MARCI ALBOHER
What is your everyday magic?
I take a long walk every morning before I do pretty much anything else. It's the same routine weekday or weekend, whether I'm home or traveling. It's a way to ensure that I log a few miles no matter what, and it's also a fabulous time to listen to the news or a podcast, have a walking date with a friend, or just meditate while moving. I like to be finished by 8am because one of my goals is to observe a place waking up - whether it's my own neighborhood or a place I'm exploring. The best part about it is that lots of people now know this about me and now book walking dates with me.
If I don't have enough time for a long walk, the next best thing is sitting on a bench with Sinatra, my French Bulldog. Ideally, with an espresso from a local coffee shop. He attracts people so we end up chatting with anyone who passes by.
If it's raining, the whole thing falls apart!
What strategy and tactics to you utilize to live your best life?
I try to connect with people who seem different from me -- though once we get to know each other, there's generally some common ground. Recently I rediscovered the quote I chose for my high school yearbook and was amused to find that I've had this philosophy since I was a teenager!
If you smile at me I will understand because that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language.
-- Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young, Wooden Ships.
What are your top 3 tips for success?
I have a feeling I'd have a totally different answer if you asked me this next week, but here's three that feel right at this moment.
Be flexible.
Listen.
Know yourself.
What book do you want to give everyone you know because you believe it has the power to change lives?
I'm a voracious reader so it's nearly impossible to answer this question with just one book, but one book that I have picked up at a few different junctures is Transitions by William Bridges. Life is really about getting comfortable with transitions, and the process Bridges lays out provides a framework that you can apply in so many contexts. It was extremely helpful to me when I quit practicing law to become a journalist and then again when I went through a divorce.
About Marci
Marci (my cousin!) is an author and thought leader focusing on the future of work. She is Vice President of Strategic Communications at Encore.org, a nonprofit innovating new models to tap the experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve society. She created the Shifting Careers blog and column for The New York Times and is the author of two books: The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life and One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash Career. She is a frequent commentator and speaker on various topics related to work and civic engagement and has appeared in such outlets as The Today Show, the Positive Economy Forum, and National Public Radio. Marci lives in Greenwich Village, New York with her husband Jay and their French Bulldog Sinatra.