7 tough lessons I learned when I moved across the country by Charyn Pfeuffer on May 1, 2018, 5:50 PM Advertisement
 - A move can be tough for anybody — especially when you’re moving across the country.
- Despite a positive attitude, moving from the East Coast to the West was not as easy as author Charyn Pfeuffer had anticipated.
- From attitudes to fashion standards to lingo, here are the 7 tough lessons she learned when she moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco.
I’ve always had an impetuous streak. I’m also a highly motivated individual. In 2000, I made a deal with myself: If I could support myself financially after one year of freelancing full-time, I’d move from Philadelphia to San Francisco. I’d visited the West Coast exactly once, but it left an indelible mark on my heart. As I saw it, if I could create a successful freelance career, I could work from anywhere. So, when I was in the black after the first year, I packed up my trusty Toyota Tercel and headed west. I had a few friends living in the Bay Area, plenty of work, and I was able to lock in a rent-controlled apartment prior to my arrival. With the essentials sorted out, I thought it would be an easy transition. Despite my positive attitude, things didn’t go quite exactly as planned. Here are seven lessons I learned when made the 2,976-mile schlep west. SEE ALSO: Here's where Americans are moving to and from 1. East Coast and West Coast attitudes are very different  My tell-it-like-it-is attitude (aka, my “inner Philly”) wasn’t met with the warmest of receptions. In fact, within my first few weeks, I inadvertently made a woman cry because I gave her a bluntly honest opinion. Solicited, mind you. It came from a kind, constructive place, but apparently, she didn’t want the actual truth — a “no one likes to hurt anyone’s feelings” reality I’ve encountered many times on the West Coast.
2. Fashion standards are way different  I’m no fashionista, but I can pull it together when necessary. Also, I admittedly have a stiletto habit. When I moved to San Francisco, it took exactly one Friday night out in Jimmy Choos to rethink my fashion priorities. Hills and heels don’t mix — I quickly became an outdoor clothing convert.
3. There will be uncomfortable feelings  You can possess all the confidence in the world, but a cross-country move will push you out of your comfort zone. Being in a new city and living space, no matter how much you love it, can be unnerving. I felt like I was lost most of the time, and as a result, running late. I hate being late. I didn’t have my go-to network of local friends and neighbors I’d cultivated over the years. Not having that safety net scared me. In the beginning, there were times the distance seemed impossibly far, and I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Optimism goes a long way, but things rarely work out exactly as imagined (whether you make a cross country move or not). It makes life easier if you can sit and work through the uncomfortable feelings and go with the flow. Things will eventually fall into a comfortable rhythm.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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