Posted on

Time is Up for 2018

“Time is wasting, time is walking. You ain’t no friend of mine. I don’t know where I’m goin’. I think I’m out of my mind….thinkin’ about time.”

–  Hootie and the Blowfish

This year – 2018 – has really been a year. Three jobs. Two homes. One new city and state. But I hesitate to say it’s been my best year, and it’s been far from my worst. In many ways, it’s just been another year. And when a year becomes just another year, following another year, which followed yet another year, time begins to feel different. It begins to feel like it takes away more than it brings. And as it passes, it feels ever shorter, while it takes you farther away from the times you wish never ended. But if those times didn’t end, and time did not take us to where we are today, and where we will be, then we would not grow, we would not advance, we would not evolve. And I choose to look at 2018 as the beginning – only the beginning – of an evolution. In that way, 2018 will always be an important year.

A year ago, I had just moved to downtown Oklahoma City. I was enjoying it there and wasn’t considering any life-altering decisions. Just over two months later I had accepted a job with a major insurance company and was preparing to move to Dallas, Texas, where I now call home. I’ll bet many of you thought that’s where I am today. Not so.

Working in Dallas has been a thrill. I tried four cases as first chair litigation counsel. I won all four. I sat as second chair on a much larger case in June – actually the first trial I had for the insurance company. I had the pleasure of working with an excellent and capable co-counsel. But we lost. The assignment was simply chance. I was new and the company wanted to see me at work before turning me loose on my own cases. It became serendipity.

A week after that trial, I received an email from opposing counsel. He wanted to speak with me, away from work. I met with him and he inquired about me coming to work for him. Because my situation was good – and very new – I told him I didn’t think it could work for me. Three months later, he contacted me again, extended a great offer, and I accepted. I’ve been with my new firm for just over two months. I now commute every day to McKinney, Texas – a GREAT and rapidly developing city – where I work for a dynamic, exciting, and growing firm of Superlawyers who get incredible results unlike I am used to seeing for people who have been injured. And, because of that, I am going to soon be moving (again!) north of Dallas, likely to Plano.

In addition to that, and because of the move to Texas, I have reconnected with two very good friends from college, who have shown me what it means to truly live the Texas lifestyle as a transplant from the north. I got to see, in person, two of the best and most historic OU-Texas games in the rivalry’s storied history, both times with great friends who came to visit and go to the game. I attended two lectures by Dr. Jordan Peterson and had the chance to meet him. I also discovered the perfect exercise that is trail hiking in the early summer mornings at Cedar Ridge Preserve in De Soto. Overall, I’ve been very impressed with everything Dallas has to offer.

At the same time, both Ari and I had our first health issues of any real note, and I of course miss my family back in Oklahoma. From this distance I feel like I’ve missed out on some important things, good and bad, in the lives of friends back in Oklahoma. Some of you got divorced or suffered deaths to people close to you. Others took new jobs, had children, or saw their dreams start to come true. One of you got elected to Congress!

All this is to say that, at the end of 2018, another year has passed and soon another will, then another, again and again, until there are no more years, but only months, then weeks, then days, then nothing at all. I will be 42 in three weeks. That’s the age Elvis was when he died, the year I was born! Time reminds me every day that, as Andy Dufresne said in The Shawshank Redemption, we must “get busy living or get busy dying,” And for that reason, I go into 2019 with no resolutions and not even any clearly defined goals, for the moment at least. My main focus and commitment will be to just not waste time – yours or mine. It’s too valuable. I hope to soon find a more permanent location to live and to build a network of friends, acquaintances, and connections to my new home. I intend to write more, primarily here on this blog, and much less so on Facebook or other social media. For now, I’ll keep those accounts open, but they will consume less of my time, for reasons I will write about soon.

Time is wasting. For all its good and ill – 2018 is gone. Another year. And so I let it go, gone forever and turn my face and attention toward 2019 and the precious present – the only real time that any of us have.

