Getting Ready for a New Chapter in Life

The time has nearly come where I get to turn a new page and start the chapter of this book of life where I move back across the country. And while it’s for the third time, it’s this time where I get to chart uncharted territory; where I get to explore completely new things. New sensations, new feelings, new people, new work, new food. And while I’m no stranger to the 30+ hours that roadtrip requires, leaving family and getting ready for “all-things-new” can be still daunting.

This time, I’ll be moving into a real apartment all for myself. This time, I’m not sure when it is next that I’ll be seeing family. This time, I start a the job in the degree I’ve dreamt about achieving since I was 6 years old. This time, I explore more of myself; what I want, what I like, who I want to keep growing into. This time, it’s a first-time life outside of the structures of school and education.

It’s scary. It’s exciting. It’s everything I thought in grade school while looking at all those highschoolers that it was going to take me forever to get there. And now I’m 4 years outside of highschool and a year outside of college. And I’m about to enter the real, real world. And it’s the surrealist thing in the world.

So here are all my thoughts I’ve had for starting a new chapter in life, and for figuring out how to keep my grounding during all the uncertainty that awaits me.

Preparedness

The first thing I’ve done is start thinking about and implementing research into everything I will possibly need in moving to a new area, and doing it from complete scratch. So, everything under the sun has been researched and looked into. I have to be familiar with what I’m walking into to make the transition easier on myself.

What are things in my current space that are going? What can I stand to leave behind or get rid of? What do I have space for? What can I replace? Do I really need this, or this, or this? This is the latest I can start packing. This is what’s going in the trailer. This is what’s going in the trunk. This, that, and that, will go into a duffel bag.

What are things my new space will need? What are the essentials? What can wait? What do I need right away? What can I splurge on? What do I need vs what I want for the space? I’ll make a list. I should look for cheaper options for this or this. I’ll make sure this is good quality. That just needs to work. This will work best cordless. That color will look great, this color won’t. I’ll save for this and this. What can I afford? What do I want to be able to comfortably afford?

What’s the community like? What’s around? Is there a good gym? Is there a lap pool nearby? What about hair stylists I can trust? Can I keep getting my lashes done? What nail salon is highly recommended? What about dealerships that can take care of my car? Is a yoga studio around? Is that the best way to meet grounded/like-minded people? What grocery stores are nearby? What’s pricing like on everything? What are residents’ favorite bars and restaurants? What tattoo shops are around? What can I involve myself in? How can I meet people? What’s the best way to connect with the community? Should I date? When? What’s the best way to settle in? Am I going to be a beach person? Should I take up surfing?

Habits/Routines

Moving can be the ultimate reinvention of self, so you can bet that I’ve already been thinking about what sort of lifestyle I really want to lead when I get all settled into. I know I personally won’t survive without some sort of structure or routine, so it’s already been beneficial to figure out what will work. But it’s also been important for me to start thinking about what habits and routines I can bring with me.

What current routines do I love? What do I do that I want to keep doing or do more of? What isn’t really serving me? What makes me feel good? What makes me feel groggy? What have I been practicing consistently? What am I on and off with? What do I need to do to bring that practice into my life more? Or would it be better to get rid of it? What products can I leave home? What products am I loving and gonna stick with? What can I make easier for myself? What is unnecessarily hard?

What new routines do I want to adopt? What have I always wanted to do or dedicate time to? What do I want to feel like in my body everyday? What foods can I start experimenting with? What fitness routines might work better for me? Where can I find time to read everyday? When will I blog? What do I want my mornings to look like? My evenings? When’s the latest I can get up in the morning? What can I do to adopt a morning-person mindset? When’s the latest I should go to bed at night? Can my evenings be more wind-downish? How many times a week can I get outside and interact with people? What will be the best for my mental health? Emotional health? Physical health? What do my budgeting/money habits need to look like now? What kind of money management practices would be better to implement over others?

Visualization

A much more fun aspect to the prospect of moving! Clean slate right? I’ve loved coming up with ideas for furnishing my apartment, for building new habits for my life. I’ve loved thinking about color schemes and shapes that will work in the space. I’ve loved envisioning what my new home will look like for the next few years of my life. I’ve loved envisioning who I’ll be and continue to blossom into. It’s a really fun aspect of the whole endeavor.

This is who I want to be here. This is who I can’t wait to blossom into. I want my bedroom to look like this. I think this bedframe set is perfect. That dresser would look really nice there. A book nook would be perfect in the corner there. That color would compliment the space super well. Can I keep plants alive? I guess we’ll see. I can’t wait to add that. This will make the living room feel homey. I can’t wait to cleanse my space with smudge. My crystals are going to tie it together. I wonder what kind of people I’m going to allow into my space. I can’t wait to see it all come together.

Open-mindedness

An important part in moving somewhere drastically different/new.

Being open-minded to the people, culture, food, and experiences you’ll have is only going to help you. Being open to what’s next in your life in general is always going to set you up for success. And not having any expectations for new things like this is a great practice, and opportunity to gain new perspectives, new ideas. My favorite and only expectation in these kinds of changes is that I’ll grow, enjoy myself, and enjoy what’s to come. I believe that change is usually and ultimately for our own goods. It can be wildly stressful — but it can also be and can mostly be wildly exciting if you let it be. Practicing open-mindedness allows you to open your eyes to all the opportunities waiting to be seized up. So where you might have said no, try saying yes. Because being open to whatever pages you’ll keep turning in your book of life is going to get you further than you thought possible or conceivable. Let things happen. Embrace all the feelings. And see where it all takes you. I know I will.

TheKaitlynBlog