We all understand the significance of agility to grow a successful business. But how agile are we really and how can agility in our personal life help us grow in our business life?

A near-drowning experience when I was a child left me wary of swimming and totally unwilling to go deeper than snorkeling along the water’s surface on a trip to Fiji.

Before Tom and I went to Fiji, he had already been scuba diving many times during the preceding five years. I’d heard his fun stories, but I knew he still occasionally experienced anxiety due to a long-ago diving incident. Tom, the daredevil, with all his diving experience, having anxiety? That made it even harder for me to decide to go for it. The only way I would venture out on the dive boat was with the promise to myself that I could choose not to go into the water.

Upon arrival at the reef, the first thing the dive master talked about was sharks. “This is their world. They’re in control. Don’t approach or move toward them. Respect them. Respect their space.” Actually, sharks didn’t scare me at all. I was too afraid of the water to worry about sharks. First I had to get into the water. Then I’d think about sharks.

Several years earlier on Maui I had tried to learn to dive. On that first attempt Tom, my 14-year-old nephew Matt and I started our lessons in the pool. As soon as the water closed over my face mask and I struggled with the weight of the tank and BCD vest that threatened to drown me, I climbed out of the pool and didn’t look back. Within the safety of the shore, I enjoyed a massage instead. While they took to the ocean like fish, exploring coral reefs, shipwrecks and the limitless variety of sea life, I clung to my beach chair with my self-help book.

On later vacations Tom and I worked out a compromise. He would dive, then return to snorkel with me. Although not much of a swimmer, I was a great flailer. I snorkeled in the shallows, where I could stand up when I tired from flailing or needed to adjust my mask. Yoga practice had prepared me for proper breathing and body control, and over time my confidence grew. So did the quality of my flailing. To this day my nephew calls me shark bait.

Back to Fiji: I watched a young girl with a mental disability go out doggedly every day learning to dive, while I stayed safely on the surface, afraid to leave my shallow comfort zone for the deeper unknown. I wondered who had the greater disability, she or I. Hers was real, mine only imagined. Who was more agile?

Every afternoon, Tom regaled me with stories of turtles, lionfish, hammerhead sharks and the vibrant coral he saw on his dives while I continued flailing about in the shallows. But each day I snorkeled into deeper and deeper water until finally, on day four of my vacation, I built up the confidence to approach the edge of a 300-foot wall. Looking into its depths I was suddenly no longer content to observe from the surface. My curiosity engaged, I longed to dive deep and envelope myself in the dark wonders below. I resolved to try diving again.

My first dive was in a shallow bay. I clung to the bottom, pulling up sand and sea grass at 15 feet down. Easy. Being close to the bottom gave me security and perspective, and the small success encouraged me to go for more.

On the second dive I dove longer and deeper to 25 feet. On my third dive, we boated to a sandy ledge that led to the 300-foot wall I was ready to explore. The boat rocked on five-foot swells. Tom and the dive master rolled off the side of the boat backwards ? the standard diver’s show-off entry. When the dive master instructed me to do the same, I said, “No way!” and headed down the narrow stepladder designed for deck shoes, not fins. No easy feat. Tom said it was typical of me to take the hard way down. Stepping from the ladder, I slid beneath the surface.

After the initial roller coaster ride associated with equalizing my ears and my anxiety, we swam along the shallow bottom to the precipice and slowly dropped into the 300-foot abyss. Surprisingly, the stability and quiet of being underwater was a wonderful respite from the swells that bounced the boat on the surface. Anyway, it does no good to scream underwater.

I was grateful that my beginner’s depth was limited to 45 feet, but swimming along the side of the wall I was still clearly in another world, with nothing under my fins but darkness.

Soon I was keenly observing the sea life; coral heads, bulbs, fans and thousands of fish, all sizes and temperaments, from the diminutive clown fish bravely defending his anemone home, to the shy 35-pound sweetlips, who disappeared into his coral cavern at the first sight of us. My dive master floated serenely behind me, arms crossed, conserving breath and energy. Only his fins were moving, even when the menacing 10-foot reef sharks swam past us.

As my breathing became more relaxed and quiet, I began to hear the sounds of the sea life. Midway, Tom joined me, held my hand in celebration, and I lost all sense of time, depth ? and my childhood fear. While I’ll never be a fish in the water, I was now enjoying their world. Even more, I was enjoying my newfound agility.