Posted on

What Are You Listening To?

If any of you have seen me in recent months, you’ll likely notice that I’m rarely without at least one of my Apple AirPods feeding some sort of information into my ears. Usually, for better or worse, I’ll have to tap them and ask a person to repeat their question to me, or whatever they had said. Their next question is often “What are you listening to?” It’s a good question. And it’s a good question for you to ask yourself. A couple years ago, I did away with cable television and it was then that I discovered the world of podcasts. I particularly enjoy long form interviews or conversations, or in depth examinations of matters or issues in which I have taken interest. Many people still don’t know what a podcast is, or where they can find these. First, it’s like a radio show, but usually with very limited, if any, commercials, and a good deal more direct and honest conversations. Second, look at your phone – you probably can access them and, even better, they’re free. Every iPhone has a button that says “Podcasts.” Click on it and explore…there’s an unlimited number of options. If you have Spotify, you can type them into the search feature and you likely can access them, again, for no additional charge.

So, where do you begin? Anywhere you like. Put in a topic or person’s name, perhaps a movie or book or television show, and you can find any number of interesting episodes. But let me help you out. Here is a starter list of recommendations, with links. Check them out.

JRE

The Joe Rogan Experience

This is the one I listen to the most. Joe Rogan, by trade, is a comedian, the color commentator for the UFC, and the former host of Fear Factor. Those credentials would make most people thing this wouldn’t be worth their time. However, he is also a champion martial artist, a successful CEO and entrepreneur, friend to a vast network of influencers, journalists, authors, scientists, religious (and anti-religious) leaders, adventure sport enthusiasts, and people with a broad array of experience in the world. A proponent of marijuana, he and his guests may be high during any given episode. I tell you that so that you’re not taken aback, but also to say that you should let the conversation play out and see where it goes….you’ll often be surprised and perhaps come away with new and interesting, even sobering, perspectives.

Perino_Pod_New

Perino & Stirewalt: I’ll Tell You What

This podcast is a bit more newsy – expected, as it is produced by Fox News. But it is more like two friends sitting at breakfast to discuss the weekly news. Hosted by Dana Perino, the former press secretary for President George W. Bush, and long time Fox journalist and producer of the daily Half Time Report, Chris Stirewalt, it is light on partisanship, heavy on humor and good will, and quite informative. Once a week, released every Wednesday, it’s just the right amount of news to stay informed and not feel dragged down by the ongoing vitriol of the modern political, economic, and political landscape.

S&S

Sword and Scale

Who has enjoyed Dateline, Law and Order, Making a Murderer, The People vs. O.J. Simpson, or any number of true crime tales? If you do, and you aren’t listening to Sword and Scale, you’re missing a new level of the genre that you will not find anywhere else. This podcast is hosted and produced by Mike Boudet, who is the Keith Morrison of podcast criminal journalism. As of today, there are 118 episodes of mystery, murder, mayhem, each thoroughly covered beginning to end, often with Boudet conducting interviews with witnesses and even suspects. Chock full of 911 audio, clips from investigation interviews, perspectives of witnesses, judges, attorneys, and jurors, you will be taken into the world of each case. Some will be solved. Some will not. Many will send a chill down your spine. All will fascinate and entertain.

BS Cast

The Bill Simmons Podcast

I love sports and I love popular culture. This has both. Bill Simmons began a blog in the early era of the internet, focused on Boston area sports and gained so many followers that ESPN hired him for television. Ever watch the ESPN: 30 for 30 documentaries? Bill Simmons created those. Now he does the same thing for HBO, but he has a website and long form podcast featuring very in depth discussions about the biggest events in the sports and popular culture world. In addition, he will occasionally have interviews of stars such as Denzel Washington or Kevin Durant, and other times he will speak with sports and culture reporters such as Chuck Klosterman or Bob Costas. The conversations are candid and smart and certainly worth a listen.

