10 Habits Of Highly Successful New Yorkers

In the home of some of the fiercest competition in the world, New Yorkers know that if you wish to find success amongst millions of people who are equally as smart and ambitious as you are, you will first have to learn how to live like a New York City native. We take a look at 10 typical habits of highly successful New Yorkers.

Know the Basics of Navigating Manhattan

The first step to becoming a successful New Yorker is knowing how to find your way around the city. While navigation may seem like a daunting task to tourists and newcomers, learning how to read the grid system is vital. The most essential rule to remember is that avenues run north and south, while streets run east and west. But there is no need to memorize a grid full of numbers and lines – the best way to learn the city is to get lost and explore. You will eventually build up a sense of direction, habit and instinct, and before you know it, you’ll be ditching that New York City pocket guide.

Expand Your Network Connections

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Brûlée-ing peaches, plums and nectarines

While brains and talent are important qualifications for achieving success, your network of connections is also of the utmost importance in New York City. Whether it’s a chance conversation on the subway or the person serving you coffee at your local diner, you never know when or where you’ll make that life-changing connection. So get in the habit of always keeping a pen and business cards on hand so that the people you meet have a way of contacting you in the future. One of the best places in New York for printing business cards is Squar-Pix – within the week you can have a fresh stack of business cards ready to hand out to potential employers at a moment’s notice. Fluent in small talk and proficient in utilizing their contact books, networking is what successful New Yorkers do best. Brûlée-ing peaches, plums and nectarines | © prizepony/Flickr

Stay Class

The successful New Yorker thrives on a thirst for knowledge, so take advantage of all the unique, cultural classes this city has to offer. Not only do we have access to a wide variety of classes in any and all subject matters, but we can also receive top-of-the-line training from the city’s most knowledgeable and professional instructors. From acting and cooking to taxidermy and light saber fighting, expand your skill sets and social group. For example, enroll in a culinary class at Miette Culinary Studio, located in Greenwich Village. Step out of your comfort zone and learn something new – this is what makes New Yorkers diverse, experienced and beneficial to potential employers.

Make Time For a Balanced Lifestyle

Yoga Studio

In a city of fast walkers and fast talkers, time is always of the essence for New Yorkers. However, allowing yourself to become too deeply buried in your work can be dangerous. With coffee shops, restaurants, yoga studios and art galleries on every street, successful New Yorkers make time for a personal activity at least once a week. If you are looking to clear your mind of work-related stress, step into Stanton Street Yoga on the Lower East Side. Whether you are looking to gain strength, stretch, meditate, or rejuvenate, this studio offers it all. Maintaining a healthy balance between work and wellbeing (both mental and physical) is essential to being a successful New Yorker.

Stay Clean, Eat Green

Restaurant, American

Although the dollar pizza shop one block away from your apartment is a tempting option, this quick fix will leave you nutrition deprived and hungry in an hour. A successful New Yorker has a habit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle rich in protein, nutrients and vitamins to sustain them throughout the course of their busy day. While New York is known for its street vendors and extravagant bakeries, it is also a great destination for fresh, organic, and healthy alternatives. A great place to go for a quick, cheap, and nutritious meal is Mulberry and Vine, located in Tribeca. A hotspot eatery known for it’s healthy oils, herbs and spices, this is a great place to grab a reasonably priced, nutritious meal.

Volunteer

Volunteering is not only a great way to give back to the city, but it is also a great way of meeting new people. Successful New Yorkers develop a habit of performing small acts of charity and service work to benefit the community and help those less fortunate. From tutoring a child in maths to crafting sandwiches at your local food shelter and planting trees and restoring landscapes in Astoria Park, New York City hosts a wide array of charitable events for city dwellers to take part in. The Crossing | David Hall/Flickrcommons

Walk Like a New Yorker

A highly successful New Yorker has no time to waste, meaning that every second passed and every step taken is crucial in their race against time. The New Yorker’s fast pace and ability to dodge people, cars and even small dogs in one fluid movement is an imperative. In order to be a successful New Yorker, it is important to have proper sidewalk etiquette. By walking with the flow of sidewalk traffic and never stopping abruptly in the middle of the street, your daily commute will be a lot more enjoyable for yourself and those around you.

Abide By the Subway Dos and Dont’s

The subway is undoubtedly the fastest and cheapest way to travel around New York City, making subway navigation a must-have skill. With over 4.3 million people riding the subway on a daily basis, this can often be an overcrowded and chaotic experience. Nonetheless, successful New Yorkers will tell you that the most important part of taking the subway begins before you even embark – remember to let people off before you get on, and learn how to place a train line’s letter or number to your destination. By always abiding by the subway unwritten list of dos and dont’s, you will be on your way to becoming a successful New Yorker in no time.

Footwear Matters

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While it is true that the possibilities in New York are infinite, New Yorkers must actively seek out these opportunities in order to be successful. New Yorkers accumulate more miles on their feet than they can count – therefore, it is vital to get in the habit of wearing shoes that are comfortable. While six-inch stilettos and platform heels are must-haves for New York City nightlife, you will thank yourself ten blocks later for sticking to a more sensible choice. If you are looking for a shoe store with the hottest brands and latest trends, Saks Fifth Avenue is a go-to destination. Spanning 10,000 square feet, their shoe department has every designer and every style of shoe you could dream of.

Have New Experiences

An array of skyscrapers taller than the eye can perceive, New York City fosters some of the most unique, extravagant, and life-changing experiences in the country. Stay busy and the experiences gained will drastically expand your knowledge of culture while developing your personal growth. A successful New Yorker knows of the best bars and restaurants, where to find the weekend’s hottest events, and how to be in the right place at the right time. However, for a city goer who is unfamiliar with all that New York City has to offer, a great place to start is at the Chelsea highline. The Highline is an elevated freight rail line that has been transformed into a Manhattan park. From restaurants, shopping, art exhibits, and entertainment, this is a great place to experience the vast culture New York City has to offer.