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I was born on the lower East side of Manhattan a few decades back. I moved out west in my twenties and have returned a few times. This past summer I got to spend some leisurely time showing my new bride the sights. As a first timer, she was obviously impressed by the shear grandeur and scope of this vital and bustling city. The height of buildings that block the sky is one of the first things she noticed. It was about then that I decided to look at the Big Apple through her fledgling eyes and revisit an old friend.

We stayed at a hotel not far from Macy?s and Herald Square at 35th street. We could easily walk to the Empire State Building, which still retains it?s magic and allure made famous in many a movie. At the observation deck, I could have sworn I saw Tom Hanks retrieve a lost teddy bear. The views are awesome and the whole art-deco lobby is clean and wonderfully unique. We made our way to Rockefeller Center and enjoyed a taping of the ?Today Show? in progress. The walk along Fifth avenue is decadent and a window-shoppers dream. Reaching Schwartz?s Toy Store, once again I visualized TH dancing on the keyboard on the second floor amid life-sized stuffed jungle animals.

We had already ducked into the Trump Tower and was taken by the opulent entryway. We then peered at the diamonds in the displays of Harry Winston and the renovation of the old Plaza Hotel into a condo project. Across the way was Central Park, boarded by an endless line of horse-drawn carriages waiting for lovers and tourists. Just inside the grassy knoll, they were filming a movie and we had to make a detour. Of course, it?s NY and they are always filming something.

The next day, the excitement continued at the Guggenheim Museum, a wonder of architectural ingenuity and the big dog: The Museum of Art, with it?s jaw-dropping Van Gogh originals and too many others to mention. We got to see the ?Imagine? tribute to Lennon and Nero Wolf?s plaque outside his building, which was fictitious but fun. We ended with a trip through Macy?s and hung around Times Square to absorb the ambiance and picture Dick Clark counting down the New Year. We left via Penn Station and caught our breath. It was only 3 days in town, but we had eaten NY pizza, deli pastrami sandwiches and mastered the subway system. Quite an accomplishment.

As we took our train out of town, we vowed to return to have a dog at Coney Island, visit the Statue of Liberty, The Museum of Natural History, explore more of Central Park and probably take a full week to capture all we missed. I was content that I could act as tour guide and point out the sights, but realized the wondrous diversity and culture that the City affords the tourist. Having been around the world, I can still honestly say that New York has something for everyone and should not be missed. Plan a trip in the spring or fall, if possible. We hit a cool spell for June, but the off-seasons are quite special. You won?t regret a moment, I promise.

The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas recently introduced their new exclusive adult alternative pool area, Bare. This European-style (topless) pool provides all the comforts of ultimate luxury. Bare offers only the best for all their client?le with many complementary perks. Picture yourself draped over a chaise lounge, in sheer sun worshiping bliss when a rather attractive server approaches and offers complementary tasty treats like frozen fruit, mini fruit smoothies and Popsicles. Just to be sure you stay cool under the Las Vegas sun, refreshing Evian misting bottles are provided as well as iced towels, rolled and chilled in flavored water, no less.

To enhance your experience, DJ-spun music keeps the fun alive. If all this isn?t enough to lose yourself in this exotic pool haven, dolphins, yes actual dolphins, are swimming and playing just a few short feet away. Never under estimate the limits Las Vegas will go to please you!

With the end of summer rapidly approaching, pamper yourself with the ultimate Bare experience. Nothing can wrap up the summer like being treated like a VIP, sunning away those tan lines while relaxing on a day bed and sipping on your mojito and nibbling on exotic fresh fruit. If you?re up for a unique pool experience, this adult-only pool is the place for you.

There’s no need to worry that you will miss the best Paris has to offer when this guide shows you how to see it all in only 48 hours.

Paris is a city of many faces, the narrow streets contain hidden jewels of patisseries, bars and Parisian cafe culture that have attracted visitors for centuries.

09:00
One of the best places to begin your day is at the Arc De Triomphe, the largest roundabout in France’s capital and one of the most hazardous in the world. No insurance company will cover a vehicle travelling around it, as twelve roads feed into the circle with no clear road markings an and even less clear is who has right of way.

Thankfully there is an underpass to get across safely. The view from the arch down the 1.3km stretch of the Champs Elys’e ends at the Place de la Concorde and a smaller version of the triumphant arch that stands in the Jardin Tuileries beyond, the Arc De Triomphe du Carousel. The arch itself offers a fine panoramic view of Paris from the top, as well as a good glimpse of that most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower.