RFKTape

The RFK Tapes

In 1968, Robert Kennedy was shot by a single assailant in a tiny kitchen area inside a California hotel, following his victory in that state’s presidential primary. Wasn’t he? This audio documentary explores a very interesting, very strange, altogether spooky conspiracy theory that has existed since the night he was killed. Using investigation interview tapes of the killer and interviews of people close to the situation, it explores whether Sirhan Sirhan acted alone, whether he knew what he was doing, whether there were other gunmen, and what all the conclusions to which the questions surrounding the assassination lead. Listen, and you won’t think of this historic event the same way.

Lore

Lore Podcast

Stephen King has little on Aaron Mahnke, the producer and narrator of this creepy stew of history and fright. Mahnke is the Paul Harvey of horror, telling the rest of the story behind the folklore that exists in our communities and our nation. The first time I listened to Lore I really decided it best to keep the lights on all night, just to be safe. Some of the stories reveal tales of supernatural events that have forever gone unexplained. Others feature explanations that will scare you even more. Perfect for the coming autumn nights and Halloween season, Lore will leave you wondering just how safe you really are.

Posted on

Deliberate Living

I turned forty this year. Forty. 4-0. Time has sped up in recent years and in the time it takes to blink, a decade or two have passed. A few years ago, I was in a steady, though unfulfilling job, within a career that I have never been particularly in love with, pursuing the traditional American dream of home ownership and increasing wealth a few percent a year until social security could kick in and supplement my years leading into a retirement, most likely around age 70. And with almost no thought at all, I opened the door of that vehicle and tumbled out on the street at 80 mph, hoping I would land squarely, after a single somersault, upon my feet. As a result, the last couple of years have been a struggle, and I expect the coming years will be too.

Today, my situation is different, though I will not judge it to be better or worse. More on that in a moment. I work in a different field within the same career. I am in a great work environment around people I enjoy being around. My financial situation is more uncertain. The business I attempted to start after quitting my job was a pretty reasonable failure scattered with a few quality successes, but it cost me the savings I had built up, a pile of credit debt that was necessary to keep the lights on and pay the bills, noticeable weight gain and loss of fitness, and a bout with depression and anxiety that has sometimes lingered to the point it remains frustrating and self-limiting. All that said, my outlook on life is much better than it seems and much better than it was before “the fall” of 2015.

The view from where I am suggests that I have another good 40 years or so on this great planet. And I have not even looked in the direction of many of my dreams, much less started working on them, much less made progress toward them, much less accomplished any of them. At the same time, they are all “out there” in front of me, beckoning the way the green light called to Gatsby across the lake. And as in the Fitzgerald novel, it is to be seen whether they are a reality or something less than that. That means, I had better get moving in their direction.

The reason I will not judge today’s circumstance as better or worse than it was in 2015 is because today’s circumstance simply “is” today’s circumstance. And if that results directly in something greater, then everything has been worth it. If it does not, then perhaps not. But, with time and pressure applied to achieve the results I would like, I believe I can bend the curve of my personal history and destination toward the better. My plan is simple. It is time that I begin living a deliberate life. For years, I expected to work hard and let things happen, perhaps naively trusting they would. At the same time, I thought that, in the micro sense, I could make things happen. Indeed, I could not. It never worked that way. I had not earned that kind of influence or command, even over my own actions. It is easy in this society, in this day and age, to get swept along a current of activity and wake up having played little to no part in the long game that has gotten you here, or that will get you “there,” wherever that is, however far off from now. It is my greatest hope that I am the central actor in my own story over the second half of my life. That means simple things like choosing to eat a healthy diet and move on a daily basis, rather than being numb to the world while sitting in front of the television, as time flees from my grasp. It means focusing with intensity on the activities and pursuits in my life, rather than being buffeted by the actions and impact of others. And it means committing every day to the outcomes that I would like to see and thinking before abandoning them for the simplest distraction, rather than just accepting that I must simply take what I get.

