Get Rice: Ronnie O'Brien Rice, Ph.D., Lawyer

So, let's talk about disruptive thinking. So, when I'm thinking about ‘disruptive thinking’ I'm talking about thinking outside the box. Yeah, I know you always hear people say this come with some creative ideas. We need to increase our sales. We need to think outside the box. But, thinking outside the box is essentially disruptive thinking. Take it outside of the normal way of thinking outside of the traditional meetings. Thinking outside of the general sales approach. Thinking outside of the similar legal approach to a case. A few things come to mind when talking about disruptive thinking. The first thing that comes to mind is going against the grain. Creating creative thoughts and executing on those thoughts. And if those thoughts and ideas do not come to a viable solution like you expect, find a way to pivot and adjust.  We have heard a lot about pivoting and adjusting. Yes things might not go the way you want it to, but you might have been engaged in d

Yes, self-discipline can be learned, but only if you are true to yourself. Self-Discipline is the annoying sister of success. We often hear that to be success you must tame your own desires to achieve goals. This is so true. I do believe that self-discipline does not have to be to an arduous task. If you keep your goals in front of you and find out what is keeping you from achieving your goals; then self-discipline is your friend. Better yet, self-discipline can become a game that only can win and play. We all have been guilty of blaming others for our own failures, missed opportunities, or others moving up in this world. But rarely do we take the blame onto ourselves. Self-discipline is the manipulation of your actions to achieve goals. Yes, this seems simple, but what about your New Year’s Goals are wanting exercise more, eat less, save more, etc. But, in the middle of February, you’ve stop attending the gym, COVID-19 hits, and you spend more money on Amazon shopping.

How often have you had a conversation someone and they did not stop to listen to you; or even think about what they are talking about? I know OFTEN. You must be mindful of who you give your time and dedication. These people can drain your energy. Therefore, you must be mindful of who you surround yourself with. There are several reasons why you need to be mindful of who you surround yourself:   (1) these people are self-centered; (2) they are not bringing value to the conversation; and/or (3) because they aren’t thinking about what they are talking about, they are probably emotionally dumping on you. If within a 5-minute conversation, you are only allowed to say three sentences, they are very self-centered. A conversation is always a two-way street. If the other person, or better yet, yourself; do not take the time to listen to the other person, the conversation is dead in the water. And therefore, not a conversation, but a person just pontificating. Secondly, if a

When developing a game, you have the rules, the goals, the players, etc. And in life, you can be similar situated. But, before we get started, let me state that you should not live life as a monopoly game. However, there are some similarities to both monopoly and life. When playing monopoly, you have standard rules which are to monopolize the game and, de facto , monopolize others who are playing it. In life, you are not necessarily trying to bankrupt those around you. But you are trying to get your ‘slice’ of the American Dream. And typically to get that dream, that means starting your own business, obtaining some level of post-secondary education, putting in long hours at the office, etc. All these actions seem honest, but what you are essentially doing is trying to give yourself a ‘leg up’ on others in your field. Also, in monopoly, you have the rules:   No loaning money to others, if you don’t charge rent when someone lands on your property before the next player rolls