The Unexpected Benefits of Being Stuck

Several years ago, I moved from the small farm town I grew up in to Portland, Oregon—and at first, I hated it.

How were you supposed to make friends when you moved to a brand new city? How did people in this city survive without the sunshine? And how on earth was I expected to keep my socks dry?

Photo Credit: Branden Harvey (Yes the same guy who wrote this post!)

It rained all the time. All. The. Time. And I was sick of it.

So I decided I’d move to California.

I made plans for the move and dreamed of what life was going to be like when I got there. The ever-present sunshine would bring people out their houses and onto the streets. I would bump into Bieber at the local cafe.

My socks would always, always be dry.

And there was a girl there I maybe liked.

Everything was going to be great.

The only problem was, all my plans fell through.

I tried to move to California. I Bob Goffed it. I sat outside of the offices of deans and presidents, begging for scholarships. I applied for loans. I looked for roommates and jobs. I did every possible thing I could do. But everything fell through. Nothing worked. I was stuck. My socks were still wet. I was miserable.

Oh, and the girl said she didn’t like me back.

But then something amazing happened.

I realized I had one of two choices. I could either sit around complaining about being stuck—how life was unfair, and if only this opportunity or that opportunity had worked out for me, things would all be different.

Or, I could decide to make my own opportunities and choose my own fate.

The first one sounded really boring, so I decided to pick the second.

First things first, I went out and bought myself some cool waterproof boots. Because sometimes the most frustrating problems have very simple solutions.

And second, I decided that I was going to make the most of my time in Portland.

I decided I needed a few real, authentic friends—the kind that don’t mind dropping you off at the airport at 5am and who visit you in the hospital.

So I started getting out there and meeting people. Lots of people. And I began investing in the people I met until I found people I connected with, who were investing in the people around them. around me as well.

I also decided I needed to do something with my time that would tap into my passion and also help me make some money.

I had always loved taking photos, so I kept honing my skills and taking every opportunity could as practice. I began networking with some other photographers and better opportunities kept rolling in.

The opportunities started rolling in faster and faster from names I’d heard of like: smart car, Timex, Chevrolet and PetSmart – all because I started reaching out to the people around me.

And guess what… I met a girl too. She even liked me back.

And still likes me back.

These days, Portland is my favorite city in the world.

Truly. I travel all the time. In just the last year, I’ve been everywhere from Israel to Rwanda. No matter where I go, I never lose my love for Portland.

I wake up every day filled with a passion for life. I get to do what I love. I have a small community of best friends who push me to grow on a daily basis. And the rain doesn’t bother me near as much as it used to.

Those little quirks become sort of endearing, after a while.

Commitment is something special.

It isn’t easy, but when you force yourself to commit to something, it changes the way you think about everything.

I think commitment is the reason I was able to get from where I was to where I am today.

Because I knew I was stuck in Portland, it forced me to look at my life differently. Nothing was disposable. Everything was an opportunity. And when I decided to choose to make my life what I wanted it to be, instead of complaining about how stuck I was, everything changed.

I’m happier than I ever dreamed I could be.

Today we get to challenge ourselves to look for the opportunities in our lives—to look for people, places and ideas we can invest in.

What choices will you make?

The Unexpected Benefits of Being Stuck is a post from: Storyline Blog