Bad Memories

You find yourself reliving awkward, sad or difficult moments way too many times through the course of an otherwise uneventful day. Every grocery store, nail salon and dentist’s office remind you of something or someone you don’t want to be reminded of, and you find yourself going ridiculously out of your way to avoid certain places and people. That’s your soul telling you when it’s time to move (on).

7. Too Many Good Memories

Sometimes the good times can haunt you too. If a certain situation or relationship in your life ended abruptly or unfairly and you find yourself trapped in the throes of nostalgia- let it go. Move on and start making good memories elsewhere.

family ties

8. Family Ties

You really need to get closer to- or farther away from- your family. Perhaps you’re missing your loved ones in a different part of the country and you’re at a stage in your life when you could use that special kind of family support. Or you may feel the need to venture out into the world and experience life on your own. Either way, relationships with parents and siblings play a big part when it comes to choosing when to relocate. Ask yourself- how much distance do you need from them at this point in your life?

9. No reason to stay

There is nothing keeping you where you are; no meaningful relationships, no significant work commitments or career prospects. Rule of thumb- if you scratch your head for more than two seconds when somebody asks you why you live where you live, that’s a pretty good sign you should start packing.

complaining

10. Constant Complaining

You’re always dissatisfied with one thing or another. You complain about your neighbors, city ordinances, traffic, the weather (see #6), the price of pasta and the annoying local radio host who’s always complaining. You know what you should do… complaining isn’t it.

11. Longing to Belong

You feel like an outsider and wish you could fit in, but to do that in the place you currently reside would be such a stretch you might as well opt for a personality transplant. They might be too conservative or too liberal, too artsy or too geeky; whatever their inclination-more power to them. The point is you could probably find a like-minded company in a city better suited to your disposition.

12. Your goals have changed

Maybe you moved to your current city in search of a vivid dating scene or to get a leg up the career ladder. Chances are, if you’ve been living there a while, that said goal has been attained. Now that you’ve met your match, playgrounds and school districts mean more to you than sizzling clubs and bars; professionally, you probably have more experience and connections which allow you to zero in on the next step. And if not, enough time has probably passed to ensure that if it didn’t happen yet- it probably never will. Either way- time to start fresh.

13. No Fun, No Future

Don’t underestimate the importance of fun. While a great career, a beautiful home and a dog to match are wonderful things to have, so many people are living a picture-perfect existence with no spark in their eyes. What would put the zest of playfulness back into your life- is it surfing? Hiking? Archery? Genealogy? Follow your passion out of the city limits and rediscover your lust for life.

14. Feeling Stuck

You feel your life is going nowhere fast and the future holds nothing exciting for you. This feeling could be related to your work, financial situation, social life, love life or all of the above- the more areas in your life are in a state of stagnation the more you should listen to that inner voice saying you should move.

15. You Just Know It

You’re so ready to make the move you can feel it, even if you haven’t yet made any inquiries into how to move cities. You’re just waiting for a flash of inspiration, some friendly advice or a coincidental blog post on the subject to echo back to you what you have already known deep down for a really long time.

Moving to a new city can be a life-changing experience, but it’s not a decision to be taken lightly especially if it’s halfway across the country. Look at some of the pros and cons of moving long distance.

If you were to make that move now, where would you go? Tell us in the comments…

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Unpakt Team