6 Year New Yorkiversary!

January 23, 2017 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Each year it’s become a tradition to blog on my New York Anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been 6 years and the amount of big life changing events that have happened. It make me so fortunate for this life path and makes me think of how everything could have been so different.

Last year I completed my first half marathon and got engaged on the same day. Went to Ireland, Savannah, and lots of trips back to Florida. Got a new job. Was in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade again. Still have the cutest cats on the planet.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the past year.

Every year, I try to take away an important life lesson that I’ve learned. This past year it’s tough. I’d say being at my old job was very challenging. I had no management or guidance, the commute to the city everyday was exhausting. I also felt that I wasn’t achieving my full potential, only pushing paper. In my new job I absolutely love that it’s not only closer to home but I’m doing event planning which is my dream job. Yet, maybe it’s the timing of things, but I’m currently taking on multiple responsibilities at the moment, leaving me back to feeling exhausted.

My lesson here is to try to listen to the signs. When I had one of my biggest meltdowns at my old job, I was on the phone with my dad, taking my usual commute and had heard gunshots behind me. A drunk man welding a knife at a police office was shot right outside my office. If I was literally a minute earlier I would have been in the crossfires. It was a huge sign, and I then took every ounce of energy to looking for a new job. I’m much happier where I’m at but again very tired. I’m hoping to get back into more meditation, reading, writing, walking. Things that will bring me more joy and calm.

As for this year, I’m excited for more trips, brunches, seeing friends and family, and marrying my best friend. xoxo

5th Year Anniversary in New York!

January 27, 2016January 27, 2016 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ 1 Comment

This past Thursday, January 21, 2016 marked my 5th year anniversary living in New York!

5 years ago I remember packing my bags and making my way to the big city. As my cab drove past Central Park, I looked out at the beautiful park and horse-drawn carriages. I remember locking that moment in my memory. Not only was it my first day living in NYC but it was the first time I’d ever seen snow.

Flash forward as I look back on the past year, I’m flooded with so many wonderful milestones. Last year I started working at WebMD, I moved into a new house upstate in Suffern, NY with my boyfriend, I bought a car, and adopted two of the cutest kittens alive – Earl and Lady Grey (like the teas). I also traveled to Iceland and was the first Monahan to be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Photos of all these adventures below.

Every year I write an anniversary blog post. Each year I like to reflect on one thing that I’ve learned, and last year involved an overwhelming amount of change.

Adjusting to a new job involved change.
Living with my boyfriend, being a homeowner in a new town and having a new commute involved change.
Visiting Iceland, a country I’ve never been too – change both change of cultures and changing me as a person.

It’s been a rollercoaster of adapting, mixed with stress, and just trying to figure it out. For the most part I think I’ve learned that change is exciting and you never know where it will take you.

The best thing to do is to keep an open mind. Eventually you’ll get into a flow, and even if you’re not comfortable with that person, place, or thing that’s changed you, you can either embrace it or learn from it and move on.

Over the next year to come I’m excited to see where life takes me. I’ve already booked a trip to Ireland, Florida, and Charleston. I’ll also be running/speed-walking the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February.

Finally my main focus this year is to make new friends in my area and to focus more of my time on my passion for food. This means a lot more cooking, blogging about health and fitness, and of course continuing to eat my way through NY.

UPDATE:

While this blog post was sitting in “Draft”, I found out some very heartbreaking news that my grandmother passed away on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at the age of 88 years young.

I want to include her in my post because she means everything to me and who I’ve become as a person.

On Sunday my dad sent me this photo of the hotel bill from my grandma and grandpa’s honeymoon in New York. The date (1/21) is my NYC anniversary – only 60 years prior. I thought that was very serendipitous.

I miss you terribly but you’ll never be forgotten. I will continue to take you with me through every journey and milestone. Rest in peace grandma, love you.

Tea + Purpose Recap – Developing Your Life Philosophy

March 11, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

I know creative abundance is available to me in this moment…

This is how we began Tea + Purpose, a new monthly tea meetup that connects over a topic area allowing more women to create awareness and action in their lives, all created by my dear friend Carla Blumenthal. For this meetup, Sarah Kathleen Peck, writer of the blog “It Starts With“, joined and guided us to develop our own life philosophy framework.

