How to Decide if Some Location is Ideal For You

It’s been more than one week since I flew one-way to Hawaii, and so many exciting things have happened. Where do I even begin to start?

Upon landing on Maui Island, I was both super excited and nervous. Many questions ran through my mind while I was walking out of the airport:

- Would I get along with the team I’d be working with?
- Do I have enough skills to help out with the project?
- Would I like working with my new boss?
- Did I think I could live an island lifestyle?
- Is coming out to Maui the right choice for me?

These are thoughts that naturally come to me whenever I move or travel to a new location I’ve never been too.

Do you have similar thoughts?

Why I Won’t Return to Mainland

With more than one week into settling down into the island, my gut feeling tells me that I’ll fit in just fine with this island.

Interestingly, the Hawaiians have a word for “gut” feeling, which is na’au.

They believe that this type of intuition far outweighs what your “heart” tells you or how your “mind” explains things. Deciding by heart is through emotion, and deciding by mind is through logic and reason. Most of the time, your gut feeling will give you that unexplainable reason for whatever decision you decide on.

Regardless of the psychological aspect, other prominent and concrete reasons support my decision to stay on Maui:

- Tight-Knit Community

With such a small island, everyone that lives on this island knows each other. Everyone I’ve met has been supportive of each other’s business and project ventures. There is another saying that you’ll know you fit into Maui, when the island doesn’t kick you off, first. If you don’t fit in, then Maui Island will let you know … literally.

- Entrepreneurial Spirit

Maui Island doesn’t have many of the large companies so prevalent on mainland US.

That being said, majority of the successful people who live on the island run their own small to medium sized organizations. These can fall into restaurants, online websites, arts & creative projects, and extreme sports shops.

Since there isn’t any stereotypical “corporate culture”, entrepreneurs have the freedom to express and accomplish tasks at own time and leisure.

- Stunning Natural Scenery

Maui speaks for itself. No explanation needed.

Got the spectacular West Maui Mountains to the tall ancient Haleakala Crater. Year-round winds provide great windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions, and winter season yields some good surf. Beautiful beaches and reefs to snorkel and relax to. As a hiker, runner, and surfer, Maui provides all I need to chill out after a day’s hard work.

More specifically about my adventures on Maui will come in future posts.

How to Figure Out if Location is Truly Right

I’ve had some people mention that vacationing at some place is totally different than actually living there. And that is of course true.

I knew coming to Maui, I’d be working on client project … and not simply lounging around on beach chairs, drinking a nice mai tai, and surfing everyday. As much as I’d like to imagine my new lifestyle as such that, in the beginning, it won’t be.

As much as I’d like to not work, and start surfing on Maui, I realize that I need to get a working schedule, and be able to make adequate income stream before I decide to spend too much time doing what I like.

Got to sacrifice some initial time to building up business, before you enjoy the fruits of success. Otherwise, you’ll just start from square one (which is have no money).

But here are a few questions you need to ask yourself:

- Are you moving to a location, to leave behind your problems?

Majority of the time, your issues … usually personal ones will always follow you around, no matter where you go. Address the major ones and find workable solutions for them before you decide to take-off around the world. Don’t just go running away from your problems.

- What is your “core” reason for moving to a location?

Will you be able to build up some skills? Whether that be your creative skills (art, photography, content writing), or technical skills (programming, SEO, graphic design), or other personal ventures (surf travel, e-book advice, etc).

Regardless of whatever you want to do, make sure you are “doing something”. And that something better be what you like.

- Will you end up just wanting to play and vacation?

If you said yes, and if you are just starting out new, and don’t have an income stream, then you will fail in whatever location you move to.

The key here is building a sustainable long-term business that aligns with your personal passions and goals. Once you can find work that you enjoy doing … it won’t become “work”. In the long-run, you’ll be able to make time to do the other things you want.

This question will help determine if moving to a location is the illusion from what you’d expect when you vacation, from what you’d expect in living there. Just remind yourself, you aren’t staying at nice hotel accommodation forever, so is living and working going to live to what you expected?

Overall, I can understand how Maui is not for everyone.

Some like their snow. Some like rigid structure to their lifestyle. Both you won’t find much of those on Maui. The island attracts a specific type of person that can adapt to the fluidity of the “Aloha” lifestyle. It’s very hard to describe, so you’ll have to come out here and interact with the people to get it.

And for those who think I simply moved to Maui for the stereotypical tropical paradise (well yes, I did so for the surf and sun, what more do I need to say?) … I can say that the other location I find myself fitting into is Portland, OR.

To most, that might not sound like paradise, but to me and those weird, entrepreneurs, Portland is indeed paradise as well.

Your Turn:

• What location are you looking to move to?

• What about that location do you find desirable?

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