Reframing Adversity

My colleague Gordon Firemark used a phrase recently that I think could be a mantra: “Reframe Adversity.” He and I just finished teaching an online pilot program for other attorneys who want to be the “go-to” experts in their field, and seek to leverage 21st century tools to reach clients. We know we have tapped into an important issue--not just for lawyers--that can be summed up as “the art of turning lemons into lemonade” through personal introspection.

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Planting the Seeds of Wisdom

There is an ancient story of an old man who looked too feeble to be planting a tree, but, nonetheless, he planted a carob tree, which takes decades to produce fruit. It was pointed out that he would never live to see the literal fruits of his labor. He replied, “When I came into this world, there were already fully-grown carob trees; as my forefathers planted these for me so I too plant these for my children.”

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On Leveling Up

There is a video game that most video gamers have never heard of that I used to spend hours playing as a kid. It was called “Astrosmash,” it was the flagship game for the Mattel Intellivision game system, and it was a competitor to Atari’s “Space Invaders.” It was a missile defense kind of game where you shot falling meteors out of the sky. It started off slowly, but, as the game went on, it would go faster and faster and you would accrue more points, and increase in levels. It was immensely satisfying to improve, until there was so little room for improvement.

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When Holes Matter More Than Mountains

There is an old riddle that has stuck with me for years: “What becomes bigger whenever you take away more of it?” The answer is: a hole. Holes have a bad reputation: the finest linens when moth-eaten are rendered worthless by holes, the quickest way to deflate a child’s mood is to poke a hole in his balloon, surgeons earn their keep by sewing holes shut. Just today, Time Magazine reported on the exciting discovery of a mid-sized black hole in the Milky Way, but it was reported not with the wonder we have for total solar eclipses, but a sense of foreboding. Even the positive feelings we have towards things with “hole” in their name are not about the hole itself: a hole-in-one has more to do with the ball and club, and donut holes are exactly the opposite: they are the tasty morsel we want instead of the tasty morsel’s absence.

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The Value of Curiosity

I’m curious… where does “curiosity killed the cat” come from? I pause, and I Google that, of course. That’s what a curious person does these days, and I discover that it’s not clear if it derives from the older “care killed the cat,” which appeared in Shakespearean times, but definitively appears at the end of the 19th century. But now that I know that, now what?

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Supply and Demand and 3-Ring Binders

I woke up at 3 am and could not fall back asleep. I tried to read, but that didn't make me sleepier. I had a lot on my mind. I thought about my oldest finishing 4th grade. You get nostalgic when you can't fall asleep at 3 in the morning. When I was in 4th grade, we moved to a new neighborhood (the one I'm in now) and I would have gone to middle school in 5th grade if we had stayed.

In my reverie of those years, I reminde

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What Matters With the Golden Rule

The "Golden Rule" is one of the cornerstones of almost every society. It is evident in the concepts of Karma and Dharma, and even secular humanism and existentialism. It was most famously preached tenderly by Jesus as "Love thy neighbor as thyself," as a derivation of the Hebrew Bible's directive in Leviticus. And who can forget Jesus's contemporary Hillel the Elder who flipped the Rule on its head by stating: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. The rest is commentary."

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Giving of One's Self

I've mentioned before that I did not initially vote for Michael Bloomberg for mayor. But he ended up being one of my favorite politicians, despite the fact that he lacked in charisma. I enjoyed it when he said he had smoked marijuana and he liked it, too! But one story stood out for me: when services were cut by New York's government, he would find a way for his charity to donate to those very same services. This inclination towards philanthropy made me a permanent fan.

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Connecting the Lonely Person of Faith

Connecting the Lonely Person of Faith

"I am lonely." These words must have been radical 60 years ago. "...I, thank God, do enjoy the love and friendship of many. I meet people, talk, preach, argue, reason; I am surrounded by comrades and acquaintances. And yet, companionship and friendship do not alleviate the passional experience of loneliness which trails me constantly." I've been thinking of Joseph B. Soloveitchik's words all day... especially today.

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When a Full Moon is just a Full Moon

When a Full Moon is just a Full Moon

Before sunrise this morning, I wheeled the garbage pail to the curb and noticed I could see a lot more than I usually could in the dark. A phenomenal full moon cast its light so bright, I paused to think about it. It suddenly, um, dawned on me that today was Friday the 13th. I thought for a moment about triskaidekaphobia, the paralyzing fear of the number 13. I imagined that it would be a big deal if I believed in superstitions.

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When Cars Come Alive

When Cars Come Alive

The pediatrician told us to go to the emergency room. My son's asthma attack wasn't so bad that we needed an ambulance, but the doctor didn't have the magnesium sulfate that an emergency room would. So--it was so many years ago, but still fresh in my memory!--on an icy narrow one-way seat in Queens, I buckled my toddler into his four-point harness, as a row of cars honked at me. I filled with rage. But I stayed focused. I drove ahead. When we reached the service road, the car behind me screeched, pulled alongside me, and I saw a middle finger through the foggy glass.

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Takeaways from College Interviews

Takeaways from College Interviews

Every year for a decade or so, I have interviewed high school students for my alma mater. As much as I want to give back, I find myself enriched by the experience each year, too. One student years ago introduced me to the concept of "10,000 hours of purposeful practice." Others, who have excelled in research laboratories, have given me insight into the future of medical developments and biotech advancements. Still others regale me with fascinating tales of trips to Africa, Asia, Latin America. But I warn them, "This interview will likely make little difference on your likelihood of acceptance."

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Golden Slumbers and a Rising Phoenix

Golden Slumbers and a Rising Phoenix

I used to love "American Idol." I have been on record as saying that "American Idol" was the biggest influence on music from the year 2002 to present day. And I loved predicting winners. I was almost always wrong, but I did win in an "American Idol" pool once. Part of my failure at predicting winners each year was my emotional investment in each year. I rooted too much to analyze clear-eyed.

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Mulling Meaning in My Son's Math Quiz

Mulling Meaning in My Son's Math Quiz

This morning, I woke up and thought about how I try to squeeze extra value from each minute of each day, by finding easy ways to connect to my phone. Yes, people decry technology, and especially the phone, but I connect my phone immediately in my car, to initiate my "university on wheels," as Brian Tracy calls it. I even walk around with headphones in my pocket in case I get a free moment to listen to an audiobook or podcast, which I listen to at double speed. Walking around with a paperback would not yield such ROI.

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Something to Meditate On

Something to Meditate On

After almost a month, I attended a restorative yoga class that I usually attend weekly. It was like an exhalation. Up until a couple of years ago, I didn't buy into yoga or meditation or other crunchy stuff like that. I have called myself a "pragmatic idealist" for ages, but prided myself more on my pragmatism, and I never considered yoga pragmatic.

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