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

Trying to figure out the next big step? Trying to figure out the next financial investment? Stop, meditate, seek wise counsel, and make the next step. I found that resting, not quitting, clears the mind of the multiple decisions that individuals must make daily.  Various internet sources estimate that an adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day (Sahakian & Labuzetta, 2013).   While trying to make the next big decision, it takes a clear mind. Never reply when you are angry. Never make a promise when you are happy. Never make a decision when you are sad.   Meditating helps clear my mind of being too emotional therefore giving me the ability to make sound decisions that I’m committed to. “The divorce rate of arranged marriages is less than 4 percent versus 40 percent of marriages in the U.S. where partners chose who to marry on their own free will. Arranged marriages are far from a new concept, and they're still practiced in ce...

“I’ve realized that instead of following the trends, you want to identify the trends, but not follow them.”   Steve Aoki (American musician, DJ, record producer and music executive). There’s always someone pushing to not be like the rest of society. If everyone is wearing Gucci, then there is a subset of people wearing Louis Vuitton. As if following a trend is some horrible idea. I’m of the school of thought that regardless of the trend, be you! So, what if you are wearing the trendy clothes of today. If that’s your style, own it. However, on the flip side, if you prefer to wear clothes from Target (like me), then ‘wear it loud.’ Our decisions in life should be based on our moral compass and what we feel compelled to do. Some people call themselves ‘trendsetters,’ which is cool. But what’s the reasoning for setting a trend; for the sake of doing so. Is that trend helping others? I find myself doing things that are unconventional because I want to find my identity. I b...

Have you ever felt like you were stuck? Like you want to make a huge positive change in your life, but there was always something in the way, e.g., school, kids, spouses, job, finances, etc.? I find writing my goals in front of me and working ‘backwards’ to my current state works wonders. It is easier to see the goal, but difficult to see the steps to accomplish those goals from your current situation. For example, if you want to be a lawyer and you are an ‘high schooler’; start with the finished goal and work ‘backwards’ from there. Too many times, individuals try to eat an elephant with one bite. But it works better with laying a plan out on how to capture, prepare, and storing away that elephant. (Funny analogy as I am vegan and absolutely love animals). The moral of the story is to simply plan your next big objective in a way that it is easier for you to accomplish it. One of the many ways that I use is SMART goals:  Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timel...

Many times, I’ve wondered why folks were so negative, but as my mom has said, keep on living. A lot of people let life and bad people get to them. For example, some one who has road-rage is dealing with something other than road-rages, e.g., unforgiving boss, spousal issues, etc. It sounds simple but dealing with negativity isn’t about being calm and posed all the time. Because we all know that life can get hectic and must make decisions on dealing with individuals at moments notice. For God sake, we don’t get a memo that we are going to experience a bad person or decision, do we? However, to remain positive about your situation and deal with negative people is to (1) remove yourself from the situation, (2) address the issue at that moment in a manner that is suitable for you (others might try to force you deal with it in their own manner), or (3) redirect them to the real issue (if you have time and/or energy). I know these suggestions seem to be unrealistic or taxing while you ...

Community development is important because without it there would be no progress in the world. There are several types of community development: (1) economic, (2) social, (3) health, etc. In present day society, individuals operate in their silos and not understanding the impact of these different types of community development opportunities. Operating in one’s silo is a form of minding your business. However, there is little to no collaboration outside of those silos that can push the collective forward. There are three focal points to have successful community development: (1) economics, (2) social capital, and (3) mentoring. Every citizen needs to be engaged in community development. As a business owner, lawyer, philanthropist, and community leader I’ve seen a lot of organizational dysfunction. And one of the many dysfunction is employees operating in their own silos and not helping others even if there is a natural synergy. I learned during my doctoral progr...