1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being.

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

July 1, 2012

This is my neighbor Sara.

I remember my Grandma saying, before she passed away, that in the old days, all her neighbors were friendly and you could always depend on your neighbors when you needed something. Now, it’s very common to have zero relationship with your neighbors.

So when I see Sara, I stop and talk to her.

On this particular morning, she said something about “her kids behaving” and how it’s always nice when they behave.

Before running into her, I’d been writing a piece on finding our place in the Great Symphony of Life or as Sara said it even better: “Behave.”

1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being.

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

June 26, 2012

I met Rajani and her pregnant dog Leica outside of 9th Street Espresso in NYC. Leica is just days away from giving birth to 6 puppies.

Rajani said something so very powerful while we waited in line for our morning coffee…

“Everytime I really want something, I never get it. If you try too hard and push too much, the Universe shies away.”

I don’t know about you…but there are a few things I want so so so badly… that seem like they will always elude me. And that causes suffering. A lot of suffering.

Dan Millman writes in The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, “If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever.”

1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being.

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

This weekend I was at my friends’ home in Wisconsin and shared my 1:1:1 with Logan…who is 5 and calls me “Yahoo Dave” instead of “Yeah Dave.”

I asked him, “What’s the secret to happiness?”

He replied, “More people should play with Legos and trains.”

BAMO!!!!!!!!!!!  Could anyone have possibly said it better?

To all the Buddhist monks and Harvard scholars, here is your new hero with a watershed moment in positive psychology!

As mentioned in my Moment of the Day, when you stop to realize the mind-numbing velocity by which we appear and disappear on Earth…

…we all need more days eating Superman ice cream and riding the mini train at the zoo on the way to see the sharks, orangutans, and the cutest 7 week old camel (as I did last Friday with Logan, his 3 year old bro Oliver, and mom Melanie, owner of the soon to be famous Tosa Yoga).

So here’s a shout out to the inner child in you…in case she can’t hear me, I’m gonna say this loudly…

MORE PEOPLE SHOULD PLAY WITH LEGOS AND TRAINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being.

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

June 21, 2012

I was hailing a cab early this morning.

A taxi blazed past before the drive saw me in his rearview mirror, slammed on the breaks, and stopped in the middle of 1st Avenue

I thought it must be a drunk until I saw the taxi driver, a jolly Asian man, exit the car to help me with my luggage.

You don’t see a lot of “jolly” taxi drivers in NYC but it was so refreshing and his self-deprecating laughter was contagious.

I noticed on his dashboard a picture of the Dalai Lama and a statue of the Buddha.

The taxi driver, Gelbu, told me he was from Nepal.

I asked his secret to happiness and he just laughed.

Maybe he didn’t understand me?

I asked again.

More laughter but no verbal answer to the question.

Either he didn’t understand or simply didn’t want to answer.

Enough said. The message was clear.

You can’t overthink happiness. There is no proven formula or methodology or quote that sums it up.

People who think too much tend to find happiness a very slippery slope.

As Hemingway said, “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”

Jonathan Safran Foer writes, “I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live.”

It seems like we all have to go through so many lessons, trials, and struggles. Does it ever end?

Just when you think you have got it figured out, the Universe lays the hammer down on you with some new conflict.

But what if there was a shortcut you could take to learn quicker, evolve faster, be happier?

I have stumbled upon a secret, a hidden passageway on the path to fulfillment.

I want to share it with you.

I call it 1:1:1

1 Day. 1 Moment. 1 Person.

Every day…

…no matter how busy you might be…

…make the time to savor 1 moment…

…and engage in 1 meaningful connection with another human being.

That’s it. Just try it. Trust me on this one.

*****

Yesterday I was walking in my local park in NYC, and saw a man in a wheelchair feeding the squirrels.

I see him almost every morning.

But never have I thought to stop and say something.

He saw me standing at a distance and started telling me about all the squirrels clamoring for his peanuts.

I hesitated…but then remembered 1:1:1.

I approached him.

He told me how one such squirrel was courageous enough to crawl onto his lap.

He pointed out another that was pregnant.

He knew the young squirrels based on their behavior, the older ones based on their scars and cuts…

And then he told me how he lost his home, lived in a shelter, was not allowed to plug appliances into the electrical sockets as the shelter was strict about saving energy.

I introduced myself.

 His name was Eric (see pic).

He proceeded to tell me about his back pain, loneliness, and everyday struggles.

I left saying “Have a nice day.”

He responded “I’ll try” as if to say that “nice days” don’t come often in his world.

I will see Eric again. Our paths cross almost everyday. There will be opportunities to help Eric. But yesterday, Eric helped me.

I left that encounter feeling more grateful for my most basic freedoms…

…like the use of my legs, the keys to my home, and the ability to plug any appliance into any electric socket any time of any day.

After meeting Eric, the trajectory of my day changed dramatically and the events that ensued could turn out to have a significant impact on my life.

*****

Sometimes, we forget that every human life is a vast constellation of memories, friendships, dreams, and defeats.

And it takes a certain kind of courage, a certain type of combustion to bust loose from the familiarity of your own existence…

…and enter the mysterious atmosphere of another human being.

Maybe you already have this courage to stay connected with humanity, not in the way of Facebook, but in the way of reaching out and once a day, diving into another’s heart.

And if so, you know way better than me that…

…buried in the stories of strangers like Eric in the wheelchair, we can find the keys unlocking our mysteries, the sparks shedding light on our revelations.

****

The Bhagavad Gita shares the idea that the Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

So consider that the funky dude in the wheelchair, or the random girl in the elevator, or the strange old woman who could use your assistance crossing the street…

…maybe just maybe…they have something to share…something you need to know in your soul’s directive on earth.

As Einstein said, “Nothing happens until something moves.”

1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being. 

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

June 20, 2012

This dude’s name is Josh. He works at the gym I go to in NYC called BLINK. He has checked me in scores of times and we’ve never said more than hello.

Today I took a moment to connect with him.  Like Dora the Spa Attendant, Josh doesn’t worry. It just doesn’t work for him. That was his pressing point. “I just don’t worry!” he said.

The coolest thing about 1:1:1. People never get a chance to share their particular brand of magic. Josh seemed super grateful for the chance to divulge, to bare his soul.

There seems to be a thread in the 1:1:1′s I’ve been experiencing lately. I think you’ll also notice a thread. It’s how the Universe speaks to you. The message…STOP WORRYING.

1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being. 

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe.

June 18, 2012

This lady’s name is Dora. She works at the spa/studio where I teach yoga in NYC. We have passed by each other maybe 100 times without saying more than hello.

So yesterday I pulled her aside and we sat down to chat. She has a very thick Colombian accent which I wish could come through in the following because it was passionate.

Her greatest piece of advice: “The universe talks to us through the little details, people, and things. So wipe the word “boring” from your vocabulary because in the simplest moments will come the greatest life lessons!”

Dora, like so so so many people out there, are dying for the chance to share the Universe’s passions and secrets.

1:1:1

One Day. One Moment. One Person.

The days are too fast and life is too short. So everyday, be sure to have one profound moment…and one meaningful connection with another human being. 

The Universe will only take a step toward you, if you first take a step toward the Universe. 

June 15, 2012

This nurse came to my apartment to do a medical exam as a prerequisite for my getting life insurance. In the past, I easily could have said very little to her. She would have come and gone in my life as would I have in her hurried day.

But thanks to 1:1:1…I reached out.

She offered one very rich piece of advice: “Sometimes when you pray, the answers don’t come until the very last minute. So be ready.”