Month: September 2022

Last night in court, I was in an elevator full of attorneys on our way up to our individual courtrooms. We were there for a trial skills course, tonight we would all be doing a voir dire. There was a judge in there with us too who said “ok. Everybody CALM DOWN. Remember: have fun with all this. I can hear you all breathing hard. Remember to have fun.”

My paralegal said the same thing to me when I was burned out and lost preparing for my first trial. She wrote “smile” on a post it and wrote “have fun with it” on another at different points. To save space, I combined the post it’s and voila- we have what my paralegal told me, a judge told me, and how Smile in the ARENA came to be. 

Smile, have fun, if we aren’t having fun what are we doing any of this for? Smile, I’ll see you out there! 

I couldn’t agree more. Even the little things are huge opportunities to connect. But if we give away every stick, you are without gum.

Even the Bible says “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion.

There are wolves in sheeps clothing and those who will take advantage of you. There will always be people who complain you didnt lay flat enough as they walk all over you.

So take care of yourself, take care of your family, and give with your heart like no one is watching. Smile. Be kind. Always.

Choose carefully the friends you associate with. Show me your friends and I will show you your future. You are guilty by association and you will always lower yourself to your friends’ goals, they will never rise to yours. Go find friends that have the same goals as you, you may find your goals by osmosis.

Choose who has power over you. Warren Buffet said perfectly “you will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True powers is sitting back and observing things with logic and true power is restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.”

3 (maybe 4, maybe 150) maxims are written into the temple of Apollo at Delphie in Greece. Potentislly 2000 years before Christ! What is written?

1. Know thyself
2. Nothing in Excess
3. Certainty brings Insanity

Resist what’s easy. Resist selfishness, ego, pride, and comfort. Be brave enough to stand alone against the darkness of this world and thrust kindness and love to the world. When we rise against the cold and inject warmth into this world, the world throws warmth back. Rage, Flower Thrower – Banksy

Parkinson’s law is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

I have a large volume of cases, it feels never ending. often, we think its different elsewhere (where the grass is greener). I had a fellow colleague leave the firm recently to find this greener pasture. The first week I asked how the new gig was. 6 motions for summary judgment (HUGE projects) were due the next week.

A colleague said “volume is relative. whether its 1 case with 100 to-do’s or 100 cases with 1 to-do.” This is correct: busy people fill the day with completing tasks. the next day when the next step of the task is due, we are overwhelmed and stressed. by the very progress we created.

If you want something done, give it to a busy person with not enough time. if you are stressed, you would be the same way making widgets. You trade your volume, you dont extinguish it.

Listen at least twice as much as you talk, you have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason. listen. The loudest in the room is usually wrong and falls the hardest. listen. close your mouth: breathe through the nose not the mouth. your nose cleans, warms, and at moisture to the beautiful healing new breath. so close your mouth and listen.