So here I am. This will document my journey, my thoughts, my progress, and my successes along the way. And I hope to encourage others, including perhaps you, to live deliberately as well.

 

Posted on

Bill Murray Fell Down. And We All Learned Something.

BM

Bill Murray fell down.  At least, that is what the headlines told me.  The morning after he appeared for the final time on Late Night with David Letterman, he was shown stumbling onto a studio chair before taking it, and himself, to the ground as the camera faded to black and the commercial break.  Whether it was a bit or not is not material – it was a quintessential Murray moment.  At 66 years of age, Bill Murray may be with us a great deal longer or, in his mercurial way, he may disappear at any time.  When I saw the replay of his fall, I felt a broad grin come on my face and I remembered all the times the man had made us laugh over the years.  This was no different.  And it was another learning experience as well.  How so?  Bill Murray lives a life that can be very instructive.  For all of his personal ills and demons, many of which have been documented and won’t be repeated here, he also shows us ways that we can design our lifestyle in a way that serves us and serves others at the same time.  The lessons are plenty, should we choose to see them:

1.  Live Your Life.  Bill Murray certainly lives life on his terms.  He picks projects that suit him, that he wants to do.  In later years, that has meant taking smaller, even tiny, roles in films in which he is not featured or even credited.  I was delightfully shocked, for instance, when he popped up on screen in The Grand Budapest Hotel by Director Wes Anderson. Recently, he “played” Walter Gunderson, the Mayor and main boss on the television show Parks and Recreation, who was only seen on the final episode of the series, after he had died, just lying in a casket! There are ample stories of Murray’s random appearances at people’s retirement parties, weddings, and places of work for no other reason than because he apparently wanted to show up. His film career seems not so much by design as serendipity, and yet he has plenty of work and a great deal of critical and commercial success.  He proves that marching to your beat can be a successful model.

BILL MURRAY

2.  Teach Others How to Treat You.  Murray is notorious for working without an agent or any published, available telephone number.  The myth of Murray is that there is a 1-800 number anyone can track down and call, but there is no voice recording and you are never sure if your message got through.  He may not return the call for weeks, months, or ever. In 2014, Vanity Fair reported that Murray does have a phone, and that he communicates a great deal through text message, because that’s what he prefers. He has no agent and no lawyer. The point is not that you must go off the grid. The point, however, is that people will rise to their own expectations for you. In Bill Murray’s case, they know what he will and won’t respond to. And they deal with him accordingly, and through the channels to which he responds. If you respond to every perceived emergency, or if you feel anxiety each time you do not respond to an email instantly and create an expectation for others that you will do so, then they will lean on that expectation. If you threaten them with a lawsuit every time you perceive a slight, then they may grow to fear or resent you. But it’s your actions that will teach them what to do, and you should act or react accordingly.

3.  You Don’t Need to Rise to Every Occasion, But Occasionally Rise to An Occasion.  Bill Murray has made some great films. Bill Murray has made some flops. And as easy as it may be for him to consider every role of the sad but lovable clown, whenever that role arises, he has never settled for that. When he has broken that mold, his performances are not merely worthy but, rather, they are spectacular. His role as an American movie star in decline in Lost in Translation was a sublime performance that should have won every award possible.

BM3

He played, with all seriousness and manner, an excellent Franklin Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson. Murray genuinely does not seem to seek accolades, so these performances do not seem a matter of exceeding low expectations. Instead, he simply takes care of business, does an incredible job, and elevates his performance when the occasion requires. That is being a professional, and that is greatness.

