The Infinite Power of Gratitude, Small Steps and Right in Our Own Backyard!

Every year about this time of year I have to make sure I complete my CLE for the five states in which I have a law license, otherwise ashes in my stocking and no presents. Every state is slightly different. In Nebraska you have to appear in person for 5 of the 10 credits and 2 of them have to be in ethics. In California you have to complete courses on diversity, substance abuse and some other specialty subjects. In Nevada you have to complete 13 hours with two in ethics and one substance abuse hour. In Illinois I think it is 12 hours and for Texas I need 15. (Most states require annual substance abuse training for attorneys because this is a particularly tough issue for lawyers especially this time of year.) So as others are shopping for gifts, I am glued to a computer learning about the latest updates in mergers and acquisitions, real estate and employment law with my executive assistant of 20 years, Lori Perry, giving me a daily score towards my goal of roughly 60 hours of education crammed into a couple weeks. If you are a professional, you can relate.

But this year of CLE was different because I learned something really life enhancing that I can use every day. I took a class for my Nevada Substance Abuse Requirement called, "Creating Cohesion and Happiness in a High-Stress Profession" presented by Christina Carl of Worldwide Litigation. A slide from the course is pictured above. I am hopeful Christina Carl and The State Bar of Nevada will forgive me for using this slide here in exchange for the kind reflection on the class. The studies she shared show Gratitude can be your best friend in dealing with anxiety, depression, preventing substance abuse and a host of mental ailments. And guess what? Gratitude is free! I have already started following the steps in the slide. I took this class yesterday and so I am expressing gratitude to Christina. This was one of my "good events" yesterday. As for 5 things I am grateful for relevant to LinkedIn? I am grateful for:

1. My students at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law for being so engaged in my negotiation class. We learn together!
2. The staff (especially Gail Boker and Darryl Barker), the faculty, especially Karen Tokarz and Dean Russell Osgood of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law for helping me transition to study for my JSD and increased teaching over the past year. I am so appreciative and grateful for your support.
3. The leadership at Akkodis and the employees at PDS Tech Commercial, Inc. for the respect shown in my transition earlier this year out of something I had been doing for a very long time. I wish you all the best of luck and hope y'all are doing great.
4. My 6,955 LinkedIn , 6,357 Twitter and 49,500 Meta followers and my readership, especially those who bought and read my latest book, Negotiation as a Martial Art, Techniques to Master the Art of Human Exchange.Amazon.com: Negotiation as a Martial Art: Techniques to Master the Art of Human Exchange eBook : Nickerson, Cash : Kindle Store With no advertising and a year and a half later it consistently ranks in the top 50 books on #negotiation . #negotiationskills #negotiationtraining Thank you all for giving me a reason to write and share.
5. All of my key mentors and coaches especially James W. Pennebaker , Karen Tokarz , Martin Wheeler , and Tom Meredith . And while Arthur Janes and David Pruitt are no longer with us, I am grateful for the time we did have. Thank you all.

Are you anxious and worried? Worried about getting through the holidays? Worried about getting all of your work done before the end of the year? Worried about the stock market, inflation, global risk and uncertainty? Worried you won't know how to handle an uncle, brother, sister, in-law or other relative over the holidays? Like Glinda (the good witch) said to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, "You've always had the power to go back to Kansas." But Dorothy had to learn it for herself. Dorothy says she learned, "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with." Gratitude for what you have is in your own backyard, but it takes daily practice to find it.

Now all I have left to do today is to write a positive email and finish some California specialty credits.

Happy Holidays and I am grateful for all y'all. And please share the Gratitude.

Hugs from Texas,

Cash