I heard Barbara Marx Hubbard recount the time she once invited Maslow to coffee.
She sought to learn more about the field of psychology and wanted to surround herself with the people she found interesting. Maslow agreed to meet her.
Inspired by this story, I instantly thought to email Jerry Colonna. A venture-capitalist-turned-coach in NYC. I have long admired his work – and his blog resides among my favorites list. Simply put, his voice resonates.
When I knew I would be going to Manhattan, I emailed him.
The subject line of my message read simply:
“Will you have a coffee with me?”
My email further explained who I was along with some background. Hours later, he responded and agreed to meet me.
The only way to describe our meeting is to say that it was the spiritual equivalent of oxygen. As I left Jerry’s office and stepped into the hustling throngs of Christmas shoppers along Broadway, I instantly welled up (yes, this is Jerry’s superpower – he makes people cry). As I bit my lip to hold back the tears so as not to alarm passersby, I wondered how I had managed to hold it together so well in our meeting, only to cry at the end of it. What I realize now is that it was a soulful longing to be around someone that could speak the same language. You see, I believe we’re all soul-to-soul connections. But most daily interaction requires varying degrees of translation between souls in order to be understood. Sadly, this translation can often result in distortion where the essence of what the soul is trying to communicate can be diluted or lost entirely.
My time with Jerry did not require translation. The lines of communication were clear. The soul felt understood. It is his gift. And I will always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me.
So who is your Maslow? Who is your Jerry?
Try it. Reach out.
Seven simple words (one of them being “coffee”) really can start something special…
Trust me.
With much gratitude,
Erica
