In January, I celebrated the fourth anniversary of living in Las Vegas. Frankly, I don\u2019t think the oddsmakers would have bet on my love affair lasting this long.<\/p>\n
For years I was one of those people who shunned this place. I blush when I think of the misconceptions I held. I was convinced (although not from actual experience) that it was nothing more than a shrine to tackiness.<\/p>\n
My attitude began to change in 2002 when I decided to throw a birthday party for myself and picked Las Vegas because it seemed so ridiculous. The surprise was on me.<\/p>\n
What I discovered on that celebratory weekend was that this was a creative hotbed. Although I had no aspirations to build a casino myself, I was fascinated by the entrepreneurial spirit that I saw blooming in the desert.<\/p>\n
When I returned from my sabbatical in late 1999, I settled back in Minneapolis, but I felt my time there was coming to an end. No other place was really calling to me, but the hunt for my new hometown had begun.<\/p>\n
After my granddaughter was born, I knew that I wanted to live closer to her family in California, but I decided against moving there. How about Las Vegas, I mused.<\/p>\n
It seemed totally crazy at first. At the same time, I was ready to shake up my life and couldn\u2019t imagine a place that was less like Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
Once the decision was made, I was unprepared for the scorn and skepticism from other people. \u201cWhy are you moving to Las Vegas?\u201d suddenly replaced, \u201cWhat do I do about health insurance?\u201d as my most frequently asked question.<\/p>\n
I took this as a sign that I was making the right decision. As Paul Hawken says, \u201cIf everyone loves your idea, it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the next challenge: I had only visited the city as a tourist. I had no idea about how to even begin my search for a home.<\/p>\n
How it all came together, I now realize, is the same process that\u2019s useful for making any kind of change. Whether you\u2019re starting a new profit center, relationship or planning a trip, these steps will make moving on less stressful.<\/p>\n
* Decide what will support your change.<\/strong> When I was floundering around in uncertainty, my daughter came up with the best suggestion. She said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you get a map of the city and plot out where things are that you\u2019ll want to be close to?\u201d<\/p>\n I did just that. I looked up addresses for post office branches, libraries, Target, and Trader Joe\u2019s and marked them on my map. It was immediately obvious that the things I wanted access to all clustered in one area.<\/p>\n Seeing that on my map, made it easy to focus once I began looking. In making any change, begin by identifying what you want and need to have access to. You could mind map it for added clarity.<\/p>\n * Get help from someone who knows the territory.<\/strong> Just as my search began for a new home, I got an e-mail from Pat Egan who was visiting his mother and stepfather in Las Vegas.They proved to be just the link I needed.<\/p>\n I had met Sharon and Joe Cruse briefly in Minneapolis several months earlier. Transplanted Minnesotans themselves, they answered my questions and connected me with a real estate agent who showed me the house I now live in.<\/p>\n The biggest gift, however, was that Sharon was so enthusiastic about living here that my apprehensions (which had grown to massive proportions) disappeared.<\/p>\n * Allow discomfort.<\/strong> <\/strong>For the first several months, I thought I had moved to a foreign land. That passed as I found my way around, located places and people I loved.<\/p>\n I also took up a new hobby I called Get Lost on Purpose. From time to time I\u2019d strike out with no destination, no map and see where I ended up. It\u2019s a great way to exercise curiosity and alertness.<\/p>\n * Connect and share.<\/strong> I\u2019d been warned that once I relocated, I\u2019d have more visitors than I\u2019d ever had in Minnesota. While that was true, I found that I really enjoyed being the insider and sharing my discoveries with tourist friends. Sharing my passions was a perfect way to nurture my own enthusiasm.<\/p>\n Although I\u2019ve moved many times in my life, this one proved to be the best teacher I\u2019ve had.<\/p>\n Throughout the month of May, I\u2019ll be sharing more ideas about making change and moving on. I\u2019m even planning to share a few stories about some of the bold dreamers who live in this place.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t wait to see where the new theme takes me. Glad to have you along.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In January, I celebrated the fourth anniversary of living in Las Vegas. Frankly, I don\u2019t think the oddsmakers would have bet on my love affair lasting this long. For years I was one of those people who shunned this place. I blush when I think of the misconceptions I held. I was convinced (although not…<\/p>\n