4.  There is Real Value in Being Part of an Ensemble.  Bill Murray began his career, for the most part, as one of the early cast members of Saturday Night Live, an ensemble production if ever there was one. In recent years, some cast members from the show’s earliest days have been criticized for thinking themselves too big a star for the show, and thereby hurting both the show and their own career. Murray has built his stardom on being one of many. He often drops into movies by Wes Anderson, a small role here and there as one of Anderson’s troupe of recurring cast members. On the SNL 40th Anniversary show, Murray had one of the peak moments when he took a turn as Nick the Lounge Singer, a bit that took about a minute and a half in a three hour show.  The idea of “teamwork” can be grating, as suggesting they be a team player often comes across as a passive-aggressive way to tell someone no despite all of their hard work and effort.  But being a reliable and consistently great part of an ensemble can be a path to the next level, in and of itself.

5.  We Will All Fall.  Life simply is not great and perfect 100% of the time.

BM5

A line of success does not travel in a straight direction.  We all have hills and valleys.  Whatever cliche you wish to use, there are going to be difficult times.  And you will get through them. As mentioned before, Bill Murray has had some struggles.  So will you.  And despite that, he has continued to make us laugh, move on to the next thing whatever it may be, and he has seen successes pile up after each failure. So will you. Keep going.

6.  Have Fun. Always.  Most important of the lessons Bill Murray can teach us is that it is possible to have fun every day.  Again, this is not to say that life will always be fun naturally, not even for him. Sometimes you have to work at it. I know that I certainly do.  But there is rarely any reason that we cannot find good humor, something funny, or something amusing no matter where we are.  And you should not worry what you find funny or what others do not.  Your life is for you to enjoy, at some level, so enjoy it without remorse.  We can do this every day because it is our choice to do so.  As I said, you will fall, and so will I.  Have a laugh about it.  Then get up and carry on.

BM4

Posted on

The Myth of the “Great” Lawyer

SOC   Atticus

Since the beginning of the Republic, popular culture has been littered with tales of great lawyers, larger than life men and women (usually men), who serve their clients while beating back the dark forces associated with their clients’ enemies, while at the same time performing a great service for society.  The names, some fictional and others real, are often those we can recall with ease, even if we have no reference as to why:  Clarence Darrow, Gerry Spence, F. Lee Bailey, Jake Brigance, David Boies, and the ubiquitous Atticus Finch.  Some of our most notable leaders have been lawyers.  Many of the founders of the nation were attorneys.  A significant part of Abraham Lincoln’s life before politics was that of a lawyer in Illinois.  The result of the saturation of lawyers in popular culture has created a perception that lawyers are powerful, often wealthy, weapons of the common man on behalf of rights and right alike, and that great lawyers exist to feast on lesser attorneys until the culmination of their battles against foes of a more formidable ilk push them ever to greater heights.  All of this, is a complete lie.

I have practiced law as a litigation attorney for over a decade, with what I consider to be a mixed legacy.  I have tried cases, conducted important, case-changing depositions, and won cases in written briefs and appeals.  I have been on the losing side of each of those as well.  A lawyer that has not is gifted with great fortune and/or a greater gift of convincing others of his position in the face of reality.  Often during my career, I have heard lay persons and lawyers alike speak of one person or other as a “great lawyer.”  I have heard of others called a “good lawyer, but not quite great.”  Having the benefit of practiced a great deal, I find the designation of a “great lawyer” to be a greatly mistaken idea.

First, there are significant numbers of attorneys that are not litigators.  They do not fight to keep their clients out of jail or out of the death chamber.  They do not engage in great combat important to society, or anyone else, but rather they provide sound, stable advice as to what the law says, and that their client will hopefully act upon to their best interests and results.  Because of our competitive nature as a culture and society, these are not the lawyers of popular lore, stage, or screen large or small.  They are rarely deemed “great,” by conventional measures and, therefore, they are not typically subject of the great lawyer myth.  Since many of these lawyers are excellent at what they do, what their mission is to do, considering them lesser than great is not accurate or fair.

