Tag Archives: hard truths

Riding the Emotional Roller-coaster

I have never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, but there I was last Saturday, attending aone-day workshop led by Jerry Colonna, a successful venture capitalist turned life coach, on surviving the startup life while staying grounded in one’s self. Given the emotional roller-coaster I’ve been on, it’s exactly what I needed.

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Schadenfreude Among Friends

I have always been fascinated by schadenfreude – the pleasure derived from another’s misfortune – an emotion perceived by many as mean spirited and contemptible.

Recently, I got a thoughtful comment asking my why I am so fascinated by it. I drafted several iterations of a response, but wasn’t satisfied with any of them as they were either too theoretical or shallow.… Continue reading →

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What’s Your Default Face?

This is the face I’d like to present to the world. This is my Facebook profile picture. This is the picture I submitted to the New York Times.

This is probably the face that most people see.

The latter is what I call my “default face”. I don’t see this face often, but I am sure people around me have seen it plenty.… Continue reading →

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Quitting BigLaw: Part II — The Three-Question Roadmap

In Part I of this series, I discussed why I think BigLaw is hard to quit. Since making my escape six months ago and talking about the experience on this blog, I have gotten questions from various BigLaw associates asking me how I did it and how they could do it.… Continue reading →

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To Gawk or Not

My Zumba post got me thinking about self-consciousness.

I generally care about what other people think. If I already feel insecure about something, like my clumsiness or body image, I let self-consciousness prevent me from doing things I would otherwise enjoy. But most of the time, I try not letting others’ opinions affect my actions, especially actions I know I want to do that do not negatively affect others.… Continue reading →

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Q1 Report: Mental and Emotional

Because my mental and emotional states for the past three months have been so intertwined, I am going to review both areas in this single post.

Much of this blog has been focusing on my mental and emotional journey after leaving BigLaw. For this Q1 report, I won’t repeat or summarize the experiences I have already written about.… Continue reading →

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Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Part IV – Dealing with the Emotional Niggles

I have been writing in this series the thought process behind my decision to quit law. The part that I wrestled with the most was dealing with a few emotional niggles, four to be exact. These niggles didn’t disappear when I gave notice. Indeed, I am still dealing with them. But as I have become more removed from the work environment, dug deeper into the underlying causes of these niggles, and gained new perspectives during the road trip and from talking to others, some of the niggles have morphed from hang-ups into challenges to better myself.… Continue reading →

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