I moved to Los Angeles in April 2022 with extreme resilience and enthusiasm. Considering my experience as a Black girl from Pittsburgh, this was a huge come-up in both my personal and professional life. All I ever dreamed about was being a media corporate baddie in a big city.
Honestly, moving to Los Angeles in my new position as a public relations coordinator gave me courage and confidence I never knew I had. However, making the sacrifice of leaving behind what was familiar to me shifted my thinking and experiences.
Here, I’m sharing five life lessons I learned so far while living in Los Angeles.
1. Be more open-minded.
I had to open up to the city and say “yes” to things I would normally shy away from. I experienced culture shock and had to put myself out there, opening myself up to meeting new people, trying new foods and working harder. I quickly understood that staying to myself and being close-minded wouldn’t allow me to adapt to my new environment in the long run. This realization forced me to approach things differently.
2. Work hard but prioritize your mental health.
Initially, I dedicated my move to my career. Through my role at work, I was willing to take on a variety of tasks to prove that I could handle them. I knew that it was a blessing to live in Los Angeles, but I experienced burnout over time. I’ve now learned that alongside working hard it’s important to relax and prioritize my mental health.
3. Opportunities are endless for creatives.
Los Angeles is a city for the arts. As a creative, it’s beautiful to experience a city that embraces creativity and provides abundant opportunities for us. In my hometown, the arts are not centered enough. In Los Angeles, a part of me now feels a deeper connection to my creative spirit.
4. Passion and purpose don’t always intersect, and that's OK.
Passion is defined as a strong emotion that drives reason. Purpose is defined as the reason in which action is taken. I believed my passion was my purpose for a while. Recently, I learned that our passions can shift and our purpose may not always align with them. I have many passions but I still haven’t discovered my true purpose, and I’m OK with that.
5. Embrace the journey and don’t focus on the destination.
This lesson hit me the hardest. My dream was to take a big city by storm in the corporate world. However, I learned that not everything is as glamorous as it seems and to appreciate the small wins in life. I thought moving would make me happy, but now I’m on a journey of redefining success, discovering my purpose, and watering myself more and more each day with God’s grace.
Each day isn’t always great, but it’s a journey I’m proud to embrace. The growth I’ve experienced in The City of Angels in this short time is incredible and I’m very excited to see where else it will take me.
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