Second, for those attorneys who do litigate, or participate in trial practice, the measure of greatness is more within the hands these attorneys are dealt than that of any poker player.  For instance, before a client ever gets to an attorney with a case, the client must be willing and/or able to pay the lawyer’s fee.  If the client seeks to sue, an attorney may take the matter on a contingency basis.  If not, with many lawyers’ rates well above $200 per hour, many clients, even with good cases, may not be able to gain representation.  The opportunity for designated greatness is lost before the client signs up.  Each case then bears its own burden once it is taken for handling by a lawyer.  Clients’ and witnesses’ memories are faulty.  Stories change, or they are not what they were once subjected to questioning.  Witnesses may die between the time of the initial interview and a deposition.  The client may always have unreasonable expectations.  A judge that views summary judgment favorably may be assigned the case, whereas a judge that favors jury determination may not be.  The factors are endless. Even Atticus was assigned the defense of Tom Robinson.  He played his hand the best possible way that he could.

Third, the role of insurance disrupts the judicial system in ways the client, and often the attorney, cannot measure.  Plaintiff’s attorneys will often tell you that a sound case for representation will likely include some form of negligence or violation of the law, damages, and coverage for the claim.  If insurance is not present or available, a very good claim can become much ado about very little.  If there is insurance, some adjusters may seek to settle a claim quickly, making an offer a client wants to take.  Others may ask the attorney to litigate through a trial, even on a simple matter, consuming resources and costs, which will often cut against a client’s recovery amount and/or subject their claims to risk of taking nothing.

Every factor described above, with the exception of the attorney’s own fees, are well outside the lawyer’s influence.  He has nothing to do with any of them, many of which are in place and effect before a client ever speaks with him, most of which will remain throughout the case.  And yet we talk about “great lawyers” and not great facts, great fortune, or great circumstance.

Law schools are notorious for teaching by use of the Socratic method.  The film The Paper Chase and the book One L, by Scott Turow, are known commodities to lawyers since often before they arrive at their first Civil Procedure course, in part because they encapsulate the fear, dread, trepidation, and stumbling, weaving method of learning the law by questioning students on the facts and laws alike until their mushy minds form into those of lawyers, ready to go forth into combat.  While it seems paradoxical to rely so heavily upon Socratic method without remembering Socrates’ most famous teaching, it is the original Socratic paradox that is lost to the profession.

In his Apology, Plato wrote of the trial of Socrates, in which he had been charged with blasphemy and improperly teaching the students to which he was exposed – an ironic commentary on the Socratic method if ever there was one.  During his trial, Socrates recalled his thinking after engaging another in a discussion:

I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know.

The Socratic paradox held that Socrates was wise because he knew that he knew nothing.  I often consider whether  his trial was the last in which this epic and great wisdom was ever spoken and whether it is because the advocate who spoke it was soon thereafter put to death!  For today, you are pressed to see any lawyer in court who does not know, who is not petrified of, or at least shaken by, the idea that he would not know everything and that his client might learn of it.  Yet on its face, the very proposition that anyone, let alone any lawyer, would know all answers at all times to all questions of law and application without fail, is absurd. No rational human could meet, or expect, any such standard, certainly not Socrates, and not even the “greatest” of lawyers.

None of this is to suggest lawyers are not intelligent, or somehow stupid.  That certainly is not the case.  But like the greatest minds of Western civilization, all lawyers, to be truly great, must know their limitations.  Like Socrates, much, far too much, is simply beyond their control or command. To suggest otherwise, to revel in the myth of otherwise, is both disingenuous and simply false.  It is time for a new standard of greatness to challenge the myth.  I submit there are far more great lawyers than those deemed to be, and certainly more than we know by name alone.  The great lawyer knows a great deal of the law, and knows much about the representation he or she is handling.  The great lawyer is humble in his or her knowledge and recognizes a great and broad store of knowledge, both within the law and certainly beyond it, of which he or she has yet to become aware.  And the greatest of lawyers will get up each day to make some effort to learn, know more, and do their due diligence for their clients, dismissive of and not worried by the mythical “greatness” which comes more from fortune and circumstance, than from their rather minimal involvement.  

