[This next guest writes from the perspective of someone who never left the East Coast to pursue fame, fortune and whatever else people search for in life. In fact, she’s been able to find balance and success from right in the place where she was born and raised. If you’ve got an East Coast story to tell, let me know. E-mail kimberly.aliasgrace [at] gmail [dot] com for submission guidelines.]

Photo credit: Kris Griffon from Flickr

By Desarai Mosher

People ask me daily, what I do. That, I can answer.

I help business get through the ‘nitty gritty’, to bring amazing ideas to life and give amazing-but-poorly-executed ideas NEW life. I am also one of a select group of Certified International Trade Professionals in Canada. I help businesses get ready for an often nerve-wracking prospect—taking the leap to exporting (trust me, once you cross the border or hit the ocean, it’s not business as usual!).

When I share this, people often ask:

“Why stay here? You could surely be making more money in [Insert Big Canadian City Here]!”

Once upon a time, I couldn’t answer that.

Born in Truro, Nova Scotia, I never truly left Colchester County. I had longed for the day when I’d take off on my own, move to distant places and ‘get rich.’ When the day arrived, reality was different.

At 17, I moved out on my own—an exhausting and sometimes painful time. In the midst of this, I met my husband, Brad—a hilarious, sarcastic, laid back, all around beautiful person—‘imported’ all the way from the next County. I went to college in (you guessed it) Truro. Despite big dreams of distant places, here I was, in my home town, studying International Business. When my son was an infant, I was offered a local position I couldn’t refuse.

Five years later, I’m still with the company and still in this town.

I never ‘gave up’ my dreams of moving to distant places—instead, I finally see things from a different perspective. I never truly wanted those things—I just thought I should want them. Deep down, what I wanted, I can find right here. I want a small town life, a husband who loves the places I love, our families nearby, a community where people know my name, a job where I can be myself, a place where my memories live… and a place to make new ones with my beautiful son. I want him to know and love the things I have—the ocean, fields, smell of fresh air, the people and the history of this place.

So, now when people ask me ‘“Why stay here?”—I know the answer.

It isn’t about money. It’s about that feeling you get when you know you’re home, and no place can ever truly compare. If home is where your heart is—then my heart is solidly right here on the East Coast.

Desarai Mosher, CITP, (bdkmosher@eastlink.ca & @deemosher on Twitter) is a Sr. Consultant with D’Maya Consulting and Management Inc., outside of Truro, Nova Scotia. Ever the optimist, she aspires to always find time to laugh & balance business, husband & child without breaking a sweat! She also loves genealogy, hunting down new tunes, and fantasy/sci-fi novels, TV and film. She’s currently working toward a healthier self through exercise, healthy eating and a greater focus on relaxation.