Another year
... and I have finally learned not to make new year’s resolutions that can’t be kept ... :-) Rather, I realize that "life is a marathon," not a sprint. We must keep moving forward, step by step. When diversions or challenges appear, we must take them in stride and continue our journey. "That is mental health," according to Jack Rosenberg, a noted psychologist. Spoken in terms of Alan Weiss, noted consultant, it’s the 1% solution ... Every day we can do one more thing toward our objective; we rarely hit the grand slam home run, but we don’t need to if we continue to improve every day. After only a short number of days, we will have made major progress .... My wish for you, then, is that you are successful in dealing with the berms and challenges that will arise and that you continue to make progress each day toward your goals.
New TeleSeminar Series
Do you ever wonder how other lawyers are able to charge more than you ... and their clients are happily paying the fees?! Have you ever wondered how other lawyers seem to be more successful? Is there an area in your practice that you would like to improve so that you be more profitable and sleep more soundly at night, knowing that your practice is effective and efficient?
Then you want to sign up right now for this new series being offered by LawBiz® Management.
Based on the opportunities of last year’s initial series and the request for more assistance in this format, LawBiz® Management announces the second annual TeleSeminar Series. A series of 4 one-and-one-half hours sessions will be offered on the third Wednesday of the month (Feb 19; Mar 19; Apr 16; and May 21), 4 p.m. PST; at no additional cost, participants will receive a complementary copy of Secrets of the Business of Law®, free personal coaching at the conclusion of the series and 5 units of MCLE credit!
Click here to find out more.
Books
ABA says that my book, Attorney & Law Firm Guide to the Business of Law®, 2nd ed.. is climbing the charts. For a recent review of the book, see http://store.lawbiz.com/bol_review.html
And, the latest book, Collecting Your Fee: Getting Paid From Intake to Invoice is now available for you. Click here for the table of contents.
Q: These days it seems to be on everyone's mind…what is "STRESS" anyway?
STRESS DOC: Many people have a somewhat misguided, one-dimensional notion of stress. Stress, in fact, is a series of mind-body reactions that:
- identifies a stimulus, challenge or threat,
- assesses the degree of difficulty of the potential stressor, including whether one has the resources to cope with the problematic situation,
- a problem-solving or tension reducing response is made to regain control of one's environment and emotions and
- one's heightened state of arousal and alertness either returns to a normal, pre-threat state (Normal or Acute Stress) or if the tension is prolonged, without sufficient rest or relief, one is susceptible to exhaustion and other mind-body stress symptoms, including burnout (Chronic or Distress).
- Sometimes, we may engage in "heroic" coping under extreme conditions, and get through the trauma. However, there may be delayed effects -- generalized anxiety, sleep disturbance, nightmares, weepiness, etc. -- weeks or months after the tragic event, for example, the September 11th terrorist attacks, when our guard is down (Post-Traumatic Stress).
Q: Stress doesn't sound very good…but is there such a thing as "good" stress?
STRESS DOC: Yes, there is good or "Eastness," the optimal level of mind-body activation and alertness that facilitates peak performance, e.g., when those butterflies in the stomach align and transform into a soaring squadron of eagles. We've done our homework, are up for the challenge and flow with the experience. Sarah Hughes' gold medal skating performance in the 2002 Winter Olympics, after landing her first difficult jump, totally tamed her butterflies. The sixteen year old was definitely into "good stress" the remainder of her routine. The smiles and radiant joy while skating were proof positive.
But one doesn't have to be a gold medalist to achieve "good stress." Create some activity in your life for which you have a sense of purpose and passion (and try adding a little playfulness, as well.) Mix in disciplined practice and patience and voila…you too will experience the fulfilling flow and golden glow of "good stress."
(More can be found at www.stressdoc.com)
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