I got back from my trip to New York a couple of days ago, and I had a whale of a time out there. But there was one moment of my trip that was different from all the others, one moment that gave me a fresh experience and a new insight.

To be honest with you, I’m a bit sorry to be back home as a lot of people here seem to be a lot ruder and less respectful. It troubles me. Plus, in New York I know I’m just a short hop away from a darn good meal and a well made martini.

So while I’ll be looking for more ways to spend more time in the USA, that’s not what I want to tell you about right now.

Last Sunday afternoon I headed into Central Park. I’d been out the night before and was pretty fried, so I wanted an afternoon of lying in the grass and schlepping around by myself. A little quality Steve time, if you will.

The weather was beautiful – temperature in the 80’s, clear blue sky, just stunning. As you might imagine, the park was busy with friends and families strolling, picnicking, lolling and playing, and after a spot of people watching I managed to find a more secluded spot on the south side of the lake.

Right on the shore of the lake I clambered up a rock and sat on top, and once I was comfy (and surprisingly the rock was very comfy indeed) I just sat there. The odd row boat came by, but other than that I simply sat, and looked, and let my mind and body rest.

Instead of thinking about what I needed to do, where I needed to go and who I needed to talk with, I just sat and cleared my head.

When all the buzzing things in your head slow and stop, all you’re left with is the real you; the quiet you that’s right at your core.

I don’t think I’ve felt as peaceful for years.

When you stop moving completely all you’re left with are all the good bits, bad bits and work in progress-y bits that make you you. If there’s something there that you don’t know about, that’s incongruent or doesn’t fit with who you know yourself to be, then there’ll be discomfort.

My coaching method takes people to this sense of okayness and makes you confident down to your core, and even I sometimes need reminding of what that truly feels like. It’s so easy to loose that in the middle of everything in our lives and it was SO GOOD to remind myself of it.

Leslie, a friend of mine who I met up with in NYC, sent me a thank-you card about 13 years ago that I still remember today. In it she’d written –

“To those of us in constant motion, here’s to finding that spot.”

That’s what I found on top of that rock in Central Park; it’s part of what taking a holiday is all about and it’s something I intend to keep a hold of.