The #1 Reason I Feel Ok Even Though I Don’t Live in a Major City
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I’m from Nashville. A medium-sized city that as of late has become a “cool” place to live.
After college I spent time living back there as well as in Orlando and New York when I wasn’t living in quaint Virginia towns working in the theatre.
While people think it’s cool that I’m from Music City, nothing sounds sexier to the indiscriminate American than when you say you live in New York City.
Maybe it’s that so many people skulk through Times Square each year and can’t imagine that people actually live on that island. Maybe it’s because of the Stock Market or Broadway or Gossip Girl.
Any of those ways, since my last two years living in beautiful Central Virginia (far, far from the pace of the Big Apple) I’ve felt pangs of feeling less important, less “in the thick of it,” less, well, exciting, without a Manhattan zip code.
But as I was in New York this weekend I was reminded of the #1 reason that I have made peace with my (most likely temporary) residence outside of the Big Apple.
Social Media.
What I crave about living in a major city is the ability to rub elbows with influential people. I want to be challenged by people who hustle, have big dreams, and make a large and lasting impact on the world. There’s something about the pace of that place. People who mean business about their business move there.
Yes, there are pros and cons to living anywhere. If I was living on the Upper West Side I wouldn’t be writing to you today from my 200 square foot sunroom/office with windows on three walls (it’s a peaceful place).
But today is different than yesteryear. With the advent of online communities like Google+, Twitter and even sites like LevoLeague, I can connect with braniac freelance writers who do what I do but have more experience in the trenches. And spoiler: they live all over--not just in New York.
If I were in an isolated, internet-free world, I may be pretty sad about not living in a major city. But that is not the world in which I live. I am among a generation that has obscene amounts of information at our fingertips. I can read the daily musings of people like Chris Brogan, Michael Hyatt, and Jenny Blake and also enjoy the low cost of living and fresh air. It’s good to be alive. Right now. Right here.
What say you? Do you live in a small city? Longing for a major city? Which pace do you prefer? What are the drawbacks?