09:30
The walk to the tower first brings you to the Palace Challiot, a complex of four museums dedicated to French movies, Naval history, a museum of mankind and one for French Monuments. The pathway between leads down to the gardens of the Trocadero but the most striking feature is of course the tower just beyond.

10:00
The Eiffel Tower was built as a showpiece of the 1889 world Expo, advertising the quality of French steel, incorporating 10,100 tonnes of iron. Gustave Eiffel felt his creation was a fine example of French engineering. His view sadly was not shared by everyone. Several attempts were made to take it down but its role as a radio antenna in WWI was what eventually saved it.

Today it is one of the best known Parisian landmarks, attracting thousands of tourists to the top every year. The length of the queues depends on the time of year and time of day. There are two points of entry for the lifts, or there is the alternative of climbing the stairs, all 1,710 of them. A great work out for the hips and thighs.

If the lines are short it may be wise to take the chance now to make your attempt to reach the top. If you are lucky enough to reach the third level you may wish to spend 1-2 hours to experience it. There are museum rooms to view with details on the tower’s construction and history. Otherwise it pays to arrive early.

12:00
Beneath the tower lies the Champ de Mars, a landscaped green area that leads to the Ecole Militaire. Further on to the left of the military school is the Hotel Des Invalides, the site once used as an armoury that supplied the gun wielding revolutionaries in 1789.

Follow the riverside along Quay D’Orsay down towards Pont Alexander III. Cross the bridge an walk towards the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais down Avenue Winston Churchill. Both palaces are now art galleries devoted to modern and ancient artworks, permanent displays as well as new artists. Straight ahead you rejoin the Champs Elys’e that will take you down to Place de la Concorde.

13:00
The Place de la Concorde is the finishing point for the cycle race the Tour de France as well as the historical site of the French Revolution. The square is worth a few moments to remember it was originally called Place du Revolution, and home to “Madame Guillotine”.

The Obelisk gifted by Mohammed Ali in 1831 came from Luxor and marks the spot where many French nobles met their end during the French Revolution. The square would have been filled with peasants eager to see their former employers going for the chop in 1789 and during the reign of terror that followed.

You can leave the traffic behind for a bit now as you enter the Jardin des Tuileries. The fountains and pathways were once part of Palace Tuileries but it burnt down during some violent revolutionary riots.

In the gardens you will find statues and artworks on display, including one of Joan of Arc, the peasant girl who led an army against the English in the 15th Century, and later burned at the stake as a heretic.

The end of the gardens is marked by Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe du Carousel, another little present to himself glorifying his achievements. The horses, or Quadriga, on top are copies of the ones sitting above the door of Basilica San Marco in Venice which he was made to give back.

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So, We’re off to the Beach in Cancun, jewel of the Yucatan in Mexico ?

You simply can’t go to one of the world’s premiere beach resorts and NOT go to the beach  it’s just downright illegal. From the main bus terminal take any bus headed Southeast (to the right) along the Avenida Tulum that’s marked “Playas” or “Zona Hotelera”. When you get to the luxury-hotel-lined peninsula you can get off anywhere and cross the street to access the beaches. They’re along the left side as you head away from town. Several are specifically set aside for the general public, but you should know that ALL of Cancun’s (and Mexico’s) beaches are public property. You can walk along and swim at ANY beach no matter how much the hotel costs that fronts it.

To access many beach areas, however, you’ll either have to be able to fly or walk through hotel property. Most hotels don’t mind you walking through their premises if you’re unobtrusive and discreet. Local maps, especially of the tourist area, are easy to pick up. There’s a tourism information counter right in the main bus terminal that has them and other useful information at no cost. A map will help you to more readily identify the specific beach areas. A few of the more notable ones are: Playa Las Perlas, Playa Tortugas, Playa Chac-Mool, Playa Ballenas, Playa Linda and Playa Caracol, to name only a sampling.

HOLY HOT FOOT !

No matter how hot the weather gets or how intense the sun is, the sand of the beaches in Cancun won’t burn your feet because the sand isn’t composed of silica, but is instead, the skeletal fossils of billions of microscopic plankton. Not only is the sand always cool, but it’s lightweight as well. Get some hot honey or hunk to bury you up to the neck in it at high noon and you’ll see. (Not that it’ll matter at that point!)

