In this blog post, we will take a deep dive into your specific location must haves and help you discover those things that you simply cannot live without when you decide where to live.
The third portion of my How to Decide Where to Live series will require a deep analysis of your desires or as I like to call them, your Location Must Haves. You will assess your location must haves, and use my framework to narrow down your options. There are so many choices out there so having a list of location must haves to work with will make the search a lot easier.
Full disclaimer, this assignment is not going to be easy nor is it going to tell you WHERE you should live. The idea of home means so many things to so many people. Your location must haves are going to be very different from my location must haves. The simple truth is that there is no one size fits all approach. Humans are unique and ever-evolving.
This is exactly why I don’t advise you on where you should live. Rather, I provide a framework that will lead you to that discovery at choosewheretolive.com. Blindly searching for cities or towns to live in without knowing what you want and NEED out of them will only lead to confusion and get you nowhere. There are plenty of Best Places to Live lists that claim to do all of the work for you.
DONT get caught in this trap.
You can use those lists to get ideas but please don’t take them as the ultimate truth for your location must haves. They don’t represent you or any one other individual for that matter.
Defining Home and Location Must Haves
Home is more than just a physical space; it embodies emotions, memories, and a sense of belonging. It’s a place where we seek solace and comfort. Home is reflection of our inner selves. We all have different aspirations, lifestyles, and needs. These can all make finding the right location an exciting yet challenging endeavor.
Decide Where to Live through the Path to Self-Discovery
The process of self-discovery is not just about identifying the practical aspects of a dwelling. It’s also about understanding our emotional and psychological connections to a place. In How to Decide Where to Live Part 2, you took some time to explore and understand your life goals. Now it is time to uncover your place values, interests, and desires in conjunction with your long term goals. It’s time to think about how your location must haves will influence your location strategy.
Embracing Confusion and Overwhelm regarding Location Must Haves
It’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed or confused while trying to determine your location must haves. Home is such a profound concept that it can trigger a range of emotions. Give yourself permission to sit with these feelings and use them as stepping stones towards gaining clarity.
You accomplished assessing your local environment in part 1. You create your life goals in part 2. Now its time to get down to business with your location must haves in part 3.
I’ve had several students who have completed my Location Must Haves assignment. They were overwhelmed by how many things were important to them when it came to a physical place. Despite the overwhelm, they were able to complete the assignment and discover their Top 5 Must haves. If they can do it, so can you! I’m always here to help.
Take it One Step at a Time
As with any significant undertaking, breaking the process into smaller, manageable steps is essential. Take the time you need to really consider each category and how it applies to your life.
When companies are determining their business location strategy, they consider their target market and the foot traffic that will be coming in and out of the store. They also have to consider things like real estate, small business owners, zoning ordinances, public transportation, etc when determining the right location. So, I encourage you to think like small business owners when they are looking for a business location.
Too often, we make decisions in haste without truly considering their implications. But choosing a place to plant roots should be considered with your utmost attention. So trust the process. Think deeply, and get excited. Because if you do this process in its entirety and at the length I suggest. You will have a clear understanding of WHAT it is you want out of a place to call home!
“Choosing the right place to live influences our opportunities for fulfillment, meeting like-minded people, physical well-being and so much more.”
Brainstorming Process when you Decide Where to Live
This is the fun part! I will provide you with a list of categories to consider when it comes to how to decide where to live. And you will spend time thinking through as many things as possible that align with that category.
Before you completely dive in, I want to establish some guidelines that will aid you in your brainstorming process.
1.Don’t Limit Yourself. Find a place where you can sit alone with yourself and your thoughts. Don’t let judgment into this space. Try using “and” statements rather than “but” statements. “And” encourages positivity while “but” leads to limited thinking.
For example, “I would like to live in a place that has all four seasons but my mom hates winter.” A better way to phrase this statement is “I would like to live in a place that has all four seasons AND my mom can come visit in the summer.”
Where you live doesn’t have to be perfect for your mom, it just has to be perfect for YOU. Don’t limit yourself. Write down your biggest desires. Aim for quantity here. I want to know EVERYTHING!
2.Be visual. There are multiple ways to approach this portion of your assignment. I suggest getting colorful sticky notes and markers and finding a space that has a free wall. If the thought of sticky notes all over your wall drives you crazy then get a whiteboard. Or use an online brainstorming tool like mural to jot down all of your thoughts.
I know we live in the digital age. But the physical act of writing a word or drawing an image in order to bring a thought to life can help you think up new ideas. Or view the same ideas in a different way.
3.Take the time you need. There are 5 categories in this assignment. Focus on one at a time so as not to muddy your thinking and lose sight of the specific category. Leave the notes on your wall for an entire week. If an idea comes to you while you’re in the shower or out walking your dog, come back and add it to the list.
Again, this is YOUR process. The only person who is setting deadlines is you. When you decide where to live, you are taking on one of the most significant decisions in your life. It’s probably best to not rush the process. Unless you have a deadline because you need to make an employment decision or have some other extenuating circumstance.
Categories to Consider When you Decide Where to Live
- Lifestyle
Let’s start with the fun stuff! The questions in this section are all about understanding the cultural and entertainment factors that need to be in place to help you live the life you want to live. One that is filled with all of the things you love and adore.
Take your time with this one as there is a lot to uncover. Allow yourself to dream and ruminate on what is truly important to YOU. If you decide to live in a certain place because your favorite sports team is there or because it hosts Dragoncon every year that is YOUR prerogative. This is YOUR life after all and no one is going to live it for you.
- Infrastructure
How a place is structured or designed has a tremendous impact on your overall health and wellness. It has the potential to vastly enhance your quality of life or inflict considerable stress upon you. The design of a place directly affects your environmental satisfaction. There is inherent value in both intentional design and the presence of natural beauty. While considering infrastructure, contemplate which physical environments grant you the greatest comfort and are most conducive to promoting positive mental health.
Considering demographics is crucial when you decide where to live. You want to ensure that you are surrounded by the kind of people you enjoy being around. Moreover, it’s essential to take into account your current life stage and the goals you have set for your living situation. These inquiries in my choose where to live Location Must Haves assignment will prompt you to reflect on the significance of living around specific demographics. You will understand how they will impact your future life stage and new home.
As natural human beings, certain essential factors must be taken into account to ensure our well-being. For some individuals, their lives revolve around managing health conditions, while others prioritize access to clean air. The impact of these factors on our quality of life can significantly affect both longevity and overall health. As you delve into the questions in this section, remember to consider these crucial aspects.
Last but certainly not least is determining how much the lifestyle you want to live is going to cost you. This is the least fun portion of the assignment but admittedly the most necessary. My goal is to set you up for success and at some point we have to consider the numbers. It is important to consider the cost of living when you decide where to live because you want to be able to actually afford the things you enjoy.
Take a look at your bank statements. Is there anything you spend money on consistently that is location specific or anything you want to spend money on but just don’t have the access to right now? It is important to have an understanding of where your money is going every month and if it has a direct correlation to where you are currently living.
The last step of the process is to narrow down your criteria into those things that you simply cannot live without when you decide where to live. If you want access to the full Location Must Haves exercise complete with 100+ questions about how to decide where to live, feel free to get your copy today!
In the meantime, allow this part of the series to be fun! Don’t get caught up in trivial things just list all of the things that matter to you and go from there. I promise its going to be a good time!
If you haven’t discovered Part 1 or Part 2 of this series, I suggest checking them out first before doing this assignment.
I’d love to hear what things you think matter when it comes to how you will decide where to live. Leave me your categories below.
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