I have been back from NYC for just under a week now. It was a 4 night whirlwind trip that I decided to take right after Tony Robbins’s Unleash the Power Within in LA. After Tony, I felt as high as a kite and a stop over in my favourite city was the perfect compliment to my new super charged perspective on life!
I have been obsessed with New York City for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my biggest dream was to be a performer. After High School, I planned to study acting in New York and then (hopefully) get a job. But as I got closer to graduating, I realized I loved control and got very discouraged after too many unsuccessful auditions. Plus my parent’s firmly directed me to path of business school. For this I’m extremely grateful because entrepreneurship turned out to be my jam.
The first time I ever went to NYC I was 18. I remember riding around on the double decker tourist bus with my family and staying in a really tiny hotel close to Time Square. We also went up to the top of the World Trade Center and when I look back at those photos I still get an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach.
When I turned 25, my younger cousin moved to NYC to study theatre at New York University. I was thrilled because it meant I could vicariously live my dream through her. I travelled to visit as often as I could, and in the early days I remember sleeping on the NYU dorm floors on a semi inflated air mattress. It didn’t matter too much because sleep wasn’t a high priority in those days!
For the past 10 years, I’ve travelled to NYC at least once a year and in 2012 I was part of Marie Forleo’s Mastermind program and was there 4 times. Last year I rented an Airbnb in Brooklyn for the entire month of June, which was one of the best experiences of my life. I have lost count how many times I have been now, but I still get a jolt of excitement every time I see the magnificent skyline emerge as the plane descends towards the runway.
What I love most about NYC is the magic. I don’t think there’s any other place on Earth where there are as many possibilities. Anything can happen because there’s SO much going on and access is limitless. Someone once told me that there’s a special crystal in the rocks that NYC is built on that attracts or repels people based on their vibration. I’ve now heard this a few times and have no idea if it’s based on science or not, but I absolutely believe it. There’s an energy there that’s indescribable not to think something mystical is going on.
My trip last week was especially special because I got to stay with my dear friend Natasha who is renting a place in Nolita for 3 months. When I arrived she quickly told me she just signed a lease for another 6 months. This did not surprise me one bit! As much as I love Vancouver, I understand the strong pull of what NYC can offer a hardworking, hustling entrepreneur. Big dreams magnify when you spend a chunk of time there.
When I close my eyes and think back to the magical moments I’ve experienced in NYC my heart flutters and a sparkly sensations fill my body. Some of them include: dancing till the sun came up in the East Village, having important meetings with big corporations (Etsy HQ!), listening to live music in one of the most incredible Williamsburg lofts I’ve ever seen in my life, sipping boozy cocktails my cousin specially made for me at the bar she works at, laughing till it hurts with my NYC girlfriends, meeting mentors and people I idolize in the flesh, falling deeper in love, setting strong intentions while walking alone through Central Park, getting hopelessly lost but finding something amazing as a result of it, the smell of the subway platform…gross but wonderful at the same time!
Now that I’m back and it’s go time for Make It, I have decided to bring some of the NYC magic to Vancouver. They are very different cities, but I realized that part of why I feel the way I do in NYC is because of my mindset. I believe miraculous things are going to happen, and so they do. The same thing can be the case for anywhere you are in the world. It’s all about being open to miracles and acknowledging them when they occur. If you haven’t already, check out my article on creating magic here.
Nowhere is quite like New York City, and I recommend visiting at least once in your lifetime. It’s wild n’ crazy and many shitty things have also happened to me there, but there’s a feeling you get from knowing you are at the centre of it all that’s undeniable. Plus you can bring all those high vibes back home to your friends and family. You can check out all my photos here.
Do you have a special New York memory? If so I would love for you to share it below.