Your City, Your Destiny: How Your Environment Shapes Your Life Trajectory

[MTF]

The Cook Islands has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. According to some sources, 90.9% of the population over the age of 15 is overweight. Yes, 90.9%! Only 9.1% of the population has healthy weight.

Now, that’s a cool fact but what are you supposed to do with it? Bear with me for a second…

One of the main reasons why I travel is to find a second home or a place to live year round. This year I’ve been traveling since January. I’ve stayed in 10 places across Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, ranging from a few days to three weeks.

Out of all the places I’ve visited so far (not only on this trip but in my entire life), the Sunshine Coast in Australia is my favorite. The casual laidback surfer vibe, the clean infrastructure, the availability of healthy, organic food, the variety of things to do from beaches to mountains, the perfect subtropical climate, the crazy fit people you see every day, and the overall niceness and friendliness are unique.

Granted, it comes at a very steep price as one of the most expensive places to live in Australia (an average nice house will cost you at least 1 million USD). But I’d argue it’s worth it.

This thread isn’t about the Sunshine Coast, though. Rather, it’s about the incredible impact of your environment on how you feel, what kind of people surround you, what you aspire to achieve, how healthy (or not) you are, and what kind of life you’ll end up living.

Despite traveling to well over 30 countries in my life (and hundreds of places), I’m still shocked how influenced I am by the environment in which I am, even if for just a few days.

In the Cook Islands, with obesity rates so ridiculous it sounds like BS, I wasn’t paying as much attention to my diet. According to local standards, I was one of the fittest guys there. Subconsciously, I decided I didn’t have to put in much effort.

But in the Sunshine Coast I felt like a weak, fat loser. And that felt good because I was surrounded by inspiring people who provided inspiration to do better. You can’t help but want to work out and eat better when you’re surrounded by ripped lifeguards and some of the fittest women I’ve ever seen in my life.

50 Cent once said:

You know what my grandfather told me? You’ll only get as far as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. You’ll be as successful as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. What I mean is if you're spending your day talking to a ni**a that has nothing going on, what the f*** kind of information can he offer you? Can he help you learn something, can he teach you something in the conversation?

Who are the MFs you talk to for no reason? What kind of an impact do they have on you?

During my trip, I’ve spent time in a variety of places. Countryside, remote villages, small towns, suburbs and big cosmopolitan cities.

In some, people were close-minded, lacked standards and didn’t care about any improvement. You felt unwelcome and wanted to leave.

In some, you could feel the ambition and energy of a place seemingly hanging in the air. You automatically wanted to do better.

In others, strangers greeted you smiling and you couldn’t help but become more easygoing and social. Because people were so nice, you were automatically friendly to everyone as well.

In others, people were so closed and unfriendly you quickly gave up being friendlier than necessary. You automatically kept to yourself and distrusted strangers.

Whether you’re an independent thinker not following the herd or not, the environment will still have an impact on you.

If your city is full of trash, potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure and unambitious people, your personal standards may reflect that, too.

If, on the other hand, you live in a clean, wealthy place with people who live epic lives, it’ll impel you to do better, too.

Of course, it’s not always possible to live in that nice area if you aren’t rich already. But if that’s impossible, you can still choose to be in that environment as often as you can, even if it’s just sipping some coffee in a café frequented by affluent patrons.

If you do have some money, I strongly encourage you to check out nicer areas and upgrade your life, even if just for a couple of weeks. The material things by themselves may not change your level of happiness much but the local atmosphere definitely can.

If there’s no such place where you live, I would heed @MJ DeMarco’s advice and pack your damn bags and move. You won’t understand how HUGE of an impact a place has on you until you’re in a place that’s much more aligned with your own values.

 

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[Johnny boy]

Probably one of the best posts on here that had me saying "yup" the whole way through.

After being to a bunch of new places, I've always thought..."If the average person is going to wake up, go to work, come home and relax, why the F*ck wouldn't they move here where it's always sunny, always a good time, and everyone is in a good mood? They would do the same thing they're doing now, just happier."

There's usually no good reason. It's simply because the idea never occurred to them. They can get a similar job anywhere, they can find similar npc friends anywhere, it's all replaceable!

Pretty close to being fully, fully location independent with the business. Will be spending my time in a few different places throughout the year once that happens.

I like the PNW in summertime. It feels perfect for a few months.
Mediterranean in fall/spring.
Winters skiing in Switzerland, or snorkeling in the Bahamas or whichever island I find myself on.
Spend the days waking up late and finding some trouble to get into.

In the back of my mind I've always known worst case I could make 4-5k a month online on that digital nomad shit and hangout in Thailand with no problems.

(insert 'yo momma' joke about how she lives on the cook islands)

 

[MJ DeMarco]

My wife is from a small Midwestern town, the kind with one stop light and 2,000 people. She recently went back and saw many of her childhood friends and many were still there, most of them complaining about the state of affairs in the local area (no jobs, no opportunities, boring, etc.)

