Tag Archives: self discovery

Riding the Emotional Roller-coaster

Posted on May 19, 2011 by admin

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.

… Continue reading →
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Return to BigLaw? A Reality Check

Posted on April 19, 2011 by admin

I have received several skeptical comments from someone calling himself Mr. Reality, who seems to take pleasure in belittling my search for fulfillment after BigLaw. You can see the comments.

These comments contain numerous mistaken assumptions about my personal situation, some of which I’ve corrected. But his most recent comment on my post on “Schadenfreude Among Friends” gives me a chance to do a reality check on my “journey of self-discovery” after nine months.… Continue reading →

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Schadenfreude Among Friends

Posted on April 7, 2011 by admin

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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Q2 Report: Getting Out and About

Posted on February 12, 2011 by admin

I described in my previous post the various classes I have been taking in Q2 – the second three months after quitting BigLaw. Taking miscellaneous classes that amount to no degree or diploma feels decadent. I never did this before: every class I took, even electives, always served to land me onto the next step of the StairMaster of predictable professional life.… Continue reading →

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Q2 Report: Going Back To Schools (Sort Of)

Posted on February 7, 2011 by admin

The first three months after quitting – my Q1 of post-BigLaw life – was a period of adjustment. I traveled, decompressed, reflected, established a routine – and felt uneasy with my lack of productivity. Productivity was not an issue for the second three months. Q2 was about trying out new things, improving myself, and refining my interests.… Continue reading →

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Quitting BigLaw – Part IV: Change in Priorities

Posted on February 1, 2011 by admin

What better way to wrap up my Quitting BigLaw series and kickstart my Q2 review than to examine how my priorities have changed since quitting by rating the importance of various attributes of a hypothetical future career? For those who know me, my favorite pastime involves running through hypotheticals and rating things on a scale of 1 to 10.… Continue reading →

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What’s Your Default Face?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by admin

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 I – Why Is It So Hard?

Posted on January 10, 2011 by admin

As mentioned in my last entry, I am going to write about what it takes for associates who are thinking about quitting BigLaw to actually do so. I am going address this topic in four parts: BigLaw life and why is it so hard to quit; the three questions every BigLaw associate should ask him or herself; some practical tips to consider before quitting; and where I am now (a final added part that will feed nicely into my next quarterly review).… Continue reading →

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Can I Be a Momentum Changer?

Posted on January 4, 2011 by admin

The football season for my team, the New York Giants, ended on Sunday. But it really ended when we were unprepared for an onside kick with 7.5 minutes to go in a critical Eagles/Giants game on December 19. We never recovered – restarted – since then.

Despite suffering a bad cold I made it to the New Meadowlands Stadium on that fateful day, hoping to witness my G-Men defeat their arch nemesis.… Continue reading →

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A New Year’s Restart

Posted on January 1, 2011 by admin

It has been almost a month since I last blogged. A few days after publishing my last entry about football, I took off to Boulder and Denver for a short vacation and got sick during the trip. With chills, aches, fever, hacking coughs, and the whole nine yards, I ended up spending much of the trip lying in bed in the hotel.… Continue reading →

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