It’s not that you’re not good enough. It’s not even that you are doing anything wrong. Sometimes, you can’t seem to get the success that you’ve been longing for because you’re in the wrong place. You can put your everything in your career, but if you don’t pack your bags and get yourself closer to opportunities, you’ll forever be chasing success without much to show for your effort.
Just a Small Town Girl
Dreams are unattainable when you’re young and not equipped with the experience or knowledge needed to make them come true. As you grow old, however, the window of opportunity widens in your prime, but it will not stay open forever. For instance, if you’re thinking of becoming an actor, you’ll want to pack your bags and contact long-distance movers while you still have the looks, time, and dedication to put in the hours. This isn’t to say that you can’t get great roles in your thirties (you’ll be surprised by the real age of your favorite Hollywood stars), but you’ll want some time to get small roles to prepare you for your big break. None of these will happen if you don’t move to where all the action is: Los Angeles.
Lifestyle Differences
For entrepreneurs, location matters for a different reason. You can use all the marketing techniques that you know to build a brand in LA, but if you’re targeting people whose lifestyle resemble New York, you’re on the wrong side of the country and are on the express train to failure. You have two options: tweak your business idea to be more suitable for your immediate surroundings, or make that move and live where you want to be successful. Los Angeles and New York are compared because of their notable lifestyle differences, and though there are brands that succeed in both places, you’ll want to figure out where you want to focus your branding first.
The Right Environment
Every year, companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple receive thousands of applicants; not all of them get in. You might be dreaming of making it in the tech industry, but you’re not getting anywhere if you remain in a small company that is barely making it. As a competitive market, the IT industry is always looking for young and talented employees. You can be the next one if you give it a shot. That means considering a move to Silicon Valley to play in the big league. Even if these are not your dream companies, it will look good on your resume to say that you were good enough to get a job with them. They can also be the perfect training ground if you want to start your own company someday. Take cues from how they run their business and make improvements for your company in the works.
Whatever it is you dream of, you can make it a reality if you take that leap. But before you jump, know whether you’re landing in the right spot. Otherwise, you might just be lost in the abyss along with other people who didn’t plan their career move wisely.
