The Red Velvet Lawyer

Respecting, But Managing Fear --- Wisdom from Elizabeth Gilbert and Elaine Bailey-Anderson At a time when our already hectic and stressful lives breed chronic anxiety about work and home, we are now facing new fears tied to the global pandemic of COVID-19 . Recently, one of my former coaches from Christine Kain 's UpLevel coaching program offered her insight to managing fear.  It was so great, I asked for permission to share it here.  From Elaine Bailey-Anderson, CoachBrilliant : Whenever things get scary, or I get frightened I write a letter to my fear. Then I burn it to release my attachment to it. I learned this from Elizabeth Gilbert ❤️  She also suggests that if you are feeling extra fearful then give fear a chance to express itself first and be with it - Allow your fear to write a letter to YOU before you write one back.  Take a moment to surrender to your fear and ask it: “What are you actually terrified about, in this s...

Planning my Third Act and my Transition from Qatar to Thailand Using Vision Boards As I plan my international move from Qatar to Thailand for my third act as a retiree, I have used a number of planning tools.  I describe them here ,  here , here , and here . I picked a word for the year: Transition.   I reflected on the goal setting words I chose for 2019.  Had they worked?   I listed all the things I did in 2019.   All 108 of them.   And, using the Sunday Summits for 2019, I closed the loops on pending projects.  In June 2019, I created a vision board to help me get through my last year as a Clinical Professor of Law at Qatar University College of Law.  As an organizing technique, I used the nine quadrants of the Feng Shui Bagua Map.  The vision board included: financial goals and tasks,  the need to update my internet presence to reflect a change in location and employment,  rec...

Where is the Middle East Headed  After the Killing of Solemani Tonight I attended an event sponsored by the Al Jazeera Center for Studies focused on the topic: " Where is the Middle East Headed After the Killing of Solemani ." The program -- held on January 8, 2020 at the Al Jazeera Media Institute Auditorium -- featured four speakers: Mahommaed Cherkaoui, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Liqaa Maki, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Haoues Taquia, Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies. Majoob Zweiri, Director of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University.  The translation services were again disappointing because of a variety of technical issues.  Half the audience left after 30 minutes.  I stuck around for intermittent translation services and the chance to talk with people at the reception afterwards.  Accordingly, my notes are very incomplete.  So, any summary here is given with a very bi...

Using the Sunday Summit to Close the Loops In three prior posts, I talked about my goal setting process for 2020.  See here , here , and here . This year, I did something I have not done before.  I reviewed the weekly Sunday Summits I prepared during the year to see if I had listed any projects that remained undone.  Thankfully, the list included about a dozen items, many of which I had captured on my to-do list for the winter break between semesters.  I'll close those loops, as David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity , advises people to do.  I strongly recommend the use of the Sunday Summit -- created by entrepreneurial coach Christine Kane .  I wrote about it here as a weekly planning tool.

Some Context After the News of the Killing of  Iranian Commander Suleimani As a US expat living in Qatar, I have attended a number of academic programs discussing tensions in the region between the US, its regional allies, and Iran. See here , here , here , here , and here . This past year, I wrote a review analyzing a new book on the security architecture and world-views of the regional actors. I recommended the book as a "fearless examination of the persistent tensions in the most volatile region in the world, along with the security architecture that makes it persistently unstable." See Book Review: Troubled Waters: Insecurity in the Persian Gulf, Mehran Kamrava (Cornell U. Press 2018) , 9 J. of Arabian Studies 116 (2019), available here .

100 Things I Did in 2019 Sara Pruitt Arey, at ReFutureYourLife ,  offers a tool she calls "Harvesting the Energy from 2019."  She suggests that you list 100 things that you accomplished during the year. Instructions: She said to look in different parts of your life, including business/work, home, relationships, health, fun, adventure, learning, and self-development.  She also suggests you include less tangible things, like listening to your intuition or treating yourself with more love and kindness. Use your calendar, emails, or social media posts to help you recall the steps you took throughout the year. Be very inclusive.  Don't leave something out just because you think it quite ordinary.  If the item that pops into your head feels like a positive step, then write it down. She explains that every step forward -- no matter how small -- is progress. This list is evidence of your hugely vast creative power.  When you feel stuck in 2020...

What Happened?   What Didn't? In my last post, I explained a goal setting process I use that involves choosing one to three words for the year as a source of inspiration and anchoring.  In 2019 , I chose the words " Expert " and " Support ."   I explained: Expert  tells me what I believe about my life. It also shows how I expect my work to change or improve the world in the coming year through my leadership. It will be about the books that manifest in 2019 and 2020, along with the related conference presentations and media coverage. Support  will remind me of two things. First, my support for friends, colleagues, and students. But, also the need to find support for my own well-being. I've already started that process when I felt overwhelmed in December. I hired a personal assistant. I also asked my housekeeper to come every week to reset my apartment. And, I once again got weekly massages. Even so, I need more support...