Moving can be the best decision of one's life ... yes, you bring you and your emotional issues, but it's easier to get sober when you leave the tavern.

I can't imagine living in one place for your brief existence on this planet ... what a waste.

 

[doster.zach]

The Cook Islands has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. According to some sources, 90.9% of the population over the age of 15 is overweight. Yes, 90.9%! Only 9.1% of the population has healthy weight.

Now, that’s a cool fact but what are you supposed to do with it? Bear with me for a second…

One of the main reasons why I travel is to find a second home or a place to live year round. This year I’ve been traveling since January. I’ve stayed in 10 places across Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, ranging from a few days to three weeks.

Out of all the places I’ve visited so far (not only on this trip but in my entire life), the Sunshine Coast in Australia is my favorite. The casual laidback surfer vibe, the clean infrastructure, the availability of healthy, organic food, the variety of things to do from beaches to mountains, the perfect subtropical climate, the crazy fit people you see every day, and the overall niceness and friendliness are unique.

Granted, it comes at a very steep price as one of the most expensive places to live in Australia (an average nice house will cost you at least 1 million USD). But I’d argue it’s worth it.

This thread isn’t about the Sunshine Coast, though. Rather, it’s about the incredible impact of your environment on how you feel, what kind of people surround you, what you aspire to achieve, how healthy (or not) you are, and what kind of life you’ll end up living.

Despite traveling to well over 30 countries in my life (and hundreds of places), I’m still shocked how influenced I am by the environment in which I am, even if for just a few days.

In the Cook Islands, with obesity rates so ridiculous it sounds like BS, I wasn’t paying as much attention to my diet. According to local standards, I was one of the fittest guys there. Subconsciously, I decided I didn’t have to put in much effort.

But in the Sunshine Coast I felt like a weak, fat loser. And that felt good because I was surrounded by inspiring people who provided inspiration to do better. You can’t help but want to work out and eat better when you’re surrounded by ripped lifeguards and some of the fittest women I’ve ever seen in my life.

50 Cent once said:

You know what my grandfather told me? You’ll only get as far as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. You’ll be as successful as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. What I mean is if you're spending your day talking to a ni**a that has nothing going on, what the f*** kind of information can he offer you? Can he help you learn something, can he teach you something in the conversation?

Who are the MFs you talk to for no reason? What kind of an impact do they have on you?

During my trip, I’ve spent time in a variety of places. Countryside, remote villages, small towns, suburbs and big cosmopolitan cities.

In some, people were close-minded, lacked standards and didn’t care about any improvement. You felt unwelcome and wanted to leave.

In some, you could feel the ambition and energy of a place seemingly hanging in the air. You automatically wanted to do better.

In others, strangers greeted you smiling and you couldn’t help but become more easygoing and social. Because people were so nice, you were automatically friendly to everyone as well.

In others, people were so closed and unfriendly you quickly gave up being friendlier than necessary. You automatically kept to yourself and distrusted strangers.

Whether you’re an independent thinker not following the herd or not, the environment will still have an impact on you.

If your city is full of trash, potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure and unambitious people, your personal standards may reflect that, too.

If, on the other hand, you live in a clean, wealthy place with people who live epic lives, it’ll impel you to do better, too.

Of course, it’s not always possible to live in that nice area if you aren’t rich already. But if that’s impossible, you can still choose to be in that environment as often as you can, even if it’s just sipping some coffee in a café frequented by affluent patrons.

If you do have some money, I strongly encourage you to check out nicer areas and upgrade your life, even if just for a couple of weeks. The material things by themselves may not change your level of happiness much but the local atmosphere definitely can.

If there’s no such place where you live, I would heed @MJ DeMarco’s advice and pack your damn bags and move. You won’t understand how HUGE of an impact a place has on you until you’re in a place that’s much more aligned with your own values.

Moving to Arizona for similar reasons.

Potential to meet tech entrepreneur types is very low in the Midwest.

Couldn't bring myself to live somewhere like San Francisco, place was absolutely miserable and deserted when I was there last.

 

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[MTF]

Probably one of the best posts on here that had me saying "yup" the whole way through.

Thank you, I'm glad to hear that.

There's usually no good reason. It's simply because the idea never occurred to them. They can get a similar job anywhere, they can find similar npc friends anywhere, it's all replaceable!

Few people do that so they don't have any examples to follow. And change is very scary.

Pretty close to being fully, fully location independent with the business. Will be spending my time in a few different places throughout the year once that happens.

I like the PNW in summertime. It feels perfect for a few months.
Mediterranean in fall/spring.
Winters skiing in Switzerland, or snorkeling in the Bahamas or whichever island I find myself on.
Spend the days waking up late and finding some trouble to get into.

Over the years I've been looking for that perfect place to live year round. While I think that the Sunshine Coast is as close to that ideal as it can probably get for my needs, I'm now also considering splitting my time in a similar fashion.

Summer in Europe. Fall in the Caribbean. For winters, skip them altogether and go to the Southern Hemisphere to Australia or New Zealand. Stay there until late spring/early summer in Europe. You get the best of what these regions have to offer without dealing with the unpleasant aspects.