We started the meetup with tea and scones at Press Tea, one of my favorite tea shops in the city. As more and more women trickled in we gathered around and got started with introductions. We began with answering this question – What have you been proud of so far this year? This question really opened people up a little bit more, in addition to signing this realness contract, promising to bring our real selves to the tea table.

Following intros, Sarah dove right into asking the group this question, when was the last time you felt an adrenaline rush? A lot of folks including myself mixed this feeling up with the feeling of anxiety. With all these fears, moments of anxiety, adrenaline, and vulnerability stemmed raw emotion and positivity. Here’s some of the comments I scribbled from this round of discussion:

It doesn’t always get easier the more you get into something and put it on the line. It’s a leap of faith and only gets more risky.
It’s hard to go into the unknown and know it’s going to be okay.
You have permission to screw up and change your mind.
We’re all humans having an experience.
Showing up everyday counts for something.

We were next asked to talk about happiness. What’s the definition of happiness and is it even the goal? Takeaways from this included:

Happiness is a feeling of inner peace and reflection.
Be in the present. It isn’t about if I get this job then I’ll be happy. Once you get to that goal or thing you’ll always be looking for the next thing. This turns into a vicious cycle, wondering if you’ll ever find peace and happiness.
Take away the “SHOULDS”. I should be like this. I should be doing that. Take it away. You don’t need to feel guilty about anything, just be yourself.
Set time aside to think and reflect. Schedule unplanned time.
When someone is being negative it means they need love or a boundary.
What you give attention to grows. If someone says something negative or you believe something negative it grows. If you don’t accept these things, it can’t grow… This has been the biggest eye opener for me because for the longest time I’ve said and thought about my job search in this way. I blame the economy, the competition here, thinking I’ll never get something. If I keep thinking that I won’t find anything, then I really won’t. Acknowledge. Don’t think about the negative. Don’t engage. Then the other person/thing is left with it.

Next came loneliness. What is it and why do we experience it?

This was also another awakening. When I feel lonely, it’s particular when I work from home. I’ve always wondered why I feel this way. Sarah shed some light on this for me by sharing some of her tools on how to improve this feeling of loneliness.

Use your voice. Ask yourself how much did you talk today, sing, anything? I should also note that this is why Sarah opened up this discussion, so that everyone could talk instead of her doing all the talking.
Language – Write and reflect.
Touch – Maybe we’re feeling lonely because we haven’t been touched all day like a hug or a handshake.
Eyes closed – Not sleeping but understanding and being aware of the moments and your surroundings. Meditation. Focus on your breathing.
Connect outward – Giving a warm real hug. Sharing with others.

Lately, I’ve been experiencing more revelations from friends (and in this case strangers) about who I am as a person. I’ve realized I can do a much better job at speaking up and showing who I truly am as a person. I’ve learned that I’m not the only person that has these fears or feelings and have come to peace with feeling vulnerable, it just means you’re being real.

3 Years and Counting! A Recap of Another Year in the Big City.

January 22, 2014 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Thank you Timehop for the reminder that today is my third year living in New York! Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Honestly, there are some things that haven’t changed since last year.

My cat still goes into baby mode every time I visit Florida.

It also seems to snow every single January 21st anniversary. (Real picture from today.)

I am still freelancing which is unfortunate. It’s not that I dislike where I work but definitely want to settle into one permanent company, not only to get my career where I want to go but I’m exhausted jumping from one client to the next. People seriously take having a laptop at work for granted. Benefits too. Spoiler alert to anyone who freelances and is over 26: Obamacare is the worst. Be very grateful your company takes care of you and/or your parents. This is also just one of the harsh realities I faced in year 3… Most of all though, I really miss having coworkers. People I can talk to or grab a drink with, can’t do that as a freelancer. In part, I know it’s still the economy but hope this goal is reached in year 4.

