Do Not Be Arrogant
The longer I have been on this earth, the more I have come to realize that the most arrogant people are often the most uncertain of themselves. Out of insecurity many people decide that it is important to project an image that they are better than others, and to come across as if they know exactly what they are doing at all times; nothing bothers them; and they know more than everybody else. A few months ago I was at a seminar in Australia and there was a young man no older than 25 sitting behind me [Read more]
Rules, Your Nature, and Your Career
I went into the basement today, and without realizing it I pulled out an old list of goals and rules I created for myself around 15 years ago. I remember writing them down as I was completing a year long clerkship with a federal judge, and preparing to move to California, where I would take the Bar Exam. My entire experience in law school and working for the judge had exposed me to a profession with which I was not really that comfortable. The formality of law practice, the detail, working in an office and [Read more]
Feral Children, Puzzles, Jews, and Filters
I remember growing up around kids with books of puzzles and games in elementary school and junior high school; these were always the kinds of kids that did not fit in. They also got beat up after school, were awkward during gym class, got pushed around on the playground, and sat alone or in small groups looking like outcasts during lunch. They would sit there all through the lunch hour screwing around with these little puzzle books. The kids doing the puzzles would draw the grimaces of other so called “cool” kids. On the weekends [Read more]
Sharing of Information, Invention of the Internet, Parrots and Tool Rooms
I have been having a recurring thought lately that is indicative of a transformation our world has undergone over the past thirty years or so. As a child growing up I observed that most older men I knew always had “shops” set up in their basements or garages. Whether rich or poor, this was something virtually every man I knew had as part of the home. It was a great source of pride. Inside the shop a man would keep his tools all neatly arranged, along with a work table, which was most often built into [Read more]
Ask Others What Course You Are On
Have you ever looked back at a picture or video of yourself from five, ten or more years ago and asked yourself “What was I thinking back then?” Have you ever looked at something you did several years ago and asked yourself the same exact question? I have. I have done this a lot. Sometimes when I look back on the person I was even five years ago I am amazed at how little I knew at the time, evidenced by the mistakes I made. Here are a few of the qualities [Read more]
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Cool Hand Luke and Being Who You Want to Be
A short time ago I was talking with a neighbor of mine about where to send my daughter to school. He was proud to tell me that he was sending his own daughter to a private school, and he said a lot of great things about the institution. Then he said something to me I will never forget: “People say that the school turns out kids who are just like ‘robots’–each one is the same, but I like that. These kids all study hard and do not use drugs. I’ll take my kid the same as every [Read more]
