Last week, Roaring Gap...this week CUMBERLAND GAP! I'm in the beautiful Smokies of East Tennessee and reminded from the purple hues across the way and the layers of clouds & mist between here and there how these mountains got their name.

I'm here to speak to a group of Economic Development leaders on The NOW Economy (one of my favorite subjects) on who's winning and why. The question that opens the show when I hit the platform is just this "IF YOUR BUSINESS CLOSED TOMORROW, WOULD ANYONE NOTICE OR CARE?"

Think about that one the next time you hear someone complain about our 13.2 TRILLION dollar economy in America. The real problem is that if there's nothing special about what you or I do in this marketplace...we're expendable, and that's a tough message to face sometimes. But when you go to work on the answer you'll see why Las Vegas, Starbucks, Disney, and so many others won't be closing anytime soon. Because too many people would notice and care deeply.

How about you? If you'd like a peek at my "show" check it out here...
http://www.themichaelyorkchannel.com/detail_page.php?page_id_link_from=32&page_id=128

Roaring Gap. Just sounds like a cool place doesn't it?
It's golf today at Old Beau (a golf course named for a man's best friend...his DOG!) with some friends on what's become an (almost) annual event every autumn. Golf at high elevation is cool. Even though it's a bit early to catch the fall colors this year it's a chilly day. The coffee's hot, the jacket's warm, and occasionally a good shot even shows up. Every year we get quite a wildlife show from turkeys, foxes, and today lots of deer.

Lots of people talk about money (especially LACK OF) and even having "financial freedom," but adding real style to your life and getting more from it also involves TIME FREEDOM! Plan to enjoy a day on your own mountain soon, or whatever you enjoy doing just to get a break from the daily grind.
It's a breath of fresh air...we all need. Wanna' see this mountain? www.OldeBeau.com

I'm here in the capital city of North Carolina on this fine fall day to participate in an event at the North Raleigh Hilton. It's a great day with friends and my son and a few hundred excited people. At the end of the event I sign some books at a meet & greet and then before we retire for the evening, my son and I decide to splurge for dinner.

We tried to do a "drop in" at The Melting Pot but without reservations it's a 2 hour wait (lot's of other people splurging apparently), so we go down the street to Bahama Breeze and get right in. The food, the service, the DESSERT, the conversation, the experience itself, was first class! It struck me how sometimes just a great meal with friends or family is such a rare thing today in our "too fast, too busy, in-a-hurry" world. This was just a Saturday night, Dad & Son dinner on the road, that turned out to be a couple of hours of really S-L-O-W-I-N-G.

Ahhh...It was well worth the splurge. Try it for yourself soon.