Life Is Short, So Don't Waste It On Stupid Stuff

How much time do we spend on petty thoughts and desires? I have wasted many hours worrying about stupid things.    This is the stupid stuff that I try to avoid worrying about.

HERE IS WHAT IS STUPID:

1.  Anything outside of my control, including but not limited to;

  A.  Who will win the presidential election,

  B.  If others like me (okay, sometimes I still worry about this),  including if others like what I say, or if others like the way I look or how I dress,

  C.  If others think my daughter has too many tattoos.

2.  Anything that matters little in the course of life, for instance:

    A. Whether or not I drive an expensive car,

    B.  Whether or not I wear high heels,

    C.  If I let my hair go grey,

    D.   Belonging to country clubs,

    E.  Botox. 

3.  Gossip, about anything including about wealth, either mine or envying someone else's.  

HERE IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT:

1.  Caring about others,

2. Having love, of people, pets, etc. in your life,

3. Being persistent and focused in what you find important in life,

4.  Laughing, laughing, and laughing. 

  

   

Harassed! (How's that for a book title?)

Fifteen years ago I started writing a novel and, though I finished it, it went nowhere.  Recently, I pulled it out and read it after so many years. It is a timeless (unfortunately) story of sexual harassment. 

 Some of the premises are outdated, like going to a bank of pay phones, but the novel is not near as bad as I remembered.   I think it will take me about a year to edit and rewrite it.  I may put excerpts in the blog. It's fiction, but it is based on my experiences as a trial lawyer and in life.  I psyched. This may be fun. 

What Would You Like To Be When You Grow Up?

What would I do be if I could do anything I want?   I want to do many, many things, including being a trial lawyer.  I guess I like adrenaline.

I wish I could be a:

1.  Blues guitarist - they are so cool.  

2.  Saxophone player - ditto on the cool. 

3.  Professional baseball shortstop - you run the team and make outs!

4.  Stand up comedian.   Cool. 

5.  Women's soccer star - ditto on the cool, again.

What would you like to be?

GOOD LAWYERS NEED GOOD CLIENTS

Necessary Qualities of Client and Lawyer in Civil Litigation

CLIENT:

1.  Courage - going through a law suit s hard and stressful

2.  Be trusting and trustworthy

3. HONESTY

4.  It helps to be intelligent and ask questions

5.  Clear judgment and common sense

6.  A giving person who wants to help others 

7.  Relatable - that may be the lawyers job to bring out who you are

8.  Truly suffering from injustice 

9.  Good memory and good recod-keeping

10.  No gloating or taunting. 

11.   TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU DO

LAWYER:

1.  Courage - going through a law suit s hard and stressful

2.  Be trusting and trustworthy

3. HONESTY

4.  It helps to be intelligent and ask questions

5.  Clear judgment and common sense

6.  A giving person who wants to help others 

7.  Understand persuasion and how to tell a story 

8. EMPATHY

9.  AN EXCELLENT LISTENER

10.  SELFLESSNESS - doing what is right for the CLIENT, not your ego

11.  Persistence and diligence, never give up. 

12.  Thinking fast - if plan A doesn't work, be prepared for Plan B

13.  Having the self-confidence to be civil and agreeable to everyone 

14.  TAKE NOTHING PERSONALLY

Blessed Are The Misfits

I love misfits. Misfits are so much more interesting than people who fit in, the fit-inners.  Most people are fit-inners,and there is nothing wrong with that.  It's just that fit-inners are more boring than misfits.   In my opinion, all great people throughout history have been misfits.  Abraham Lincoln - tall, gangly, depressed misfit; Martin Luther King, Jr. - African-American outspoken, rebellious misfit; Mahatma Ghandi - little, diaper wearing, rebellious misfit.  Visionaries are misfits.  Most people are sociable, congenial rule-followers.  Most people are just fine people, just not as interesting as misfits.

My clients, by and large, are misfits.  I apologize to any clients or former clients who may be reading this.  You may not want to be considered a misfit.  But, I think you are and that is a great compliment in my book.  My clients are Whistleblowers, people fighting unlawful racial, sexual and age discrimination, and people who don't want to accept the status quo.  My clients have the courage to make waves.  Making waves in our society of conformity is difficult. It's hard to be unpopular.  

One of the reasons that women make 76% of what men make is because both women and men have bought into the status quo view that "women's work" is not as valuable as work traditionally performed by men.  People accept that a secretary should make less than a laborer.  Our firm, could not function without our secretaries.  They are vital to our practice. As a lawyer, I hear repeatedly that women are less likely to make partnership because they can't work 80 hours due to "family" demands. Hell, men should not be working 80 hours a week if they have families unless they want screwed up kids.  Our priorities are screwed up. 

But, I digress.   Perhaps what I am really saying is we need more women (and men) misfits.  We need people questioning our societal values.  We need more people willing to buck the system.  Misfits are not always happy people.   Perhaps unhappiness can be a good thing.  Unhappy people change the world.