Posted on

Fundamentals Matter

Have you ever stood on a diving board, high above a crystal blue pool, the air blowing through your hair, people waiting behind you, or below, and wondered how in the world you were going to get through this moment? I have.  I remember as a kid, no more than elementary school age, I would watch the bigger kids jump from the high dive at the local community pool and I always wanted to do it myself.  But each year, I had forgotten how simple it had become the year before and each year, the trip up the ladder was filled with trepidation and anxiety.  “If you want to jump from there, then get up there,” my mother would say, and so I would do just that, stepping one foot after another up the steps of the ladder, then walking along the board, until I found myself perched high above the water, in the very situation I mentioned above.  I actually have a picture of one of those times:

Jump

Okay, that might not actually be me preparing to take a leap headfirst into the pool of my childhood memories.  It’s Felix Baumgartner, daredevil and man of action, preparing to take a leap headfirst into the wild blue yonder of a place called Earth.  In 2012, Baumgartner set records for the highest skydive, the fastest descent without vehicular power, and the longest freefall distance ever.  The man broke the sound barrier with his face.  Impressive?  Yeah it is.  But unlike me at the pool, Fearless Felix did not simply climb the ladder and fight through his anxiety.  A BASE jumper who spent years leaping off various bridges, buildings, and structures, Baumgartner trained for months to set the record he put squarely in his sights.  He tested himself over and over, making sure the one thing he could control – his fundamentals – did not fail.  He struggled with claustrophobia associated with wearing the spacesuit necessary to survive the initial altitude and the pressure on his body as he fell to the ground.  He tested his breathing and making sure his mind stayed focused on its task.  And he made sure he could do the simplest of tasks, the leap, the positions of his fall, the ability to deploy his parachute, and his landing technique, over and over and over.  The Red Bull patches and the capsule that carried him to the edge of space jazzed up his mission, and media coverage of the jump ensured his notoriety.  But if his fundamentals had failed, the media coverage would have been gruesome and Red Bull would not have wanted the publicity.  Fundamentals secure successes.  Which brings me back to memories of the high dive that I was a part of so many years ago.

Back then, if I could get through the initial jump into the pool, the rest of the summer was cake.  “You did this all last year,” someone would eventually say, usually in an effort to urge me to just move out of their way.  And I realized they were right.  I’d simply jump once, then let the force of the board launch me out and over the pool, where I would throw down an epic cannonball before swimming back to the edge of the pool, scurrying up the side, and racing to do it again.  As an adult, little has changed.  Today I often feel like I am standing on that board again.  I suspect many of you feel the same way.  “What do I do?” we ask. “How do I get past this?” The answer is that we rely on our fundamentals.  In any endeavor, there are small, simple, yet effective, techniques, steps, or action items that we must do in order to perform the minimum necessary effort required to succeed.  If these fundamentals are sound, then we can calibrate any additional skills or efforts in order to maximize our outcomes.  If they are not, then success becomes elusive, difficult, and discouraging.  NBA superstar Tim Duncan, of the San Antonio Spurs, played an altogether impressive nineteen years at a high level and won five NBA championships, because of his basic skills.  He has been called “The Big Fundamental” for this very reason.

As a professional, the fundamentals are no mystery.  And they matter more than anything.  They are your ultimate foundation. Prepare thoroughly.  Dress for success.  Look people in the eye when you address them and when they address you.  Deliver on promises that you make.  And know the substance of your task.  If you are a lawyer, this means knowing the applicable law and rules of the forum court.  If you are a doctor, know the procedure you are performing, inside and out.  If you are a salesperson, then know everything you can about your product, regardless of your sales technique.  Mastery of just the fundamentals, with nothing more, will ensure a basic level of success.  And once you reach even that height, you will find that the bigger, taller, higher challenges are much easier, and you will always be working with a parachute. Now go and make it happen.