Do you wear jeans a lot and ever had to pick out a new pair?
Have you ever tried to figure out a new city to live in?
Though you might not realize it, there are great parallels or comparisons between the two.
We’re going to look at these two decisions, what the similarities are, and the life lessons that you can carry with you for any big decisions you have to make in your life.
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Parallels Between New Jeans and a New City
It may sound like a rather unusual parallel to draw–shopping for new jeans and finding a place in a new city.
If you listen to the show regularly, then you know that Lindsay has been on the move for the past few months.
She left Boston in July, as it had a lot of things that she wanted in a city but it didn’t have everything.
She has shared a list of things to keep in mind when you look for a new home–and these same parallels can be drawn when it comes to shopping for a new pair of jeans.
Obviously these are very different tasks, but there are some important lessons for you to keep in mind as you do both.
We have done a few other episodes to talk about something fitting or being right, and these may be quite helpful in giving you some background.
These can help you to get into the right mindset that it takes when you are looking for something or somewhere new.
Helpful Things To Keep In Mind
Whether it’s that new pair of jeans or finding the right place to live in a new city, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
You will start to see the parallel comparisons between the two when you look at these lessons.
When you are facing something new like this, keep these four things in mind.
- Don’t settle: When you buy a pair of jeans you don’t just take them home and keep a pair if they are frumpy looking. If you were to do that, they would just end up sitting in your closet. Nothing looks worse than a pair of jeans that doesn’t quite fit. When you look at Lindsay’s situation, Boston didn’t quite fit. It was great and it had almost everything she wanted–a young city, a vibrant education community in Cambridge, it was walkable, had good career opportunities, but the weather was tough. The winters were long and honestly it was kind of expensive, and at times people weren’t super friendly. People are much happier and smile often, naturally. This is what she wanted to be around, and so it was important not to settle. This is a huge life lesson, whether it’s for a new pair of jeans or a new city, or anything in your life. Never settle for anything less than you deserve!
- Know what you want in the change you are making: Be sure that you know the look you are going for. Know why you want this change in your life and what you are doing it for. Be sure to focus on the things that you want, and keep those in your mind as your goals. Lindsay had her eye on the west because of a road trip she had in 2016. She fell in love with southern Utah, northern California, and New Mexico on that road trip. It was just a feeling taht she got when driving around the west–it’s so open and inspiring. She also knew she loved the sunshine and wanted more of it. So she had some very clear reasons as to why she was doing this, and she let those drive her. Figure out what is driving you to make this change, and then use this as what you focus on moving forward. It will help you to get to where you want to be, and remind you why you are doing it in the first place.
- Choose your candidates: It’s just like when you go to the dressing room, you don’t usually just take one pair of jeans with you. You may walk back there with 10 pounds worth of jeans to try on in there. With Lindsay’s move, they tried a few different places. They went out to California after a cross-country road trip, and they stayed from August to October. It just wasn’t sticking because things were astronomically expensive, and people were friendly but it didn’t feel like she could relate to them. So she figured out other options so that she had some points of comparison. When you are looking for a new place or trying to find something new, consider all of your options so that you can narrow down the list. Choose your possible candidates so that you know what you are deciding between, and then it helps you to know what you are deciding between. This will ultimately help you to pick the best option for you!
- You’ll know it when you put them on: Just like when you slip into the right jeans or even the right pair of shoes–you just know it! You might search and search for the right place or the right fit–and when it’s the best fit then you feel it! You just know and it’s a really amazing feeling. For Lindsay so far this is how Denver feels to her. It’s still early, but there are some reasons that she thinks that it’s a good fit and she knows it.
- Colorado gets 300 days of sunshine a year
- People are super nice and kind of down to earth (which is refreshing after living in NY and Boston)
- The mountains are close, and they are really getting out in the West skiing, hiking, and exploring.
- She feels after living her life on the east coast that the west coast is where she belongs now.
These guidelines can help you with a pair of jeans, with finding a new place to live, or with any big life decision that you may face.
Takeaway
Lindsay was lucky to be able to choose her city and move around the country, and so are you if you have had this opportunity.
It’s important to never take for granted this privilege because that’s what it is.
Even if you aren’t searching for a new city, you can apply these lessons to making any big decision in life.
Come back to our blog– let us know what big decisions you are about to make and how you are going about making them.
These life lessons can really help you to make important decisions and to think through what matters in the process.
What are some big changes you are making next year? If IELTS is part of your life in the next year, go here to listen to the IELTS Energy Podcast.
If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
