Why I Left Vegas

I have been in Vegas for a total of 6 days now.

And I have to admit, being here has made me think, wow, if I had just stayed here, my life would definitely have been a lot easier, calmer and relaxed.

Rent is Cheap.

Food is Cheap.

Gas is Cheap.

Groceries are Cheap.

The cost of living here is just all around cheaper.

My family is here. My dad cooks me breakfast every morning and I come home to a home cooked meal everyday. All my friends and favorite places that I went to growing up are here. My eyebrow lady who is the only person allowed to touch my eyebrows is here. My favorite stores to shop at are here. I know exactly where to go for everything I need here.

It’s homey. It’s comfortable.

It’s what I have known for nearly 10 years of my life.

So, why in the world did I leave?

Not for the cost of living, that’s for sure. Boy, I truly still can’t believe how much I am paying to just survive in NYC. In fact, my cost of living has increased significantly since moving to New York--it’s quadrupled to be exact.

So yes, logically, staying in Vegas would have been the safer, more financially responsible option. I could have stayed here, lived so comfortably AND probably start making significant progress towards my life savings.

I could have a home cooked meal everyday and not have to worry about how I’m going to pay for my rent that costs my arm, my leg and my whole nearly non-existent life savings or what I am going to eat for lunch because I ran out of the frozen dumplings from the Chinatown supermarket. I could continue to go to the same places I have gone to most of my life here and do the same things I have always done. I could be comfortable. I could be secure.

And THAT, that is exactly why I wanted to leave. No, not want. Need.

I needed to leave because I needed a lifestyle that pushes me out of my comfort zone and kicks my ass everyday. A lifestyle that forces me to essentially make something out of nothing. A lifestyle that is so fast-paced, cut-throat and challenging beyond belief. At this point in my young adult life, I am willing to trade security for a lifestyle that pushes me to be in the truest sense of the phrase “the best I can be”. And that, well that is exactly why I need to be in New York City.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the lifestyle I had here in Vegas or the way of life here in general. I mean I lived here for the last 10 or so years of my life and it was great by all means. In fact, it has shaped me into who I am today and is probably one of the best cities to live in the U.S. But in this stage of my life, this city is just not for me. I was no longer growing here. I was too comfortable.

You know that feeling when you have to break up with someone because you are growing apart, your paths are going separate ways and you are just no longer right for each other?

That is how I felt when I decided that I needed to leave.

Vegas will always be home and will always have a very special place in my heart.

But for now...there is nothing I need more than this New York chapter in my life.

My New York Chapter...