I’m in NYC for the Medicine Ball Sessions with Seth Godin. It’s a three-day event that starts tomorrow. Tonight 17 attendees who’ve never met each other before met for dinner. It was a great experience. Some observations as a prelude to highlights to come from the main event.

New York is crowded. Someone should tell all these people (and cars, roads, and buildings) in the Northeast that we have lots of space available in the Midwest.

Grand Central Station is really big. They are not kidding about the grand part. Truly impressive.

I’m encouraged by the caliber of people at this event. Really impressive all around. It’s inspiring to me in the face of lots of scary and pessimistic news about the economy and American achievement. (Actually over half that I talked to weren’t from America, hmm.) There are a lot of really smart and engaging people doing some really cool things in the world.

Of the five of us within earshot during dinner (it was really loud, they really need some acoustic panels in that restaurant) three of us were (and are still) heavily influenced by peer groups and/or coaching experiences. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these courageous, different-thinking, want-to-make-a-difference people had that in common. I’m a believer.

Personal P.S: Last Friday we bought land for the site of a business building expansion, .adjacent to our existing facilities. I’m really excited to have the “where will we get more space” question settled, and to be moving on to the execution phase of this project. Here’s to brave plans for the future. -Mark