In the back of my mind I've always known worst case I could make 4-5k a month online on that digital nomad shit and hangout in Thailand with no problems.

This may be an unpopular opinion here but I vastly prefer the lifestyle of a digital nomad bum than a workaholic life. The bum enjoys life during his best years. The workaholic spends their best years working and often gets a heart attack before they can even enjoy their golden years (due to all the work and stress).

 

[MTF]

My wife is from a small Midwestern town, the kind with one stop light and 2,000 people. She recently went back and saw many of her childhood friends and many were still there, most of them complaining about the state of affairs in the local area (no jobs, no opportunities, boring, etc.)

Moving can be the best decision of one's life ... yes, you bring you and your emotional issues, but it's easier to get sober when you leave the tavern.

I can't imagine living in one place for your brief existence on this planet ... what a waste.

My girlfriend is from the countryside. Same experience for her each time she goes there. People marrying people who slept with their friends before just because they happen to live in the same area and there are no other options. People getting shitty jobs because that's the only thing available where they live. People taking on way too many responsibilities (home loans, kids they can't afford, etc.), permanently getting them stuck where they are.

You bring all the baggage with you but that baggage is SO much easier to let go. Even on my bad days traveling I'm still way above my average days in Poland. And usually that bad mood goes away much more quickly due to great weather, fascinating wildlife, or doing something I enjoy.

I don't exaggerate when I say that I was semi-suicidal. A bad environment can make you WANT to die early because the stagnation and desperation kills your spirit. Perhaps some people do well without much stimulation and growth but living in an uninspiring place that doesn't share my values is extremely taxing for me.

Like, we have this super short existence and you decide to live for several decades in that same place, do the same things with the same people, and repeat it until a heart attack sends you to an early grave. So depressing...

 

[MTF]

Moving to Arizona for similar reasons.

Potential to meet tech entrepreneur types is very low in the Midwest.

Couldn't bring myself to live somewhere like San Francisco, place was absolutely miserable and deserted when I was there last.

Sometimes the Internet can be enough to develop these relationships but it's definitely way more enjoyable and inspiring in person.

 

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[Paul David]

Probably one of the best posts on here that had me saying "yup" the whole way through.

After being to a bunch of new places, I've always thought..."If the average person is going to wake up, go to work, come home and relax, why the F*ck wouldn't they move here where it's always sunny, always a good time, and everyone is in a good mood? They would do the same thing they're doing now, just happier."

There's usually no good reason. It's simply because the idea never occurred to them. They can get a similar job anywhere, they can find similar npc friends anywhere, it's all replaceable!

Pretty close to being fully, fully location independent with the business. Will be spending my time in a few different places throughout the year once that happens.

I like the PNW in summertime. It feels perfect for a few months.
Mediterranean in fall/spring.
Winters skiing in Switzerland, or snorkeling in the Bahamas or whichever island I find myself on.
Spend the days waking up late and finding some trouble to get into.

In the back of my mind I've always known worst case I could make 4-5k a month online on that digital nomad shit and hangout in Thailand with no problems.

(insert 'yo momma' joke about how she lives on the cook islands)

Much easier to do this without kids first also. My main regret in life is not moving out of England either before my children were born or when they were younger.

They're 12 and 14 now which just isn't the right age to move them out of school even if I could afford to! Which is a different story altogether.

Funnily enough I've just been on my daily walk thinking about living abroad (I've just come back from Canary Islands after 10 nights) and as time goes on, I've changed from wanting to buy a place to live to just travelling to different places and staying in AirBNB's etc.

The climate in Canary Islands weather wise is perfect for me, however it's an island so would I get bored living there. I think I'd much rather use the money to travel to mainland Spain in summer, maybe Thailand and other places rather than buying a property and being stuck in one place.

In the US it's a lot easier to move to a nicer sunnier climate, whilst not having to jump through Visa hoops or have to learn a new language.

 

[Paul David]

I don't exaggerate when I say that I was semi-suicidal. A bad environment can make you WANT to die early because the stagnation and desperation kills your spirit. Perhaps some people do well without much stimulation and growth but living in an uninspiring place that doesn't share my values is extremely taxing for me.

Like, we have this super short existence and you decide to live for several decades in that same place, do the same things with the same people, and repeat it until a heart attack sends you to an early grave. So depressing...

I'm like this most of the time, especially in Winter here. Wishing life away to get to another time isn't a way to live.

I'm in a few whats app groups with friends etc, and the amount of people in there that say this weeks dragging or there's got to be more to life than this is frequent. However the same people work a 9-5 all week, and spend all weekend drinking. They'll still be doing the same thing in their 70's if they live that long.

I completely agree that it's only when you visit different places and countries do you realise how completely different and happy people can live. I get really depressed for the first week especially whenever I come back to England after a holiday. If I'm honest I hate it here.

 

[Johnny boy]

The climate in Canary Islands weather wise is perfect for me, however it's an island so would I get bored living there. I think I'd much rather use the money to travel to mainland Spain in summer, maybe Thailand and other places rather than buying a property and being stuck in one place.

