5 Things I Learned While Living in New York

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I went through a big period of growth in New York City, and completely feel as though I’ve become a new person since having lived there. Living in New York taught me so many things about myself, and allowed me to learn life lessons in ways that I hadn’t had the opportunity to learn before. I can now say that I fully understand the meaning behind the phrase “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” – Frank Sinatra  

Below are 5 Things That I Learned While Living in New York

I made so many wonderful friends during my time in the city. But, at the beginning it wasn’t always that way. I didn’t know anyone when I first moved to New York, and had to learn to be okay spending time with myself and doing things on my own. I found a new love and appreciation with having quality ‘me time’, and discovered new things about myself that I didn’t know before. Like the fact that I am actually more of an introvert than I initially thought. (I’m definitely a good combo of both though.) It also made time spent with friends that much better, because I knew that I was only choosing friendships and relationships that left me feeling full. I was full and happy on my own, and having sweet friends was a great bonus. 

When you live in a city like NYC, you are constantly surrounded by people that are doing a million things at once. There are artists, designers, entrepreneurs, photographers, business owners…the list of creatives just goes on and on. I was always so inspired by everyone that I was meeting. People from all walks of life, and from all over the world who came to this tiny  little island to make a name for themselves. They had dreams, a vision, and were so incredibly driven by their passions and who they wanted to become. It forced me to step outside of my comfort zone, and fully embrace the hustle. I wanted to reach my full potential and to be able to live out my dreams, and make the most of my life in Manhattan. New York City taught me how to work hard, and never give up. 

So…my rent was HIGH. And when I say high, I mean a small down payment on a house. Giving that amount of money for my little studio on the Upper East Side every month was a hard pill to swallow, but it also taught me the importance of budgeting and learning how and where to spend my money wisely. I had to figure out ways in which I was working around my rent payments, so this taught me how to budget and prioritize my spending. I learned how to manage my rent payment, grocery money, bills, and outings with friends while still being able to have fun and enjoy the city. 

Growing up in a small town in Texas, you don’t really have much to worry about. Everyone knows everybody (for the most part), and Texans are pretty friendly. Nothing bad ever really happened while I was growing up in Amarillo, so my sense of awareness wasn’t as high as say someone that had grown up in a bigger city. Being in New York taught me to have eyes in the back of my head at all times. So much is happening in big cities, that you always want to be aware of your surroundings. Especially in a place like New York. I constantly knew who was around me while I was walking, which streets not to go down at night, when it was off limits for me to take the subway, and was able to form a gut instinct whenever I felt a situation start to turn in a bad direction. I definitely learned a great sense of awareness while living in the city. 

New York City is a city full of dreamers, go-getters, and all around vision-makers. There’s a romanticism and charm that surrounds the city. So many young adults are drawn to New York City every year for the chance to be a part of it. To live in the thick of it, and become someone they’ve always wanted to be is what so many dreamers dream of. New York taught me to always DREAM BIG. I never would have imagined that I would have been given all the opportunities that New York provided. I worked hard, and had so many sleepless nights but in the end it was all worth it to see so many of my dreams come true. I will forever remain a dreamer regardless of what city I’m in, and will always continue to dream big. 

photography by Laurel Creative.