If you are in building stage, whether it be for business, relationship, or a special project, you have to be located close in order to nurture the best results. The closer the proximity, the better.
Location location location.
Say you want to be a movie actress in America. The best place for you to be is LA. Is it possible to get auditions living in a different city? Yes. But to speed up and increase the chances of you “making it,” you want to be close to the people who are in that industry.
I have celebrity work in my portfolio simply by living in a city where many of them are located. LA is full of celebrities and people who know them.
If you want to work with a particular kind of client, you should be located close to where they hang out.
There is the internet, but nothing beats in person and your ability to quickly get yourself “in the room.”
This also applies to personal life.
Think about when you’ve gone on trips with a group of people. Those moments bond you like no other because you experience things with the same people day in and day out. You connect in a way that you couldn’t with other people that are just hanging out an hour here and there. You were in close proximity for a long period of time, allowing intimacy to build (like in those morning hours right after you roll out of bed). The memories last a lifetime!
If you want to grow friendships and relationships, you should be located close to those people. Community!
Similarly, I leased a studio space and to help with rent I subleased half of it out to someone. That someone was a director named Amit. When I met him he seemed reliable and normal (and by “normal” I mean emotionally-stable). Fast forward a couple years and we’ve become close friends! Because during that time we’d see each other every day all day at the office. You can’t help but get to know someone when you are hanging out with someone in the same room.
In the office, we were the first to see each other in good moods, bad moods, and how we deal with life. I’ve even helped him on a few of his film projects. Was I seeking out a new friendship when I was looking for someone to rent my studio? Nope.
Our friendship is a byproduct of being in the same space for long periods of time.
So if you are wondering if you should move to a new office or to a new city, think about if your location matters. If there is something or someone you want to build with, put yourself close in proximity.