I love the canary islands.

Sitting out by the beach at San Andres, sipping on a barraquito, heading out for a drive through the mountains on highway 12.

We spent christmas there for a month. Went into the woods to cut down our own charlie brown tree and it took us all day to find a place that sold decorations lol.

Great weather, beautiful people, so much to do, no degenerate losers. It's like classic spain + hawaii + cabo (in my opinion)

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

I agree with everything everyone said...

Unless you are the 5th generation owner of the town (hyperbole - I don't literally mean owning the town, I mean being one of the top business families in a small town, which is pretty common since there are LOTS of small towns). Then what? Leave the town to go be just another nobody in the big city? What about Control and Entry?

If you are 18 years old and already are on first name basis with every biz owner and banker in a 5 mile radius... You have a big advantage. Small towns can be a layup.

I've met guys whose great grandpas built the first store in town, built the houses in town, and they knew all the families, and leveraged all those relationships to do some really big things. Maybe this is a really weird or bizarre way to go about it? I know not everyone has that kind of "privilege" (I am not that guy - not nearly that level) but there are certainly parallels that many people can find.

Example - buddy of mine has a dad who is the high school swim coach. He is not rich at all. But he could use those connections to start a coaching business... etc

What is your unfair advantage? Are you using it?

 

[andyhaus44]

My wife is from a small Midwestern town, the kind with one stop light and 2,000 people. She recently went back and saw many of her childhood friends and many were still there, most of them complaining about the state of affairs in the local area (no jobs, no opportunities, boring, etc.)

Moving can be the best decision of one's life ... yes, you bring you and your emotional issues, but it's easier to get sober when you leave the tavern.

I can't imagine living in one place for your brief existence on this planet ... what a waste.

MJ, I am also from a small Midwestern town and moving was one of the best decisions I ever made. I can't imagine living in the same place forever too, what a joke!

 

[biophase]

The Cook Islands has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. According to some sources, 90.9% of the population over the age of 15 is overweight. Yes, 90.9%! Only 9.1% of the population has healthy weight.

Now, that’s a cool fact but what are you supposed to do with it? Bear with me for a second…

One of the main reasons why I travel is to find a second home or a place to live year round. This year I’ve been traveling since January. I’ve stayed in 10 places across Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, ranging from a few days to three weeks.

Out of all the places I’ve visited so far (not only on this trip but in my entire life), the Sunshine Coast in Australia is my favorite. The casual laidback surfer vibe, the clean infrastructure, the availability of healthy, organic food, the variety of things to do from beaches to mountains, the perfect subtropical climate, the crazy fit people you see every day, and the overall niceness and friendliness are unique.

Granted, it comes at a very steep price as one of the most expensive places to live in Australia (an average nice house will cost you at least 1 million USD). But I’d argue it’s worth it.

This thread isn’t about the Sunshine Coast, though. Rather, it’s about the incredible impact of your environment on how you feel, what kind of people surround you, what you aspire to achieve, how healthy (or not) you are, and what kind of life you’ll end up living.

Despite traveling to well over 30 countries in my life (and hundreds of places), I’m still shocked how influenced I am by the environment in which I am, even if for just a few days.

In the Cook Islands, with obesity rates so ridiculous it sounds like BS, I wasn’t paying as much attention to my diet. According to local standards, I was one of the fittest guys there. Subconsciously, I decided I didn’t have to put in much effort.

But in the Sunshine Coast I felt like a weak, fat loser. And that felt good because I was surrounded by inspiring people who provided inspiration to do better. You can’t help but want to work out and eat better when you’re surrounded by ripped lifeguards and some of the fittest women I’ve ever seen in my life.

50 Cent once said:

You know what my grandfather told me? You’ll only get as far as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. You’ll be as successful as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. What I mean is if you're spending your day talking to a ni**a that has nothing going on, what the f*** kind of information can he offer you? Can he help you learn something, can he teach you something in the conversation?

Who are the MFs you talk to for no reason? What kind of an impact do they have on you?

During my trip, I’ve spent time in a variety of places. Countryside, remote villages, small towns, suburbs and big cosmopolitan cities.

In some, people were close-minded, lacked standards and didn’t care about any improvement. You felt unwelcome and wanted to leave.

In some, you could feel the ambition and energy of a place seemingly hanging in the air. You automatically wanted to do better.

In others, strangers greeted you smiling and you couldn’t help but become more easygoing and social. Because people were so nice, you were automatically friendly to everyone as well.

In others, people were so closed and unfriendly you quickly gave up being friendlier than necessary. You automatically kept to yourself and distrusted strangers.

Whether you’re an independent thinker not following the herd or not, the environment will still have an impact on you.

If your city is full of trash, potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure and unambitious people, your personal standards may reflect that, too.

If, on the other hand, you live in a clean, wealthy place with people who live epic lives, it’ll impel you to do better, too.

