Month: January 2017

Food For Thought

Halfway

Sanjay Sabarwal

d34a2653c294b9df9618d6b78297df58Halfway through the month, and it feels already that 2017 has more to offer than the previous year.  I set my goals for Fitness, Career,  Passions, Friends, Family, and Finances. Each day feels full, and while most days I am satisfied, I am filled with discontentment of not doing it right.  Yet there is also some fear, OK, a lot of fear.  This feeling stays with me daily of not being enough, wasting time, and kidding myself on my talents.

At a hike yesterday with good friends, I got two different perspectives that I think apply at times in my life.  One friend advised to know all the risks, and to ensure I had all the tools to make things happens. The other, told me to just do it to see what sticks. Overthinking was a common problem that hampered most people and did not allow them to live their dreams. Both are right in their own way, and I ask trekked up the Hellman Trail in Whittier, it hit me that there was a time when hikes like this intimidated me, yet I now did it without dread.

Each new thing provides its challenges, some require more information, while others you jump in right away. The goal is to keep growing, and get ahead of the old me because otherwise how else can I be the best version of me?

Brownness

Wonderwall

Sanjay Sabarwal

Great to read this!

Legal

Making Spouses Pay, Custody Issues: Legal Reasons #32

Sanjay Sabarwal

3e89d2231548a7e09b67c33d1582ce86One of the toughest things during a divorce is determining visitation, support and decision-making rights over a child’s life. I see, too often, over eager parents determined to punish their former spouse by depriving them of the right to see their children or that the spouse should pay 100% for all costs in regards to their children. It is truly painful to see my clients experience that.  Also, there is always the issue of how much support a former spouse is entitled too especially when the duties are not equal. These are not easy issues to define, but more often than not, it is moments like this, it is best to mediate between the parties rather than act as a weapon to gouge the other side.

Luckily, the courts provide plenty of guidance on this, yet parties still remain either wilfully ignorant of these guidelines or just focused on the emotional aspects of the dissolution. I often recommend clients to look at it from the other side no matter how difficult because at the end of the day, unless there is abuse involved, there is no reason to punish parents through their children. While there are reams on legal guides on this issues, often, it comes down to just allowing yourself to get a representative who can help you be a bit more objective.

Food For Thought, Inpsiration, Journal

The week in Review

Sanjay Sabarwal

9626bcc2e5db425aaff8e01956e0ad02Yesterday, I shared with my accountability buddy how I did for the week for my goals and habits. Initially, I felt like a failure because I only got to 80% of the things and missed a few days for daily habits until it hit me that perfection was never the goal. The goal was to do something about the things that bother me. It is very easy to get caught up in failure and beat oneself up, but really the entire point was that I tried, not every day, but it was still 1000 times better than not doing anything at all.

It is not an easy transformation to make from being content to say there is nothing I can do about my goals, habits and results to still giving it a shot. Fear rules that state of mind, but a good fear where I become more comfortable being uncomfortable. It is easy to criticize and point out what I am not going and to see that in others, but much harder to put things into practice. Too often, I look at what I missed rather than what I accomplished. It is a habit I intent to change because while being critical is good, it does me no good to make into a self-worth issue. That said, I am extremely proud of my progress. Just for some perspective, here are my January goals which touch upon New Year resolutions, but are geared towards creating habits. What are yours?

1)Drink 64 oz to gallon of Water Daily

2)Meditate Daily

3)Write Morning Pages Daily

4)Write 300 words daily

5)Date Night Weekly

6)Connect with 2 people Weekly

7)Work on Improving Memory

8)Work on Improving Handwriting

9)Work out 5 days a week

10)             One Hike and/or physical outing

11)              Drink no more than 2 drinks on weekdays

12)             Try a new activity/place this month

13)             2 Legal Blog Posts

14)             Begin Learning on how to do a podcast

15)             Begin learning on how to get more readers for blog

16)             One Boys Night

17)             One Friends Night at least (ideal 2)

18)              Hug and Kiss Daily

19)             Take one Weekday off a month,

20)             Lose 5 pounds

Legal

What To Keep in Mind for 2017: Legal Reasons #31

Sanjay Sabarwal

car-accident-2With the new year, come resolutions. What if this year, you take responsibility by getting the best help for your needs? The reality is, that more often than not, most people take what is offered them by insurance companies when involved in a personal injury case.  One of the lessons I tell potential clients is that an accident when you are not the one at fault and the other party has insurance, there is additional compensation available to them which an experienced attorney would know to ask for.

Insurance companies depend on the idea that most people do not get representation, and thus do not have the knowledge or tools to be made whole. Usually, the party takes the first offer given which does not include pain and suffering, lost of wages, or physical therapy costs. They end up signing away all their rights with a minimal offer, not realizing that they are leaving money on the table.

This is also not to say that one will become rich from a claim, but a fair offer can also get one what they are actually entitled to not what the insurance company decides.

So make 2017 the year where you have the best person on your side!

Food For Thought, Inpsiration

First Monday of 2017 (and Resolutions)

Sanjay Sabarwal

imagesI sit in the morning quiet full of gratitude, the coffee still steaming, snow surrounding me while I enjoy the last few hours in Big Bear. Having spent 3 amazing days with family and friends, we got to know each other better and shared our thoughts about life and our future. There was laughter, crying, and a deep gratitude for what life has in store for us.

It is easy to wallow in grief, self-hatred and victim mentality, but the real challenge just like in the movie Rocky how often you rise back up. More often that not, the winner is one who stands one last time over their competitor. So I allow the view to remind me that there is life after death. There are others who need me, and that getting caught up in my thoughts and emotions instead of actions serves no one especially me.

So I breath in the new year, and breath out the what if’s. I live in 2017 as present, calm and loving as possible. Also scared. This is the year, I get so comfortable with fear that it becomes my new best friend. In that spirit, I commit to the following for 2017 (not including a private resolution I set up with my wife).

  1. Get my book ready and have it be accepted for publication.
  2. Run a marathon
  3. Volunteer at least 100 hours this year
  4. Do 5 Pull Ups
  5. Increase my legal revenue by a factor of 10
  6. Connect with loved ones regularly
  7. Visit 2 new countries this year
  8. Hike quarterly
  9. Improve my memory
  10. Learn conversational Spanish
  11. Improve handwriting
  12. Begin a Podcast
  13. Increase Blog subscribers
  14. Be the best self of myself in all aspects of my life
  15. The Secret resolution with my wife.

What are yours for 2017?