{"id":3206,"date":"2026-01-27T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amberrfield.com\/staging\/1483\/?p=3206"},"modified":"2026-01-25T16:59:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T22:59:59","slug":"the-permission-to-pivot-why-it-might-be-time-for-an-intentional-relocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amberrfield.com\/staging\/1483\/the-permission-to-pivot-why-it-might-be-time-for-an-intentional-relocation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Permission to Pivot: Why It Might Be Time for an Intentional Relocation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s late January and I’m stuck inside my Madison, WI home for the third day straight with wind chills in the -20 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit range. My weather app says it’s going to get slightly better next week, but the number of days I feel I can go outside and run in the morning (my running cut-off is 8 degrees above) are zero. The question we keep asking each other (and ourselves) about 40 times a day is, “why do we live here”? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truth is, Madison, WI is<\/em> a great place to live and was an intentional relocation when I moved here in 2017, but it may not be the right place for us moving forward. And your location might not be either. If you’ve ever wanted to move, but felt stuck where you’re at, this article is for you. You’ve got one life to live and where you live makes a big difference for your happiness, health, and even your net worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Are Not a Tree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In my adult life, I’ve lived a total of six locations (if I don’t count my semester abroad in Sevilla, Spain and my two months volunteering in Tanzania<\/a>), and I credit all of them with making me who I am today. I’ve moved mostly for jobs (mine or my partner’s) and only slightly considered whether the location we were moving to fit us well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I moved back to Wisconsin in 2017, it was the first time I made an intentional decision about where to move and then looked for a job in that location. Once I returned, one truth stood out to me about the people around me: a lot of Wisconsinites have lived here their whole lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those of us who have left, have grown our careers and networks faster, have typically seen more of the world, and chose to come back intentionally. And, honestly, I feel good about doing both – leaving and returning. But I think a lot of people simply stay close to home and never think twice about it. They are like trees. They stay where they’re planted. But, how would you know the place you’re born is the right place for you if you never leave? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are not a tree.<\/strong> You have the agency to uproot yourself if the soil you\u2019re planted in is no longer helping you grow. If you are feeling a pull toward a different landscape, a different pace, or a different community, this is your sign. Yes, you can move.<\/strong> And you don’t need a promotion or a crisis to justify it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Myth of the “Forever Home”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the corporate world, we talk about “Technical Debt”, which is the cost of sticking with old, clunky systems because we aren’t prioritizing the time it takes to upgrade. In our lives, many of us carry “Geographic Debt”. We stay in a city because we\u2019ve been there for a decade, even if the city\u2019s features no longer align with our current values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving isn’t running away. It\u2019s a system upgrade.<\/strong> If your current environment is optimized for a version of you that no longer exists like the 25-year-old ladder climber or the person who needed the high cost of living nightlife, it\u2019s okay to let that version of you go. Growth is healthy and often leads to a more fulfilling life. Moving can help supercharge that growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re-Evaluating the Status Quo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We often treat moving as a massive, irreversible risk. It’s not, everything in life is reversible except for birth and death. But let\u2019s look at the factors that actually matter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n