Today I’m publishing Episode 4 of my podcast How I Decided. — How I Decided To Move From Seattle to NYC. According to the US Census Bureau, the average American moves approximately 11.7 times in their lifetime. Making the decision to move from one city to another is something that we do surprisingly often, and also a decision that weighs a wide range of factors, like our careers, personal relationships, financial situations, and how we like to spend our free time.
My guest is Adam Callahan, another close friend from NYU. Adam grew up in Brooklyn, and after graduating from NYU he went to work for Microsoft in Seattle. But after about a year in Seattle, Adam decided to move back to NYC. I was curious about his decision to move after a year and what he felt was missing in Seattle. In our conversation we discuss:
- How Adam’s values of family and friends impacted his decision
- Consulting friends for advice and getting pushback
- Playing out best case and worst case scenarios
- Why looking back Adam would’ve made his decision earlier
- How Adam is making the most of NYC and how he hypothetically would’ve made the most of Seattle
🎙 You can listen to the episode on Spotify or watch on Youtube.
Things I took away from my conversation with Adam:
- Sometimes you consult your closest friends for decision-making advice and they urge you to get out of your comfort zone! These are great conversations that can get you to start seeing points that you may not have considered before.
- It’s ok to think about best and worse case scenarios but we tend to over-exaggerate how good or how bad those can be.
- Decision making is really about what you want to do. What your heart wants to do. And if your heart is really into it that also gives you the best shot of success post-decision
- Through Adam’s decision he learned how much he valued being around his friends and family and that played a big part in his decision
- Sometimes the things you give up by forgoing a certain path can motivate you to make the most of the choice you’ve made (i.e. the lease break fee that Adam had to pay which motivated him to make the most of NYC)
Where to find Adam
Where to find Alex
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-yang15/
- Podcast Blog: https://alexyyang15.medium.com/
Thank you so much for reading. If you’re interested in decision-making like I am, would love to connect and share notes! Think there’s anything I should’ve followed up on in my convo with Adam? Reach out and let me know!