THE LATIN FANTASY: A SCAM YOU MUSTN’T GO FOR: They’re WAITING for you Don’t get caught!

Strolling down a sunlit street in Cancun (or another Mexican beach resort town), a sea breeze gently tossing your hair, window-shopping in a luxurious mall, passing along a beachfront boardwalk, day-dreaming of fresh, succulent seafood as its aroma wafts from a nearby restaurant. “Excuse me”, you hear. You stop and turn to see a smiling face. “Where are you from?”

I’m from ?, you respond politely.

How’s your vacation?, the smiling face continues. You exchange pleasantries.

Can I offer you a free pass’a night’s stay’a free lunch or dinner’a day at this new resort hotel??, the smiling face offers. It’s to promote a new hotel, “resort-facility” or service that isn’t well-known to foreign tourists yet. And we want our hotel-facility resort or service to be known so you can tell your friends about it.?

You receive a genuine-looking piece of paper and perhaps a brochure and map. (somewhere in the back of your mind, your parent’s words- or mine- appear, “There ain’t no free lunches in this world”) But, “Looks good”, you think, and accept.

Take this and go this afternoon-tomorrow or whatever and everything will be taken care of with no obligation, the hook advances.

And then the clincher words strike home, like a harpoon in the side of a great white whale, Be sure to bring your credit card! Oh, it’s not essential, the smiling face continues, Maybe you’ll just have to flash it, to show you’re not Mexican, or a serious tourist, or whatever.

At this point BAIL OUT – drop everything and leave  go, keep going and don’t listen or look back. If you don’t, you’ll be sorry  for years and years to come.

What they want is your credit card number, by any means necessary – your signature too, if possible, on anything; a ticket stub, free car rental agreement or thank you note; anything. It’ll be used to charge dozens, scores, even hundreds of items  next week, next month, next year, etc., etc., etc. Getting the charges off your card will be a next to impossible nightmare and cost you hundreds in legal fees. You won’t be able to get back at them or recover the merchandise, products, even real estate charged off to your account. Millions are made by them and irretrievably lost by unsuspecting tourists each year. Don’t YOU be next! Just say, NO. And keep saying NO.

MORE PLACES TO STAY IN CANCUN:

If you’re still checking out digs in Cancun, here are more inexpensive hotels you can add to your list. No Bunky, you’re still not going to be staying on the beach, but there IS air conditioning and sometimes even a nice pool.

Hotel Novotel
Avenida Tulum No. 75 (near the bus terminal)
884 – 2999
Fax: 884 – 3162

Rooms here are a tad pricier than on the Avenida Uxmal but all rooms are air conditioned and comfortable although rooms fronting the street can be noisy at times. The location is good and transportation conveniently available on the Avenida Tulum for zipping all around town. Expect to pay $300 pesos to $360 pesos during the slow periods from May to June and from October to mid December, which is hurricane season in this part of the Caribbean. The Summer months of June and July are slow enough that you can haggle a pretty good deal for an extended stay of a few days to a couple of weeks or so. Prices will sky-rocket during the peak Winter season.

Hotel Best Western Plaza Caribe
Avenida Uxmal (directly across the street from the bus terminal)
884 – 1377
Fax: 884 – 6352

This is the priciest of the accommodations mentioned in our listings. If you arrive very late into the city and speak little (or no) Spanish, don’t get yourself into a dither or risk any danger tromping around the area late at night. You don’t want to run into any of the “late-night” people who frequent the vicinity. You can just pop right across the street and book a room for the night here (staff speaks English) and do your search in earnest for a more moderately-priced room the next day. Don’t run the gauntlet of undesirables (including taxi drivers) late at night here ? especially without a solid command of Spanish. The $40 USD you’ll pay is well worth your health and safety if it comes to that.

Casa de Huespedes Punta Allen
Punta Allen No. 8 (half a block off the Avenida Uxmal)
Cancun
884 – 0225, 884 – 1001

A small place with economical, but rather Spartan, unattractive rooms. Quality of the rooms varies somewhat, although most I saw were fairly tight quarters and not too well lit. All have at least a fan and many are air conditioned. Their singles are priced at $170 pesos, while doubles go for $230 pesos. And these are the LOW season prices. Negotiate the rate if you’re going to be around more than a few days. Peak season prices fluctuate based on what the traffic will bear and the economy at the moment.