Do what you love in front of others

"The thing I remember best about successful people I've met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they're doing... and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they're doing, and they love it in front of others." -Mr. Rogers

I think that might just be the best advice I've ever seen or heard: Love what you do, and Love it in front of others. I went into New York City yesterday, and I found people everywhere following this advice

Whether it was two people in love with each other and not afraid to kiss in a fountain.

Or a ninja and photographer capturing incredible feats of human movement, unafraid of being called silly or strange.

Or a man who loves to commune with nature, even in a big city where many people are too busy to notice or care about pesky pigeons.

Or a future entertainer, trying out his new show on the masses. Unafraid of poor reviews or a disinterested audience. (BTW it was a great puppet show.)

That's something I Love about New York City. There are so many people, and so much diversity, people can do almost anything they want and not seem out of place. When people regularly dress as Elmo or the naked cowboy and take pictures with tourists for money, everyone else can be less self conscious. Because compared to waking through times square almost naked and taking thousands of pictures with strangers, whatever you do seems pretty normal. I've heard camera makers use the same psychological tricks. They always produce a fantastically expensive top line model so that their 'mid-range' models seem more reasonable in comparison. Normal is whatever falls between the extreme highs and lows. And New York City is definitely a place of extremes, so you can feel normal doing whatever you want in public.

Too often we hide who we are from others, afraid of judgement or scorn or ridicule. But if you want to be truly happy, you must be strong and do what you Love in front of others. And don't just do it for yourself, doing what you love in public helps others be more comfortable with who they are.

And my last piece of advice is this: ALWAYS stop to watch a children's puppet show.

Photo Album of Fall in New Jersey (and New York) 2009

Fleet Week in New York City

This week a few thousand brave Navy men and women took a brief respite from defending our nation and descended upon the busy streets of New York City. Every year, Fleet Week not only allows sailors to explore the landmarks and people of New York, but in exchange the military gives the general public a chance to tour their boats and get a brief view of life as a navy sailor.

aboard the USS Iwo Jima

While aboard a Navy aircraft carrier which was much larger than I had expected, my wife felt like she was in a different world. The life of a Navy sailor is very different than the life we lead. Touring the navy ship felt like that brief moment when you forget yourself while reading a book or watching a movie and feel as if you're an elf or superhero in a strange world. St. Augustine believed that, "the world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."
I agree with him, but I also believe there are many ways to travel. There is more to travel than physically exploring new places and seeing new sights. We can briefly travel to a new culture by eating its food. Or we can travel to space with a good sci-fi movie like Star Trek. Especially in this economy, we might not all be able to travel to foreign lands, but there are still ways to explore new places and people without leaving your city. This week I was lucky and the Navy came to me, giving me an opportunity to live just a moment as a sailor and explore the seven seas.

Why New York City is Great

What's so special about New York City? Sure it's big, really big. The biggest city in America. But there's a uniqueness about the city that has nothing to do with its scale. New York City isn't just a typical city done bigger and taller. Unlike other mega-cities like Tokyo, Mumbai, or Mexico City, New York City is incredibly diverse.New York City is a city of extremely successful diversity on a scale not seen anywhere else in the world. For this reason, it really is the heart of America. It proves to the world that diversity and freedom can exist on a grand scale. And isn't that what this country is really all about??New York City is giant, successful, and full of people from incredibly diverse cultures who speak dozens of different languages, hold many different beliefs, and live peacefully together. It's one of the greatest experiments in the history of mankind. I love New York City.

True Romance

Romance is not just an attraction between two people. Romance is a feeling inspired by the possibility of adventure waiting to be shared between people or had in a certain place or time. Friends or lovers can share romance, it can even be had alone. Today was a romantic spring day and I spent it with friends in a romantic city. Flowers were blooming, kids were exploring the unlimited possibilities for play, and the city beamed with pride as millions awed at it's beauty. It's the kind of day that makes you fall in love with the world again.
New York City is full of possibilities. I took a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge today, a place full of romance. It's a truly unique place, unlike anywhere else in the world. But the world is FULL of unique and romantic places. Go out and find some romance in the world, it's everywhere. Don't forget what it feels like to explore something new. The world is always changing and never runs out of new adventure and I find that extremely romantic.