Posted on 26 Comments on [Reverb10] Action & Aspirations

[Reverb10] Action & Aspirations

[My answer for Prompt 12 is simply no. Please see Prompt 9, 100 mph.]

Today’s prompt? Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, today’s prompt. Scott Belsky asks me about my aspirations and what comes next. It’s like he was reading my mind for the past week while I have been CONSUMED with my next step but couldn’t focus on it due to illness and school.

New York.

The Big Apple.

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made of.

New York, New York.

I am currently consumed with Operation: Move to NYC in ’11.

Just like my dream to one day live on the west coast, this isn’t an overnight decision.  I talked about how it felt like home and how I’ve been wanting to live there for years. At first, it was just a thought.

“Maybe in my 30s.”

“I need a job there. It’s expensive. I have to get more security.”

Over the last 3 weeks though, something has washed over me.  This urgency and knowing feeling that there is no better time than now.  I applied to a job here and there in New York as a long-shot but then…it just hit me.

It doesn’t have to be a long shot. I’m 25 years old, about to be 26 and if not now, WHEN?

2010 has been all about taking control of my thoughts and actions. It was about owning my feelings and letting go of doubt. It was MY year to grow.

I said 2011 will be about fulfillment.

So why hold myself back?

I have a boyfriend who is so supportive that he will, depending on the situation, take a job up there with me but understands my need to do this on my own. Moving to New York is MY passion.

Moving out and getting a place in D.C. was easy. I’d already been going to school and working in the city. It was familiar and safe.

New York? New York is the challenge that will be worth it beyond belief.

So I’ve been taking action. I’ve been actively applying to jobs up there with an unrelenting passion and hope. (I know this is doubly difficult because I’m competing against all of NYC while I’m down in DC] I’m using my most powerful tool, my love of networking to make connections up there now. [So if you’re in New York and aren’t following me on Twitter, you should go do it now.]

So Scott Belsky, founder & CEO of Behance, guess what? I am turning my ideas & passions into reality. You asked the perfect question for me today. It just might be fate and maybe you could give me a tip or two to make it in New York.

New York, be ready for me in 2011. You will be my home, where I spread my wings and make my passions a reality.

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Prompt: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?

26 thoughts on “[Reverb10] Action & Aspirations”

    1. Yup! Well, not at first. We still have a lease until May but that’s the plan. NY wouldn’t be the same without him to keep me in check 😉

      Thank you!!

      Reply

  3. I have also yearned to live in NYC for years…visiting there last year only made me want it more…everything about that city tells me that it is home, even though I was born and raised in Texas. Fear of the unknown has stopped me from leaving, but I think now it is time. Google “moving to New York” and you will find a plethora (I love that word) of articles and information for people who, like me and like yourself, long to be a denizen of the city of bright lights. Go for it. I had to tell myself that I really had nothing to lose, and I’ll be damned if I go into another year regretting not doing this, the one thing that I’ve wanted to do for so long.

    Reply

  4. rock it out – if that’s your dream, go get it. trust me; when i was not quite 26, i chose to give up my meh job and go to law school. it worked like a charm – i’m in my dream grad program, i’m out of a bad relationship and in a better one, and i’m in a position to get one hell of a job (fingers crossed) when i graduate in may.

    so again, go get it. you’ve got this. 🙂

    Reply

    1. That’s awesome! It seems that this year was the one where everything fell into place so I have to push forward for my next big dream 🙂

      Thanks!

      Reply

  6. This is TOTALLY the time to do it. I live in CT, and always kind of wanted to live in NYC, at least for a couple of years, but the years got away and now I’m married w/a kid – not really in the place to live in NYC. So – I plan to do it when I’m older. I’m excited for you!

    Reply

  7. I lived in NYC for 14 months and it was great. Unfortunately it ended up just not working out for my phase in life (what with being suddenly unemployed and needing to move in with the fiance and him working up in Westchester and all that jazz). But I love living NEAR NYC. I can go in pretty much whenever I want, but am able to have a really nice apartment that’s affordable because we live outside of Manhattan. It’s a win-win for me. Maybe someday we’ll go back, but you have to do what is best for your life’s phase as it comes, and hopefully you’ll just rock it out in NYC.

