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I have written a fair amount over the years about SEC examinations, FINRA enforcement actions, compliance programs, and the various ways regulators can complicate an otherwise pleasant afternoon.

This is not one of those posts.

Instead, I want to revisit one of the more important lessons I have learned from an unlikely source: a grizzled cowboy named Curly.

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know that I am fond of this scene from City Slickers. Curly, played by Jack Palance, explains the secret of life by holding up a single finger and telling Mitch that success comes down to “one thing.” When Mitch asks what that one thing is, Curly delivers the punchline:

“That is what you gotta figure out.”

For me, that one thing has always been balance.

Not balance in the sense of perfectly allocating every minute of every day. I have practiced law long enough to know that such a thing does not exist. Deadlines arrive. Clients have emergencies. The dishwasher breaks. Usually at the worst possible moment.

Rather, balance is about making sure the important things remain important.

Over the course of this series, I explored four areas that have helped me do exactly that: food, fitness, service, and equipment. Individually, they may seem unrelated. Together, they form the framework that helps me be a better lawyer, husband, father, friend, and occasionally competent backyard pitmaster.

Here’s a quick look back at how I interpreted Curly’s sage advice.

Food: Feed More Than Your Appetite

Food is about much more than nutrition. For me, preparing a meal (particularly barbecue) is one of the best ways to recharge. It provides a welcome contrast to a profession built on statutes, rules, and regulatory guidance. At the smoker, I can experiment, create, and occasionally make mistakes that do not require a response to a regulator.

Food reminds me that not everything in life needs to be measured solely by productivity.

And yes, there are a few cookbooks and teachers that deserve much of the credit.

Read more here (and to that list I add Aaron Franklin’s Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto).

Fitness: Invest in the Machine

The legal profession asks a great deal of our minds. It is easy to forget that those minds are attached to bodies that require maintenance. For me, a health scare led to a complete change in approach. Better habits, earlier mornings, and a community of like-minded people made all the difference.

Fitness improved far more than my physical health. It improved my patience, focus, and perspective.

Read more here.

Service: Gain Perspective

I find perspective through service.  Whether helping veterans, supporting financial literacy initiatives, or contributing to causes that matter to me, serving others has a remarkable ability to recalibrate priorities. Service has a way of shrinking problems without diminishing their importance.

Read more here.

Equipment: Build an Environment That Supports Success

This may seem like the least important category, but I have come to believe it matters more than most people realize. If we spend a significant portion of our lives at a workstation, shouldn’t that workstation support our health and productivity? A few thoughtful investments can make a surprisingly large difference.

Read more here.

Curly Was Right

The point of this series was never that everyone should learn to smoke ribs, wake up before sunrise, volunteer for the same causes, or buy identical office equipment.

The point is:

  • Balance requires intention.
  • Curly’s advice looks different for everyone.
  • The challenge is figuring out what your “one thing” is and protecting it.

For me, food, fitness, service, and a thoughtful work environment have become important tools in that effort. They help me show up as a better lawyer, husband, father, friend, and human being.

And that remains the goal.

Because at the end of the day, my clients want to spend their time serving their clients.

Continue Reading: The Curly Series


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