Of course, it’s not always possible to live in that nice area if you aren’t rich already. But if that’s impossible, you can still choose to be in that environment as often as you can, even if it’s just sipping some coffee in a café frequented by affluent patrons.

If you do have some money, I strongly encourage you to check out nicer areas and upgrade your life, even if just for a couple of weeks. The material things by themselves may not change your level of happiness much but the local atmosphere definitely can.

If there’s no such place where you live, I would heed @MJ DeMarco’s advice and pack your damn bags and move. You won’t understand how HUGE of an impact a place has on you until you’re in a place that’s much more aligned with your own values.

What was the lifestyle like in the Cook Islands that made everyone obese?

I agree about Australia, me and @snowbank lived there for 2 months in Bondi and we felt like everyone we walked by was a fitness model.

 

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[biophase]

The Cook Islands has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. According to some sources, 90.9% of the population over the age of 15 is overweight. Yes, 90.9%! Only 9.1% of the population has healthy weight.

Now, that’s a cool fact but what are you supposed to do with it? Bear with me for a second…

One of the main reasons why I travel is to find a second home or a place to live year round. This year I’ve been traveling since January. I’ve stayed in 10 places across Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, ranging from a few days to three weeks.

Out of all the places I’ve visited so far (not only on this trip but in my entire life), the Sunshine Coast in Australia is my favorite. The casual laidback surfer vibe, the clean infrastructure, the availability of healthy, organic food, the variety of things to do from beaches to mountains, the perfect subtropical climate, the crazy fit people you see every day, and the overall niceness and friendliness are unique.

Granted, it comes at a very steep price as one of the most expensive places to live in Australia (an average nice house will cost you at least 1 million USD). But I’d argue it’s worth it.

This thread isn’t about the Sunshine Coast, though. Rather, it’s about the incredible impact of your environment on how you feel, what kind of people surround you, what you aspire to achieve, how healthy (or not) you are, and what kind of life you’ll end up living.

Despite traveling to well over 30 countries in my life (and hundreds of places), I’m still shocked how influenced I am by the environment in which I am, even if for just a few days.

In the Cook Islands, with obesity rates so ridiculous it sounds like BS, I wasn’t paying as much attention to my diet. According to local standards, I was one of the fittest guys there. Subconsciously, I decided I didn’t have to put in much effort.

But in the Sunshine Coast I felt like a weak, fat loser. And that felt good because I was surrounded by inspiring people who provided inspiration to do better. You can’t help but want to work out and eat better when you’re surrounded by ripped lifeguards and some of the fittest women I’ve ever seen in my life.

50 Cent once said:

You know what my grandfather told me? You’ll only get as far as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. You’ll be as successful as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. What I mean is if you're spending your day talking to a ni**a that has nothing going on, what the f*** kind of information can he offer you? Can he help you learn something, can he teach you something in the conversation?

Who are the MFs you talk to for no reason? What kind of an impact do they have on you?

During my trip, I’ve spent time in a variety of places. Countryside, remote villages, small towns, suburbs and big cosmopolitan cities.

In some, people were close-minded, lacked standards and didn’t care about any improvement. You felt unwelcome and wanted to leave.

In some, you could feel the ambition and energy of a place seemingly hanging in the air. You automatically wanted to do better.

In others, strangers greeted you smiling and you couldn’t help but become more easygoing and social. Because people were so nice, you were automatically friendly to everyone as well.

In others, people were so closed and unfriendly you quickly gave up being friendlier than necessary. You automatically kept to yourself and distrusted strangers.

Whether you’re an independent thinker not following the herd or not, the environment will still have an impact on you.

If your city is full of trash, potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure and unambitious people, your personal standards may reflect that, too.

If, on the other hand, you live in a clean, wealthy place with people who live epic lives, it’ll impel you to do better, too.

Of course, it’s not always possible to live in that nice area if you aren’t rich already. But if that’s impossible, you can still choose to be in that environment as often as you can, even if it’s just sipping some coffee in a café frequented by affluent patrons.

If you do have some money, I strongly encourage you to check out nicer areas and upgrade your life, even if just for a couple of weeks. The material things by themselves may not change your level of happiness much but the local atmosphere definitely can.

If there’s no such place where you live, I would heed @MJ DeMarco’s advice and pack your damn bags and move. You won’t understand how HUGE of an impact a place has on you until you’re in a place that’s much more aligned with your own values.

There’s a huge difference when you hang out with your friends and they say come on man let’s go get a quick workout in before we eat.

Versus friends that say forget the work out, let’s just go get food.

Think of what hanging around with each one will do to you after a few months.

 

[Paul David]

I love the canary islands.

Sitting out by the beach at San Andres, sipping on a barraquito, heading out for a drive through the mountains on highway 12.

We spent christmas there for a month. Went into the woods to cut down our own charlie brown tree and it took us all day to find a place that sold decorations lol.

Great weather, beautiful people, so much to do, no degenerate losers. It's like classic spain + hawaii + cabo (in my opinion)


View attachment 48424 View attachment 48425

Yes San Andres is in Tenerife where I’ve just came back from. Although I’ve never been to that part.