    Reply

    1. I’m a city girl so I want to be IN THE ACTION. At least now. I say that I would never want to live in the suburbs but who knows? The Boy is a suburb guy but he’s willing to live in the city with me as long as I keep an open mind to the ‘close enough to the city’ suburb idea in the future.

      I just know that right now in my life, that’s where I need to be.

      Hopefully we’ll meet and hang out when I finally make it up to NYC!

      Reply

      1. Haha, NYC is not quite that cut and dry. You can live in Brooklyn or Queens for a very reasonable amount, and still be “in the action.” It might take you a 30 min. subway ride, but everything is accessible! It’s not like DC where you’re either “in the city” or “not in the city.” Not to mention, depending how much you make, you literally won’t be able to live in Manhattan. As in, they won’t let you rent an apartment unless you make 40-80x the rent of your apartment. In short: keep an open mind! There’s more to NYC than just Manhattan!

        Reply

        1. Yeah, I saw the 40x thing when I was doing research. Crazy!

          I really just have to explore NYC and figure it out. I wouldn’t mind a 30 minute subway ride as long as I was working in New York! 🙂

          That’s why I’m trying to meet people who are/have lived in NY to get all the information I can to make the best decision.

          Reply

  8. A couple blogs I like that are about living in NYC: http://www.thenoisiestpassenger.com and http://www.newnewyorkers.info/

    Like I said, I lived there for over a year, but I had a different set of circumstances than you. I didn’t live with my boyfriend and I already had a job. When I first moved to the East Coast, I lived in NJ, which I do not recommend, because transportation to NYC from NJ is really hard. The only part of NJ that I lived that I liked was Hoboken, which is actually closer to NYC than most parts of Brooklyn and more affordable! But then there’s the whole “not living in NY” thing. If I were you, I would go with Brooklyn. It’s very cool, lots of action, close to Manhattan, more affordable than Manhattan (most of the time), on the subway line, etc. etc. If it wasn’t for the fact my fiance would have a 2 hour long commute everyday, we totally would have moved there!

    Reply

  12. Hi DC Princess 🙂

    I lived in NYC for 5 1/2 years, in 3 different apartments, and I loved every minute of it. I was reading the comments about the boroughs and NJ …
    I’m originally from NJ – about an hour from the city – an easy ferry ride (which is the ONLY civilized way to commute) or NJTransit ride (terrible way to commute).
    From reading a few of your posts – you need to live in Manhattan. Yes, Brooklyn, Queens, and Hoboken are very cool and MANY young people live there – but you are still stuck with a commute. Plus, when it’s time to go out or when you get out of work at 11pm – you want to be able to cab and walk it in the city. Getting cabs to the boroughs is possible, but not always easy. So you’ll end up spending all your money on the transportation when it could be used on other things…
    BUT you have to make sacrifices to live in Manhattan – super small, old (“charming”) apartment, maybe not in the area you want to live in. But it IS possible. You just have to really do your research and see as many apartments as possible. I always got really lucky finding an awesome apartment. And sometimes it is worth the $3k to use a broker. (I only found the best, most affordable apts with a broker, but I know others who haven’t.) Yes usually you have to make 40x the rent. In many cases, it’s 80x the rent. Get a guarantor. Many accept guarantors – so line that up now.
    Another way to go re: apt is sublet. You can sublet for a few months or longer and still do a heavy apt search. TIP: A broker told me to look for apts in the Winter months, not Summer, because everyone moves in the Summer and apts are more expensive and get taken more quickly. Also, start saving your money for the first/last months rent and sometimes plus the security deposit. So assume your rent is $2k (generalizing) then make sure you have $6k saved up and ready to go.
    Right now, East Village studios and 1 bedrooms that are decent start around $1800/month. Upper East Side used to be slightly more affordable but it’s still just as expensive (may have a tiny bit more room).

    As far as getting a job – you seem to know what to do — network and apply allofthetime. What kind of job are you looking for again? Maybe I can help…or at least tell you some good places to apply.

    Reply

  15. YAY! DC girl is taking on the big juicy apple! I had this dream several years back…and when I was 22 I took the plunge and left the charming south, found random roommates on CL, and took on NYC. Honestly, best decision I ever made. Don’t let the details derail you…forge north and conquer!

    Here’s hoping NYC circa 2011 is just as amazing for you! Looking forward to seeing you up here this year;-)

    Reply

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