President's Page, 0114 ALBJ, 75 The Alabama Lawyer 8 (2014)
| Author | Anthony A. Joseph. |
| Position | Vol. 75 1 Pg. 8 |
ATTITUDE, ACTION AND ATTENTION: ASPIRATIONAL RESOLUTIONS FOR 2014
Anthony A. Joseph.
Happy New Year!
By now, you probably have already established your New Year's resolutions. If you are like me, many are recurrent themes: lose weight, spend more time in the gym and the general goal of breaking one bad habit. While those are important, I wanted to share some mere aspirational resolutions for this New Year. I do so humbly, respectfully and not with the illusion that I hold any unique insight. I only share in good faith and a spirit of fellowship.
The theme for these resolutions is driven by the Triple A's: Attitude, Action and Attention: Attitude: I will strive to be happy and productive;
Action: I will take all necessary steps to make my goals a reality; and
Attention: I will focus on the resolutions as an action list and bring each to a successful conclusion.
With the Triple As in mind, my resolutions for 2014 are: • Find time to reflect
• Be more organized by embracing new technology
• Practice patience
• Seek a more balanced life
• Strive to become a better servant leader
Find Time to Reflect
Reflect upon your present blessings-of which every [person] has many-not on your past misfortunes of which all [persons] have some. —Charles Dickens
We all need time to reflect. Some call this quiet time, prayer time, exercise time or "me time." It should be time we set aside-no matter how brief-to think, calm ourselves and count our blessings. This time is important as we launch into the many challenges of the day. Through reflection, we are better able to approach the day more calmly so that all subsequent encounters will begin with a spirit of professionalism and civility.
Be More Organized by Embracing New Technology
Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it won't be all mixed up. —Winnie the Pooh (Christopher Robin]
Organization is particularly important for lawyers. There are a myriad of techniques and tools available. For some, it means a clean desk; for others, a structured calendar with appropriate reminders; for still others, it means setting aside a period of the day exclusively for addressing certain tasks such as returning calls, responding to emails and letters.
Like building the "six-million dollar man, " we have the...
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