What Do You Like And/Or Dislike About Your Neighborhood? ? I Hate It Here
A month ago, Lee & I were visiting family in his hometown – a small working class Lancashire town in the North of England. I personally love it there. The surrounding countryside is lovely, cheap pubs are plentiful, there are many excellent museums và historical sites within a short train ride in any direction và the town is just the right kích thước that so that I can walk to everything I need.
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However, I have had this very same conversation with many locals:
Them: That accent’s not from around here is it?
Me: No, I’m from Canada.
Them: What bởi vì you think of it here?
Me: I love it here.
Them: *Astonishment and disbelief* Really?
They will then go ahead & tell me why I must be crazy, because Canada must be so much better than this part of the world – this horrible và bleak stain on the map that I have found myself in.
I’ve already outlined the reasons why I love it in Accrington in another post, but I think the point is more to vày with perception. You see, I believe that I would have a good chance of enjoying myself whether I lived in Canada, or in New Zealand or Australia, Cambodia, Iceland, Sri Lanka, or Malaysia. It’s not this location that’s “terrible”, it’s the attitude of the people who are negative about it.
Attitude is Everything
Lee và I were in Banff, Alberta during our Cross Canada Road Trip. This absolutely picture-postcard perfect mountain town is so pretty it’s almost hard lớn believe it’s real. It’s nestled within the world famous Rocky Mountains, a crystal clear mountain stream runs through it & it offers world class skiing, hiking, canoeing & an international backpacker tiệc ngọt scene. Deer and elk wander down the street in the middle of the day. Who wouldn’t love it here?
However, we still managed to lớn have an exchange with a negative local who complained lớn us that Banff was “boring” và “too cold” and he couldn’t wait khổng lồ get out. We were shocked that someone could be bitter about living somewhere that people travel from all over the world to visit – but the truth is that it’s all about attitude.
If you have a negative attitude about the place you live, you will not enjoy living there no matter how amazing it is. Never underestimate the power nguồn of negativity lớn find a downside to the most awesome things in the world!
With a negative attitude you could live on a beach in đất nước xinh đẹp thái lan and complain about the sand that gets tracked in on your floor, or live in the most fascinating cultural district of thủ đô new york or Berlin & whine about the street noise at night.
The truth is that no matter where you live, the location offers pros & cons. Of course, I’m not talking about people who are living in war torn communities in the developing world, as they actually have legitimate reasons to be unhappy where they are. I’m talking lớn those who live in nice town and cities in the developed world & constantly complain about their surroundings – without making any effort khổng lồ change their attitude or move.
Change Your Outlook, or Get Out?
Don’t be one of those people who constantly complains about something, yet doesn’t vị a thing lớn change it. Ok, so you don’t like where you are currently living? You have two options.
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Option #1: Change your perspective và discover the positives of where you live.
Option #2: Move.
If you can learn to lớn appreciate the beauty of where you are, you will be happy wherever you live. If you really desire lớn live somewhere else… then why not get out?
Option #2 Won’t Work for Those Who Can’t Master Option #1
If you can’t learn khổng lồ appreciate the place that you live in, moving location will only be a temporary fix until the novelty of your new place starts khổng lồ wear off. For example, you might be a Brit who always complains about the rain, the government, the economy, etc. So you decide to move lớn Spain & enjoy a better life for yourself.
At first, it’s brilliant! You drink wine, eat tapas và get a tan. Everyone back home is jealous. However, after a while things in Spain start khổng lồ get on your nerves. Every simple thing takes forever, everyone is so loud & emotional, the bars are all filled with smoke & you can never get anything done in the afternoon because of the bloody Siesta.
Soon enough, you are miserable again in your new paradise and pining for home. Has Spain changed? Nope – it’s all you.
Stop making your happiness conditional on where you are – because there will always be something annoying & irritating about wherever you are. Instead, learn how lớn make the most of wherever you are, so that you will enjoy living there. That way, you will never have to lớn move away from somewhere lớn “escape”, you will simply relocate because you are craving a different (not necessarily better) experience.
How lớn Love Where You Live – Treat it lượt thích a Travel Destination
Do you know why you love the destinations you visit on holiday more than you love your home town? It’s because of the way you experience them.
When you are visiting somewhere as a tourist, you experience all of the best aspects of that destination & very little of the bad. You stay in a nice hotel, splurge on a meal in a restaurant, go sightseeing in the prettiest part of the city and visit the best attractions. You spend a little more than usual and you treat yourself to lớn nice things. Of course you are going to love it there!
What if you viewed your “boring” hometown in the same way? Give a try someday. Pretend you are a tourist to lớn your region and go a Google tìm kiếm for the fun things to vì chưng in your area. Take your camera with you, snap photos of your town’s nicest buildings, sit in the prettiest park and have a picnic, eat at a new restaurant, visit your local museum or go for a hike along a local trail. Imagine you are seeing this place for the first time and see the beauty that is there.
Pretend you are researching your location in order to lớn write a book or an article about it. What is the history of the town? What famous people lived there? What did that Victorian building in the main square used khổng lồ be when it was first built? What are the significant events that shaped your town & gave it it’s identity. The more layers of history you uncover about a place, the more interesting it becomes.
Also, think about what people different than you might see in the place. Perhaps you find your small rural town boring because there is nothing to do, but if you were a parent with a young family you would appreciate the safe streets & friendly community. Again, it’s all about perspective.
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You’re Not a Tree! Uproot Yourself and Try Somewhere Else
“Okay, so I’ve done all of the above & now I appreciate the unique beauty of my location and what it has lớn offer. However… I’ve lived here a long time and this place just doesn’t fulfil me any more. What should I vày now?”
This is where Option #2 comes in – moving somewhere new. If you are craving a change of scenery, there is nothing wrong with going somewhere else. Perhaps you can go work abroad somewhere else for a year? Maybe you can move from the big đô thị to the countryside or vice versa? Maybe you want to pack your bags and go backpacking for a while? Go for it!
Of course, it is important to remember that your new destination will be flawed as well, so remember that you are not running away from a terrible place lớn somewhere better – you are simply seeking somewhere that suits your interests at this stage in your life.
Do you love where you live? Have you ever acted lượt thích a “tourist in your own hometown”? bởi you crave a life somewhere different? nói qua your thoughts in the comments with us.