It’s just a completely different way of life to what we live here in England. Kids are outside not staring at phones. People seem happier and don’t have faces like they’ve just walked out of the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl like here with the stress.

Food prices are so much cheaper. Fillet steak is like 16 euros in a restaurant and the quality is unbelievable.

Weather wise it’s just perfect. Consistent all year round.

However living there would be completely different to being on holiday.

 

[MTF]

Funnily enough I've just been on my daily walk thinking about living abroad (I've just come back from Canary Islands after 10 nights) and as time goes on, I've changed from wanting to buy a place to live to just travelling to different places and staying in AirBNB's etc.

I've been to several dozen Airbnbs all over the world. While it's awesome when you find a nice place, usually there's always something wrong and it frustrates you after a while.

For example, very, very few Airbns have good, sharp knives or proper cookware. That makes cooking a nightmare. Or few Airbnbs have good nice large towels. Or a nice private backyard. Or a comfortable sofa. And so on.

In the long term, I'd prefer to own 2-3 houses around the world and set them up exactly the same with duplicates of all of my personal items (like clothes, fitness equipment but also cooking utensils and appliances). Then I would move between them without interrupting my routine much and always having access to the same things.

I'm like this most of the time, especially in Winter here. Wishing life away to get to another time isn't a way to live.

I'm in a few whats app groups with friends etc, and the amount of people in there that say this weeks dragging or there's got to be more to life than this is frequent. However the same people work a 9-5 all week, and spend all weekend drinking. They'll still be doing the same thing in their 70's if they live that long.

I completely agree that it's only when you visit different places and countries do you realise how completely different and happy people can live. I get really depressed for the first week especially whenever I come back to England after a holiday. If I'm honest I hate it here.

Yeah, I completely get that. My friends and family will live like that for the rest of their lives. Complaining about weather 6-9 months a year, enjoying the summer and then waiting for spring again.

As for people happier elsewhere, I still can't believe how different it is if you're in a nice place. People are friendly, smiling, and just plain nice. Then you go to some shithole and people are sad, scowling assholes. It's amazing that humans living in one place vs another can be so different.

 

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[MTF]

I agree with everything everyone said...

Unless you are the 5th generation owner of the town (hyperbole - I don't literally mean owning the town, I mean being one of the top business families in a small town, which is pretty common since there are LOTS of small towns). Then what? Leave the town to go be just another nobody in the big city? What about Control and Entry?

If you are 18 years old and already are on first name basis with every biz owner and banker in a 5 mile radius... You have a big advantage. Small towns can be a layup.

I've met guys whose great grandpas built the first store in town, built the houses in town, and they knew all the families, and leveraged all those relationships to do some really big things. Maybe this is a really weird or bizarre way to go about it? I know not everyone has that kind of "privilege" (I am not that guy - not nearly that level) but there are certainly parallels that many people can find.

Example - buddy of mine has a dad who is the high school swim coach. He is not rich at all. But he could use those connections to start a coaching business... etc

What is your unfair advantage? Are you using it?

Well then it's your choice whether you want to leverage that or move somewhere else where you would enjoy your life more. Or you can leverage that, make some money and then move to a place where you feel better.

I'd rather be another nobody in a place where people go to for vacation (and live there permanently) than be a big deal in a town nobody even wants to visit for a day.

 

[MTF]

What was the lifestyle like in the Cook Islands that made everyone obese?

It's more complicated than just the lifestyle.

Before mass tourism, they mostly lived off fishing and agriculture so most were in shape. But being fat has been still considered a sign of wealth, power, and beauty. Ever since mass tourism became their dominant industry, very few people have physical jobs. Everyone wants the easy job and it's one of very few jobs available anyway. So they get fat easily as their work involves almost no physical activity.

This, plus:

• Feasts are a major part of life. Even little kids will be constantly fattened up. Studies show that high rates of obesity appears within FIFTEEN MONTHS of birth.
• There's relatively little local food. Most is imported and usually what's imported is processed food. Fresh imported food is expensive and of lower quality.
• Culturally, imported food is given more status than local food. You're cooler if you eat imported junk food than local vegetables or fruits.
• Little infrastructure for being active. You don't have pavements and there's little free infrastructure for exercise. So people have to walk or jog on the same road as cars. It's dangerous and unpleasant. There are some gyms but gyms alone are not enough for a healthy lifestyle (in my opinion) and they cost money.
• The tropics aren't really that great of a place to stay in shape unless you're into water sports. With constant heat and humidity you can only exercise in the early morning or maybe just before sunset. You want to conserve your energy and not get too hot as it's very hard to cool off later.

There’s a huge difference when you hang out with your friends and they say come on man let’s go get a quick workout in before we eat.

Versus friends that say forget the work out, let’s just go get food.

Think of what hanging around with each one will do to you after a few months.

Definitely.

For this reason, I think it's better to be alone than have friends like that.

