This is Where You Belong
by Melody Warnick
– The average American moves 11.7 times in his/her life.
– People think that they will have it better and then soon feel that they are missing out by not being geographically elsewhere.
– We think the move will fix everything, that there is some magical reset button when we move to another place.
– It takes at least 6 months and often 3-4 years to adapt to a new place.
– Americans have become one of the most mobile people. Each year, 12% of Americans move. Americans are just as restless in their jobs as they are with moving, the majority changing jobs every few years.
– We talk about searching for happiness as if it was a geographical place.
– When it comes to where we live, it is more about what we think than about the geographical place. You can be happy at a place that others do not like.
– Studies have shown that whether you feel happy or not in a place will many times depend on the length of time you are in that place.
– Loving the place where you live is something that you can make happen.
– If you want to love your town, you have to act like you love it.
– You have to choose to love where you are at, it is a conscious effort.
– You can do things to enjoy where you live: walk, get friends, find and like certain restaurants, activities, etc. By liking a place, you will begin to feel like you belong in a place.
– We have to learn where things are at to orient ourselves if we are going to feel like we belong.
– Every city has beautiful places, you just have to figure out where they are.
– Go to a festival, buy tickets to a play, visit the parks and go to a game of a team that is in your city. When you start getting out, the city will become your home and you will begin to feel attached.
– Being satisfied where you live could actually be creating a repository of good memories that you have done in that place. Each memory will be penned to your mental bulletin board.
– Find what events and activities are going on in your town — search them online.
– Find the beautiful places that interest you and visit them often. People are happier living in places that they like, so find places what you like where you live.
– The more your hobbies lie in the place that you live, the more you will begin to love where you live.
– Do random acts of kindness in your city on a planned day: like take donuts to law enforcement offices, pick up trash, take quarters to Coke machines, go help someone, volunteer to help at fair or event, hand out water bottles, give restaurant card to new couple at your church, etc. The more you will give to your town, the more you will get out of it.
– At the end of the day, your personality is going to be as strong as your happiness wherever you live.
– Unpack your life wherever you are
– Wherever you’re at, find joy.
– The place we live is what we think it is.
– Emotions follow behavior, feelings follow action.
– If you are happy and healthy, than you are happy and healthy where you live.
– Relationships with people is what really makes you feel at home.
– Every place is good at something, do what they are good at.
– Happy memories create place attachment.
– There’s not a right place for everyone, just the right place for you right now.
– Experience joy for as long as you are there.