Postcard from Asheville, NC
April 2010
Rather than offer a postcard and article this month, I'm sending you a letter. I've got some exciting news.
An amazing opportunity dropped into my lap last month. Starting in May, I'll be living (off and on) for five months in a sublet. It's a beautiful Manhattan apartment on Central Park, on Columbus Circle. The owner is a talented French interior designer who lives in France part of the year. We structured a deal that was literally too good to pass up.
Recently, I shared my good news with "Power Up!" Power Up! is a group of six professional men and women who meet monthly to support each other in our personal and professional growth. One member, Shonnie, posed an intriguing question: "Randy, what would an ideal day in New York look like for you?" The next morning, I attempted to answer her question in my journal.
An ideal day? Where to start? Would an ideal day in Manhattan look much like an ideal day in Asheville? There is comfort in the familiar, but I suspect that's not why this opportunity opened up. Manhattan is a chance to shake things up.
Perhaps the best place to start is with my core values: connection and contribution. I'll break both down into daily activities:
Connection to Self:
- Journaling
- Exercise
Connection to Others:
- Social activities
- Business networking
Connection to Higher Power/Purpose:
- Journaling
- Walking in the park (being in nature)
- Visiting churches (I love sitting and praying in an empty church.)
Contribution:
- Offering workshops at colleges and universities, centers, associations, corporations
- Coaching professionals in transition who are ready to take their careers and lives to a new level
Now I can answer Shonnie's question. On an ideal day in Manhattan, I would wake up early and journal, meditate, and pray. After breakfast, I would walk in Central Park. If it's raining, I might go to a yoga class, do Pilates, or lift weights.
I would work until lunch. I might write or meet with clients by phone. I would meet a friend or referral source for lunch. I would ask for his or her help to build my practice, outlining my goals:
- Have an ongoing relationship with a college, university, or center where I am offering a minimum of three to four workshops a year.
- Meet with two to four clients a week when I am in town.
- Begin to build relationships with corporations seeking leadership, communications, and life training.
Of course, I'll be open to any way I can serve. Who knows what opportunities Manhattan will offer? I'm excited.
In the afternoon I'll work, but I'd like to be spontaneous, too. I may play hookie and visit a museum or gallery. In fact, I'd like to visit at least one new museum or art gallery each week I am in Manhattan.
I will also research affinity groups-groups that I can join composed of people with similar interests. Already, I've found a "Sweat Your Prayers" group that meets on Sundays in Chelsea.
Above all, on an ideal day in New York, I will follow my energy. Rather than getting too structured, I'll find the freedom to take on those activities that have the most "juice" for me at the time. Every day, I will strive to be present, intentional (choosing love over fear), authentic, and grateful.
What a great question Shonnie gave me! Thank you, Shonnie. I now have a vision of how my time in New York could look.