So this guy I know just closed on a house last week, and I have to admit I was pretty happy for him.

For a bit of background, the guy made his way down to South Florida after a brutal break up – he and his fiancee were set to marry, he’d sold his house, given away all his furniture and moved in with her. Then, no more than a few weeks later she said she didn’t think it was gonna work out, and the poor guy was left high and dry. Ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as this guy getting kicked out of his own country for being too handsome””. That’s a true story, by the way. Check it out.

Just brutal.

First time I met him, he was cantankerous. With a bit of conversation though, you could start to see his real side come out. I knew he wasn’t a mean guy – just hurt.

So I pulled a few strings, got him a nice set up where he could forget any and all problems associated with that situation.

Then I find 3 weeks later he’s up and running again, ready to get back into his usual way of doing things, ready to see what else out there the world has to offer, ready to check out the other fish in the sea and cars on the market.

This whole situation made me realize even more how the location and area that surround a person is more important than we may think. In both a financial, and energy sense.

I’m very big on location. VERY. 95% of where I have lived is based on 7 major factors – local activities, distance, weather, beauty of surroundings, general attitude of people in the area, convenience, and building layout and view.

I think many people think this way, but then also many people move where work takes them. They learn to settle in, get adjusted, and become interested in the place because that’s where they’ll be for the next god knows how many months because that’s where the money is.

While this is all fine and dandy for some, I’m sure for others it may seem like a nightmare.

One wrong word could set this fellow gentleman into hurling his suitcase at an innocent…back away slowly.

In my opinion that type of moving doesn’t really allow you to move for the reasons you want to – and in fact it’s more like chasing dollars – literally. The “who moved my cheese?” metaphor and then going to find it is real, scarily enough.

So after much pondering, I thought I’d write a bit about some key factors in a location I look for, and maybe, just maybe it’ll get you thinking about what you look for as well…and remember – I’m talking about things that would make where you live seem like an absolute sanctuary. So here goes.

Let’s start with local activities. Clearly, from all the “For The Weekenders” post you all have read, it’s well known I’m all about places that have amazing things to do without having to necessarily travel to some exotic far out place no one’s ever heard of if you choose not to.

Even a paddle boat in the right setting can be fun.

Yet keep in mind when I look for a place that has great local activities, I also avoid overpopulated and high traffic places like the plague.

While finding such places that have one without the other may seem impossible, I must assure you it most certainly. Is. Possible. Just takes a bit of research is all.

So I guess you could say local activities also tie in with distance. Yes, very true. I always try and look for places that if possible, have everything at your fingertips, where literally if you’re going by car, you could just keep making a right at every major intersection until you circle right back around to where you live and hit up every place you need for groceries, gas, nightlife, etc.

Lox, champagne, high priced call girl…you name it. Joke on that last one. Indulgence level 99.

The same thing should be if you’re going by car as well.

Take Shin Okubo for instance, in Tokyo. Located on the Yamanote line, this trendy little area had an array of shops, and you could find a decent place with a nice view that was a very short walking distance to the train station. The best part? Two of the most major hotspots were no more than a few exits away – making total costs to travel to them less than $2 one way. Heck, you could even walk if you felt like a nice little stroll.

Kickass little place.

I’d say that’s win.

Speaking of which, trendy for me isn’t complete without some class A surroundings. I have to, have to, have to, have an excellent view with every place I move into. When I step out my door and get in my car, drive down that street, it has to be aesthetically appealing. From the landscaping to the architecture of buildings. Add a beach less than 10 minutes away and you’re talking an A+ spot in my mind. Which really when you think about it ties in with weather.

Another great area I could say pulled this off with tremendous effort albeit surprisingly dreary weather are some places in the UK. I remember uni days there. Now if you’ve been to some bits of the UK, you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say dreary. Minimal sunshine, rain for days, bitter cold winds.

Yet then you get the odd, sunny days where everyone bolts for the park like a herd of race horses or wild mustangs.

Sunny or dreary, the place I was in had great architecture. Old structures that had been up for years, somehow brought together with new developments to form this sort of, hybrid town with shoppes, banks, and decent “high street” lounges, that you could dip into on a cold rainy night during your uni days after that three hour lecture that almost bored you to tears.

From this….

…to this.

And most of all…combined with everything else, I’d say the attitude of the people in such areas with the attributes I’ve been discussing with you ranks incredibly high on the list. This, in actual fact, can either make or break a place, in a variety of ways.

Ever noticed how certain people hang out with certain people? It’s not intentional, it just sort of happens. I wouldn’t call it a “clique” tendency, that’s too juvenile and should be left behind at grade school graduation day.

But I’m talking about how people who are fans of water sports or fishing migrate to areas where there’s a plethora of opportunity for that, or how people who are really into performance auto migrate from Tokyo to Yokohama. Heck – even snowboarders make their way to Vermont Canada or Colorado.

The people and the attitudes of said people play a larger part in enjoying where a person stays more than many people think it does. That’s why younger people wouldn’t exactly feel comfortable in a 55+ community…nor would young spirited 55+ feel comfortable if said community had a majority of members that were constantly talking about hip replacements.

It’s these subtle little things that people sort of know they’re looking for, but never really make the ultimate decision and assertion that they ARE going to be picky enough to find all their requirements and desires…more importantly desires….

…and by neglecting those desires you neglect a part of yourself.

It all ties in, be it clothing, or cars, accommodation or friends. We were given free will to choose – and in doing so thus stimulating our imagination. There’s more importance to this than you may think…and in the end it’s all worth it, guaranteed.

So go ahead, get creative, and get picky – it’s you who has to stay in that area, live in that house, and make friends with those poeple. Exercise your free will, and in doing so you’ll exercise your imagination and awaken your real desires – and by awakening your real desires, discovering just another part of your real self, fueling and finding your own happiness within because you did activate your imagination.

Stay decisive.

– Rego

Musings Episode 12: Location, Location, Location… is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life