 

[AnNvr]

There you go. 7 years ago I left my birthplace to move abroad, specifically Australia, nearby the Sunshine Coast.

So far the choice was great. Not because of Australia itself, but the change of environment destroyed the old me and rebuilt a new version of my persona learning a new language on site, engaging with a different culture, changing habits and improving my standards.

Wasn't a smooth and easy path, but whenever I engage with an old friend from oversea talking about changing life, I always push hard on considering to relocate elsewhere. The experience itself can bring a lot of value.

 

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[Lyzmin]

The Cook Islands has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. According to some sources, 90.9% of the population over the age of 15 is overweight. Yes, 90.9%! Only 9.1% of the population has healthy weight.

Now, that’s a cool fact but what are you supposed to do with it? Bear with me for a second…

One of the main reasons why I travel is to find a second home or a place to live year round. This year I’ve been traveling since January. I’ve stayed in 10 places across Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, ranging from a few days to three weeks.

Out of all the places I’ve visited so far (not only on this trip but in my entire life), the Sunshine Coast in Australia is my favorite. The casual laidback surfer vibe, the clean infrastructure, the availability of healthy, organic food, the variety of things to do from beaches to mountains, the perfect subtropical climate, the crazy fit people you see every day, and the overall niceness and friendliness are unique.

Granted, it comes at a very steep price as one of the most expensive places to live in Australia (an average nice house will cost you at least 1 million USD). But I’d argue it’s worth it.

This thread isn’t about the Sunshine Coast, though. Rather, it’s about the incredible impact of your environment on how you feel, what kind of people surround you, what you aspire to achieve, how healthy (or not) you are, and what kind of life you’ll end up living.

Despite traveling to well over 30 countries in my life (and hundreds of places), I’m still shocked how influenced I am by the environment in which I am, even if for just a few days.

In the Cook Islands, with obesity rates so ridiculous it sounds like BS, I wasn’t paying as much attention to my diet. According to local standards, I was one of the fittest guys there. Subconsciously, I decided I didn’t have to put in much effort.

But in the Sunshine Coast I felt like a weak, fat loser. And that felt good because I was surrounded by inspiring people who provided inspiration to do better. You can’t help but want to work out and eat better when you’re surrounded by ripped lifeguards and some of the fittest women I’ve ever seen in my life.

50 Cent once said:

You know what my grandfather told me? You’ll only get as far as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. You’ll be as successful as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. What I mean is if you're spending your day talking to a ni**a that has nothing going on, what the f*** kind of information can he offer you? Can he help you learn something, can he teach you something in the conversation?

Who are the MFs you talk to for no reason? What kind of an impact do they have on you?

During my trip, I’ve spent time in a variety of places. Countryside, remote villages, small towns, suburbs and big cosmopolitan cities.

In some, people were close-minded, lacked standards and didn’t care about any improvement. You felt unwelcome and wanted to leave.

In some, you could feel the ambition and energy of a place seemingly hanging in the air. You automatically wanted to do better.

In others, strangers greeted you smiling and you couldn’t help but become more easygoing and social. Because people were so nice, you were automatically friendly to everyone as well.

In others, people were so closed and unfriendly you quickly gave up being friendlier than necessary. You automatically kept to yourself and distrusted strangers.

Whether you’re an independent thinker not following the herd or not, the environment will still have an impact on you.

If your city is full of trash, potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure and unambitious people, your personal standards may reflect that, too.

If, on the other hand, you live in a clean, wealthy place with people who live epic lives, it’ll impel you to do better, too.

Of course, it’s not always possible to live in that nice area if you aren’t rich already. But if that’s impossible, you can still choose to be in that environment as often as you can, even if it’s just sipping some coffee in a café frequented by affluent patrons.

If you do have some money, I strongly encourage you to check out nicer areas and upgrade your life, even if just for a couple of weeks. The material things by themselves may not change your level of happiness much but the local atmosphere definitely can.

If there’s no such place where you live, I would heed @MJ DeMarco’s advice and pack your damn bags and move. You won’t understand how HUGE of an impact a place has on you until you’re in a place that’s much more aligned with your own values.

Fully agree @MTF! Nice thread.

When I was 13 we moved to a small (fishing) village. The people there seemed friendly, but you were always seen as a foreigner if you were not born there. The typical question I got the first year there was: “whose offspring are you?” I never felt I belonged and closed up more.

At 19 I moved out to a city (Haarlem) and this made a huge impact on me. Workwise, circlewise, etc. Now, I’ve been living in Amsterdam (moved because of gf) for the last 6 years and it impacted my life even more. There are so much opportunities here and like-minded people.

In August I’m turning 30 and I made the agreement with myself that I will always skip the winter in The Netherlands, as it’s my worst periode of the year. Coming winter I’m at Gran Canaria.

Other recommendation with not a too big of a time difference with The Netherlands are much appreciated!

 

[Kevin88660]

The Cook Islands has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. According to some sources, 90.9% of the population over the age of 15 is overweight. Yes, 90.9%! Only 9.1% of the population has healthy weight.

