How Sex in the City Changed My Life

I have lived in New York City for nearly eight years now (!!), but I’m actually from a small town in the middle of Colorado. It’s super beautiful there; I loved growing up there and still love visiting, but New York is definitely home.

Moving to New York was one of those childhood dreams I never grew out of. It was common in my ballet classes and theater rehearsals for us all to dream of moving to New York and being on Broadway. But as college approached, I somewhat took myself by surprise by how serious I was about moving there. This was not just a pipe dream at all, as it turned out.

(Do you have a dream you’re living that you’ve never grown out of? Email me and let me know!)

When I got to New York, I noticed I was not alone amongst the college freshmen eager to be in this city. Everything was so new and exciting and glamorous. It was everything I thought it’d be and more.

But after a couple months then years went by, I could see the city start to wear on people. It is extremely expensive, it’s crowded, it’s loud and can be hard to find peace, and school and work can be very high-pressure environments.

Slowly but surely, the reasons why people initially wanted to move here started to be dismissed because they seemed to far fetched.

For example, it’s no secret that TV shows and movies glamorize New York and make you think you can have that Sex in the City lifestyle (or Friends, Gossip Girl, or my personal favorite show, Will and Grace). The beautiful clothes, wearing high heels whenever you want and not overdressing, enjoying the tasty restaurants of New York and regularly having cocktails with your girlfriends.

But that lifestyle comes with a price tag and free time that most New Yorkers aren’t available to make their reality. So, some people were giving up.

For me, while I know it’s not always easy to get to a place where that lifestyle is a reality, it’s also not an option to give up. Chasing the possibility of that lifestyle and making the most of this amazing city is a big part of why I declined law school and started Urban20Something.com (notice why it’s named that!).

I knew that a career as a lawyer would potentially give me the lifestyle that New York can offer (the Sex in the City lifestyle, if you will), but also knew the stress and demanding schedule could take a toll on me.

Urban 20 Something was my way to document my quest to find that lifestyle and show others how they could do it. And that is why I’m so passionate about teaching side hustling and entrepreneurship.

It’s through side hustling I’ve found that New York City lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of. I am able to travel more than I thought I’d ever be able to afford in my twenties, I am paying my student loans off years ahead of schedule, it’s how I live in apartment with a terrace (dream come true!) and most importantly, it’s how I still have the time to enjoy New York, since a lot of my income streams have become passive. As I like to stay, I take a stand for the “and”. (Yes, you can have your cake and eat it, too!)

So, what’s your side hustle why? What dream did you have of living that you may have dismissed as unrealistic or too expensive? How can you create more income streams to get that back?

I’m here not just to help you make more money, but to use that money to transform your life. So, email me and tell me your version of your Sex in the City story!