If you asked Ann what she believed life’s biggest decisions to be she would say choosing a life partner and finding a good career. 

Most people would agree with Ann. You probably do too. 

It’s what you and I have been taught since day one. Our parents strongly believed that getting a solid education was critical to our success. Ann was no different. Her mom, Mindy did not have the luxury of getting an education. She wanted that for Ann more than anything. 

Mindy was from the generation of women who sacrificed everything for their family and life partner. She taught Ann that the most important thing in life was to find a career that made her happy. One that would allow Ann to do all of the things Mindy didn’t get to do. 

Ann loved her mom but admittedly didn’t want to end up tied to a man for every last thing.

She felt she needed to do something “important with her life.” So she studied hard in school. Thinking that a degree from a prestigious Ivy League college would get her where she wanted to be.

Like most of us, Ann also really wanted to find a life partner. Her parents were on the brink of divorce and many nights she would come home to a screaming match. She didn’t want that for herself. So she determined that finding the right life partner was another critical decision in her pursuit of happiness. She wanted to be with someone who loved her in the hard times and celebrated with her during the good. 

It’s admirable. To be fair, you should care about who you spend your life with and how you make money. Those are admittedly very important decisions.

But we here at choosewheretolive.com would argue that choosing where to live is equally, if not more, important than finding the right job or life partner. 

Hear us out. Where you choose to live not only shapes those decisions but also determines the ease or difficulty of fixing any mistakes you make along the way. And let’s face it, we all make mistakes.

According to a study done by the U.S. census bureau the average American moves 11.7 times in their lifetime. More than 40 million people relocate every year. 15 million make significant moves of more than 50 or 100 miles. 

So why are so few people giving where they choose to live the attention it deserves?

most people lack the mental framework essential for making well-informed decisions about where they live.

This is unfortunately not something we are taught throughout life. When was the last time you saw a class on how to choose where to live? Ever heard of a location strategy? Probably not. Here at choosewheretolive.com we teach you how to determine what you need from a location. Then show you how to go find it. 

It’s so important because 

The place we choose to live affects every aspect of our being. 

Post graduation Ann moved to the midwest for a job. It was fun and exciting for a bit but she began to grow weary of the options the area provided her. She was starting to see that where she lived could have a profound impact on so many aspects of her life like:

1. How much money she could earn 
2. The friends she could make
3. The potential of meeting a life partner
4. The options available to the family she would hopefully build one day 

You can’t be happy everywhere.

As she moved around she began to notice that not all places offer equal levels of happiness or quality of life. Some places offer vibrant job markets, promising career prospects, appreciating real estate values, and ample investment and earnings potential. While others offer favorable dating scenes or provide a nurturing environment for raising children.

Ann also began to notice that place -where she was physically located- affected her happiness in intangible ways. She lost her job during the recession of the early 2000s and her long time boyfriend decided he no longer loved her. 

She was heartbroken and jobless in a city that she absolutely hated. It was brutal. 

It hit her like a ton of bricks – she had been doing it all backwards! Her career and love life were both going down the drain, and she realized she had never stopped to consider that her choice of location could actually have a big impact on those pivotal decisions. 

How was she supposed to get back on her feet with few job opportunities and zero life partner prospects? She was also starting to notice how choosing the right place to live can make all the difference in how adaptable and resilient we are when life throws us curveballs.

Ann was beginning to realize that where she lived was crucial to pulling herself up out of the heartbroken pit she was in but she had no idea how to choose somewhere to live. 

She had moved to the midwest for a job and Alabama for her life partner. Now that she didn’t have either of those things, she was beginning to see that where she lived could actually be a choice rather than something that just happens to you. 

Realizing that she had the freedom to choose came with a lot of anxiety. The possibilities were endless now and that was overwhelming. There were so many different places in the world that could offer so many different things. How could she possibly narrow down all of her decisions to just one option?

You have to search for a place that was made for YOU!

Ann wanted to be in a place that inspired her. One where she could walk out on the street and feel excited about being there. A place that allowed her to achieve her personal goals and she could recommend to her family and friends. 

Ann sat down and made what we here at choosewheretolive.com like to call her Pretty/Shitty list. Get yours here. She thought about all of the things she liked and disliked about the places she had already lived and the who or the what that influenced those likes or dislikes.  

Ann realized that she wanted to live near family and friends. She didn’t necessarily need to have them be her next door neighbors but she wanted to be able to drive to them in case of an emergency. So she set her sights on Montana which meant that she needed a job and life partner who were cool with that decision.

She also had to consider the tradeoffs she would be making. Unfortunately, she couldn’t have it all. She loved having access to a vibrant city center where she could see shows and eat at innovative restaurants. Montana doesn’t have a ton to offer in that area so she decided that she would visit New York City a couple of times a year to quench this thirst. This meant that she needed to find a job that provided a PTO policy and income that would allow her to do so.

You can live wherever you want in today’s modern world.

In today’s modern world Ann could live anywhere she wanted! How had she not considered this a choice until now?

Economist Richard Florida claims that “place remains the central axis of our time- more important to the world economy and our individual lives than ever before” and we here at Choose Where to Live couldn’t agree more.

Place allows us to be around like-minded people which stimulates economic growth. It allows new ideas to be generated and increases productivity. Who doesn’t want to be filled with endless inspiration?

As individuals with unprecedented mobility, we are fortunate to have an extensive array of diverse locations to choose from, both within our own country and around the globe. This is important because as a human race we have some many different preferences and needs. It’s great that we now have such a wide array of places from which to choose. 

Place can adapt with your life changes like losing your life partner. 

Ann knew that she also needed to focus on her life goals and how her next place could meet them. She knew that she wanted to be in a place that could offer good schools to her future children and she hoped that her next relationship would form in her new place. With this in mind she set out to determine her goals for life and how that would affect her idea of place. 

Understanding your life goals can admittedly be a difficult task. However, we here at choosewheretolive.com have got you covered. Our founder, Brit can take you through her life planning program that helps you to get CRYSTAL CLEAR on what you want out of your next life stage so that you can choose the city of your dreams. Contact her here.

After spending so much time focused on her career and love life, Ann realized that she didn’t necessarily care about being at the pinnacle of her career. She didn’t want her ambitious career goals to go against living a high quality of life. It was way more important to her to have dinner with friends and go for hikes than to climb the career ladder. However, she knew that she needed to make enough money to support those habits but she didn’t necessarily need to live in a downtown apartment that would break the bank. 

She didn’t want to end up with a fancy job title but no time or resources to enjoy life. Ann had to make sure to strike a balance between her career dreams and the quality of life she was after. What good was a high-paying job if she couldn’t afford to indulge in her favorite avocado toast every now and then? 

Place is more important than choosing your life partner.

If you’re like Ann dealing with heartbreak and loneliness in a place you also hate, we encourage you to think about establishing yourself in a new place. One that inspires you and makes you excited to get out of the bed in the morning.

Once you have established yourself in a location that is aligned to your life goals, the rest will fall into place!

Trust us, it will make all the difference!

Do you believe that where you live is one of the most important life decisions you will ever make? Tell us about it.