Being open to change makes you more likely to identify and attract new opportunities into your life. Plus, one new exciting opportunity often leads to another and soon, circumstances and changes may lead you in a direction that you thought you would never go. Change can sometimes be scary because predictability and stability are things […]
People aren’t mean in a vacuum. There is always a reason why. Sometimes, compassionately identifying the reason for the person’s behavior towards you may be helpful in coping with the situation. First, the person may be fundamentally unhappy and by making others feel small, that person may have momentary feelings of superiority and importance. Second, […]
One of my favorite books is Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends & Influence People.” The first chapter of the book explores how murderers, gangsters and thieves in the 1920s believed they were good, misunderstood and undervalued. If none of these people blamed themselves for any of the pain they caused others, what makes us […]
Admittedly, I am not a super-religious person. But Psalms 91 and 92 are my go-to whenever I encounter a person with a challenging personality who I can’t seem to get away from. These verses make me feel empowered, supported and free of the emotional turmoil that the person normally seems to cause me. Usually I’ll […]
No matter how positive you are, you cannot control the fact that jerks exist and that you have to interact with them in professional settings. Whenever I have to work with someone who is unreasonable, ridiculous or just plain nasty, I visualize them in my mind’s eye as the Fisher Price Little People toys I […]
I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions because I believe this is the time of year where they all fail. I did, however, tell myself that I was going to make a conscious effort to be consistent with workouts and healthy eating. It is difficult to maintain a workout plan when your work plan […]
This is a tough one. The first time I heard this affirmation, I was annoyed. If a person is being a jerk, then how is it my fault when I get upset? Clearly, it is that person’s fault for being a jerk! After really thinking about it, however, I realized how powerful this affirmation was. […]
A cluttered desk is commonplace for a lawyer. But it is also something that subconsciously adds to an already stressful situation. I find that when I am scattered and having difficulty focusing on one assignment, the best thing to do is clear my desk off. It will keep you from getting distracted by the 10 […]
Recently, I realized something. That little voice that used to tell me that I wasn’t good enough or that I didn’t belong here and told me I wasn’t a good writer or a good lawyer wasn’t shouting from the back of my skull like it used to in the beginning. It used to take me […]
We all know clients, adversaries, co-counsel or judges who have a reputation for having strong and sometimes challenging personalities. This affirmation reminds us to approach each of these individuals with the expectation that we will interact with their best self. This means, that when we encounter these individuals, we will have an expectation of a […]
