“There is no secret to success - there are only strategies.” @drgurner

In my recent thread on home ownership I mentioned the importance of living in a “City on the Rise”. I believe it’s a critical first step toward prosperity for people of all ages.

Here's why

I’ll start with a simple analogy. If you’ve ever been a runner or cyclist then you know that headwinds are the bane of your existence. Even a light headwind makes everything feel so much harder. It’s physically exhausting and mentally demoralizing.

But with a tailwind at your back, everything changes. Progress feels effortless. Your spirits are lifted. You feel like an Olympian!

Locating in a City on the Rise (COTR) is like choosing to live with a tailwind behind you. Everything is easier & there’s a compounding effect.

What’s a COTR? Put simply, it’s a city that is thriving and well-positioned for the new economy, with a critical mass of workers who, like you, have chosen to be strategic about their future. The vibe in COTRs is hard to describe but unmistakable. You can feel the buzz.

Before we talk about how to identify COTRs, let’s talk about 3 big reasons to locate in one:

1) Your home (for most, our largest investment) will appreciate faster. This *one benefit alone* can make a move worthwhile...

Where I live (Boulder, CO) many regular folks have become millionaires simply because they bought a house 15 years ago. In most cases it was blind luck – they just happened to live in the right place. But you can *create your own luck* by being strategic about where you live.

2) COTRs are nexuses for the new economy. Jobs are more plentiful & they will tend to be jobs of the future. In a post-COVID world power is shifting from employers to workers so what I’m really talking about is being surrounded by workers who are themselves on the rise.

3) Beyond work, you’ll build a circle of creative, curious, determined friends with an *abundance mindset* vs. a scarcity mindset. This is something that @sweatystartup preaches and I can’t overstate its importance, not just in achieving financial success but also happiness.

So how can you identify a COTR? It’s easier than you may think. If you visualize all cities, large and small, on a spectrum from descending to rising, then your goal is simply to be in the top decile or two. If you had to pick one measure, home values are a good one because...

...those correlate with several key growth factors (and remember, your home is your biggest investment). There are also pragmatic considerations such as taxes, local politics, traffic, schools, etc. And of course personal preferences for climate, landscape, and culture.

Side Note: Local gov't alone can make or break a COTR. In Miami, Mayor @FrancisSuarez is on a mission to build a world tech hub. Contrast that with San Francisco, which treats its most valuable residents with disdain and is paying the price for biting the hand that feeds it.

This brings us to the real issue: Moving is hard and scary (esp with a family) and there are many circumstances which may prevent it. It’s a freedom & privilege that not everyone has. But don’t confuse legitimate circumstances with excuses!

Most people over-estimate the cost of moving (esp long term), the difficulty of finding a new job (esp in a remote-first world), and even the emotional strain of being far from existing friends and family. We revert to these excuses because the real issue is that we fear change.

I’ll point the finger at myself first. I spent decades in a place that inhibited my personal and professional growth and didn’t make a change until two years ago when I was 47 years old. Better late than never!

Hot take: I believe that your choice of location is as important as your choice of life partner. Why? Because one person can only influence your happiness so much but *your environment influences everything*. Yet we tend to put far less thought into where we live.

Newton's first law of motion teaches us that objects at rest stay at rest. This is true for people too and it can be used to your advantage. Just by being one of the few who is willing to be strategic about where you live you’ve already set yourself apart from the crowd.

Do you live in a City on the Rise? If not, my hope is that this thread will inspire you to consider a change. Time is your most valuable currency and life is too short for soul-crushing commutes, uninspiring environments, and energy-sucking neighbors.