Now, that’s a cool fact but what are you supposed to do with it? Bear with me for a second…

One of the main reasons why I travel is to find a second home or a place to live year round. This year I’ve been traveling since January. I’ve stayed in 10 places across Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands, ranging from a few days to three weeks.

Out of all the places I’ve visited so far (not only on this trip but in my entire life), the Sunshine Coast in Australia is my favorite. The casual laidback surfer vibe, the clean infrastructure, the availability of healthy, organic food, the variety of things to do from beaches to mountains, the perfect subtropical climate, the crazy fit people you see every day, and the overall niceness and friendliness are unique.

Granted, it comes at a very steep price as one of the most expensive places to live in Australia (an average nice house will cost you at least 1 million USD). But I’d argue it’s worth it.

This thread isn’t about the Sunshine Coast, though. Rather, it’s about the incredible impact of your environment on how you feel, what kind of people surround you, what you aspire to achieve, how healthy (or not) you are, and what kind of life you’ll end up living.

Despite traveling to well over 30 countries in my life (and hundreds of places), I’m still shocked how influenced I am by the environment in which I am, even if for just a few days.

In the Cook Islands, with obesity rates so ridiculous it sounds like BS, I wasn’t paying as much attention to my diet. According to local standards, I was one of the fittest guys there. Subconsciously, I decided I didn’t have to put in much effort.

But in the Sunshine Coast I felt like a weak, fat loser. And that felt good because I was surrounded by inspiring people who provided inspiration to do better. You can’t help but want to work out and eat better when you’re surrounded by ripped lifeguards and some of the fittest women I’ve ever seen in my life.

50 Cent once said:

You know what my grandfather told me? You’ll only get as far as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. You’ll be as successful as the mother******s you talk to for no reason. What I mean is if you're spending your day talking to a ni**a that has nothing going on, what the f*** kind of information can he offer you? Can he help you learn something, can he teach you something in the conversation?

Who are the MFs you talk to for no reason? What kind of an impact do they have on you?

During my trip, I’ve spent time in a variety of places. Countryside, remote villages, small towns, suburbs and big cosmopolitan cities.

In some, people were close-minded, lacked standards and didn’t care about any improvement. You felt unwelcome and wanted to leave.

In some, you could feel the ambition and energy of a place seemingly hanging in the air. You automatically wanted to do better.

In others, strangers greeted you smiling and you couldn’t help but become more easygoing and social. Because people were so nice, you were automatically friendly to everyone as well.

In others, people were so closed and unfriendly you quickly gave up being friendlier than necessary. You automatically kept to yourself and distrusted strangers.

Whether you’re an independent thinker not following the herd or not, the environment will still have an impact on you.

If your city is full of trash, potholed roads, crumbling infrastructure and unambitious people, your personal standards may reflect that, too.

If, on the other hand, you live in a clean, wealthy place with people who live epic lives, it’ll impel you to do better, too.

Of course, it’s not always possible to live in that nice area if you aren’t rich already. But if that’s impossible, you can still choose to be in that environment as often as you can, even if it’s just sipping some coffee in a café frequented by affluent patrons.

If you do have some money, I strongly encourage you to check out nicer areas and upgrade your life, even if just for a couple of weeks. The material things by themselves may not change your level of happiness much but the local atmosphere definitely can.

If there’s no such place where you live, I would heed @MJ DeMarco’s advice and pack your damn bags and move. You won’t understand how HUGE of an impact a place has on you until you’re in a place that’s much more aligned with your own values.

I love Brisbane and Gold Coast. One of my favourite holiday destinations with just a few hours’ flight.

There is a great fitness culture. People wake up to be in the gym at 6.30am so that they can arrive at their work place before 8.30am.

I took up a gym membership while on holiday there to mix with the locals.

A two room apartment in Brisbane CBD costs around half a million aud, but that is pre covid price. I am not sure about the current situation.

 

[AnNvr]

A two room apartment in Brisbane CBD costs around half a million aud, but that is pre covid price. I am not sure about the current situation.

More than Doubled.

With half a million Au$ in Brisbane nowadays you buy a cave in the mainland, no screens, no a/c, induction kitchen stove of the Soviet Union and cardboard perimeter walls.

 

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[MTF]

There you go. 7 years ago I left my birthplace to move abroad, specifically Australia, nearby the Sunshine Coast.

So far the choice was great. Not because of Australia itself, but the change of environment destroyed the old me and rebuilt a new version of my persona learning a new language on site, engaging with a different culture, changing habits and improving my standards.

Wasn't a smooth and easy path, but whenever I engage with an old friend from oversea talking about changing life, I always push hard on considering to relocate elsewhere. The experience itself can bring a lot of value.

What visa did you apply for to move there? Skills?

 

[AnNvr]

What visa did you apply for to move there? Skills?

Initially 2 working holiday visas, back when the age cap to apply was 30, then I had been sponsored as a café manager in regional area for 3 years and obtained the PR afterwards. Visas keep changing overtime, always better have a meeting with migration lawyer to analyse the personal position.