I still live in Astoria and still love it. Although we did lose a pretty big member of the family this year…

New Changes & Milestones:

Year three marked the start of Women Who Brunch and my leap into entrepreneurship. In the summer of 2013 my friend Megan and I took on this project to crate a monthly brunch series dedicated to inspiring and connecting more women over a great meal. I’m still blown away by the success and growth we’ve had so far. We have a new logo, just wrapped up our 6th brunch, have over 900 members, and have met amazing women from all backgrounds including agencies, startups, to companies such as MSNBC, Eventbrite, Mashable, CBS, Hearst, and Warner Bros. I love planning these events and can’t wait for what the next year will bring.

Bonus: I’m also very excited for my first speaking role this Friday at #CMGRHangout, where I’ll be discussing how I’ve built this awesome food community.

This year with Digital DUMBO I have successfully planned 2 conference, 31 events (with Google Local, Bing, Huge, 7Digital, Maker’s Row, and Venmo to name a few), and grew our Twitter following 174% and Facebook to 57% over 2013. Woop! Our events and social media are only going to get better.

Lessons I’ve learned:

My biggest lesson over the past year was learning to say no. As much as you try, you simply can’t do it all here. I’ve had to learn how to say no to many requests and opportunities that just aren’t the right fit for me. This really forces you to do some soul searching and truly think about what it is you want. Additionally, learning how to say no helps understand how your time and efforts could be used more effectively.

Year 3 Recap:

I got to visit Austin. When you’ve lived in NY you realize Austin isn’t really that “weird”.

And Nashville:

Tried a cronut:

Took part in the Color Run:

Attend my favorite NYC event Jazz Age Lawn Party:

Learned a new skill, how to make jam:

Saw Anchorman 2 film in the city:

And embraced the beauty New York City has to offer. Here’s to year 4!

2 Years in the City: A Recap of the Adventure, So Far

January 21, 2013 ~ Nicole Monahan ~ 1 Comment

Today marks my 2nd year in NY. It feels only like yesterday my cat shoved himself into my luggage bag.

Before I knew it I was face to face with snow for the first time in my life.

“New York forces you to grow up fast,” a friend said to me this weekend. He couldn’t have been more right. Every single day you’re given a new challenge that makes you think faster and learn quicker than you ever thought possible. Changes are made daily; you need to learn how to adapt.

I’ve learned quite a bit over the past 2 years. Here are a few secrets I’ll let you in on:

1.) It will never get any easier. Ever. There will always be snow, rent, tourists, homesick-ness, and everything comes at a cost because lets face it, it still annoys me that you have to pay for the beaches here.

2.) Ignore the haters. Inevitably someone will cut you in line (and never apologize), no one will ever give up their seat for you, and you may face a time when someone will throw you under the bus. Hear me out. The truth is there’s far too much competition here. Everything needs to be fresh and fast, simply because there are too many talented people here. Everyone wants to be seen. My advice, ignore the haters. Master getting people’s attention without excuses, without sacrificing someone at the cost of your benefit. They may think they’ve accomplished something, but in the end they are still the same — mediocre at best.

3.) Stop questioning the city. At some point you will eventually learn to accept it for who it is – Like a pain in the ass family member, who in the end you love regardless of all their faults. Because the reality is this place changes you. I would never have had the opportunity to do 2% of the things I’ve done here back at home. Looking back I’ve been a part of some amazing companies, made some good friends, and with all the things I’ve been able to experience I feel truly blessed and lucky.

There is really nothing like taking that leap into the unknown and knowing you will probably fail. The key is to fail harder again and again. Because those who have it easy, those that are so naturally successful aren’t nearly as interesting as those that fail, learn, get up, and tries it all over again…. (Look at Kim Kardashian, she’s got to be the most boring celebrity ever. As Grumpy Cat said it best, “I wish I had her talent of having no talent, and getting paid for it.)

This journey has been both exciting and terrifying. But there is nothing quite like that feeling of figuring it all out – The Uncomfortable Zone. I’m not sure what’s in store next but I do know that I’m excited about the adventure. And I do know I want to continue to write it all down, whatever it might be so I’ll never forgot.

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It wouldn’t be a true Nicole post without lots of photos so here is a #2yrRecap: