Inspirations can come from the strangest places.  I was out for breakfast a while ago with some friends from University that I hadn’t seen in years.  The “all day breakfast” place we’d selected was the epitome of “cheap and cheerful” – home style cooking and poster-adorned walls that made the establishment look more like a frat house than a self respecting restaurant.  The one next to our booth was a dated promotional poster for the clothing brand Zoo York, adorned with the New York State motto, “Excelsior: To forever move upwards.  To always keep going and strive for the best.”   Inspiring words for a $3.99 breakfast.  You wonder who pulled the trigger on that quote.  What politician decided that those words would represent the State of New York.  And when?  Was New York already the influential powerhouse that we know it as today, or is it possible that this slogan was a precursor to the global influencer that New York has become?  If the yellowed poster in the diner was any indication, the slogan’s been around for a while.  And from watching the aftermath of 9/11 and the way in which New Yorkers rallied behind their city, I would suggest that “Excelsior” is more than just a catchy saying.  The power of words never ceases to amaze me.