a year later.

“So, you moved out here for work?” asked the cab driver this evening.

“Well, no. I just wanted to be in New York,” I said.”So, I moved and then looked for a job that would be good for me. I guess it just worked out.”

I have this conversation almost once a week. Not always with a cab driver, but once I start drumming up a conversation it’s fairly obvious that I’m not from New York City. Maybe it’s because I smile more than the average New Yorker.  That said, I can’t believe how far I’ve come since moving last August.

At this time last year, I was actually kind of homeless. While I was paying rent at an apartment in Murray Hill, I was actually squatting at my friend’s apartment in the East Village while she was post-bar because my living situation in Murray Hill was hardly livable due to two of its intolerable roommates that were lazier than words can describe. Also, my room had no windows! I don’t know why I thought this would be a good idea. It was essentially like living in a closet. When you closed the door… it was pitch black. It was hardly motivational. And I’m afraid of the dark in unfamiliar spaces.

After being homeless(ish) for a month, I eventually found a tiny, tiny sublet in Williamsburg and couldn’t be happier. The apartment didn’t have internet, a phone or a functioning television. Let’s not forget that there was a small closet in the living room that had a toilet in it. It was so strange — I didn’t know apartments were built this way, ever. And it was so small — when my dad came to visit, he pointed out it could fit in our living room at home. But it was all mine, free from distractions and that’s all that mattered.

But, I was still unemployed. So, I started taking a class at NYU in social media, which I paid for using my Americorps stipend, and began to meet the types of people I needed to meet in order to find meaningful work here. In order to keep myself honest and on track, I’d publicly post my goals here on my blog. Not only did it help me stay on track to make sure I’d continue to hit my goals, but also the list of goals became a check list for me to stay motivated that something would actually work out. There were times when I really didn’t think anything would come out in my favor: living in New York, finding and keeping friends, getting a good job, making it through winter (brr!). So setting the goals really helped…as now, a year later, I can honestly say that I made the right decision to move out.

To recap, for goal’s sake:

Friends? check.

Good job? check.

Livable apartment? check.

So while I tell people I “lucked out” when I moved to New York, I can honestly tell you that luck had nothing to do with it. I worked really hard to get what I wanted. I don’t think I’m special in that sense, I just know that if you’re motivated enough you can make things happen.

My next stop? The NBA. Kidding. But, I realize that the only thing setting me back about 80% of the time is just me telling myself  that I can’t do something — I should really startup my goals again to get over it.

Now that isn’t to say my current life is perfect, but it works for me right now. And that’s good enough.

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