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

For the majority part of my life, I’ve strived for comfortability. And if I was a gambling man, there is a lot of other people that are wanting everything to be comfortable too. For some reason, there was something implanted in our brains that if we work hard enough, everything is going to be smooth at some point in our life. That is the furthest from the truth. I’m not saying that your life is going to be horrible, but it isn’t going to be perfect. Life is all about how you mold yourself to handle what life throws at you. One of my favorite quotes is from the Rocky (2006) [what can I say, I like movies]: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get ...

How many of you know folks who go from job to job? Girlfriend to girlfriend? Business to business? Do you trust them to handle business for you? Exactly! I think consistency is very under-rated characteristics. Meaning, there is a generation of people who wanting to follow their feelings with little to no foundation. I get it that a company or a job might not work out for you. But, if you have changed spouses several times in the last month, the common denominator is you. So what’s the difference between being inconsistent and finding your gift? The answer is simple:   Are you waiting for (a) execution and (b) results. I know this might sound very technical, but it is necessary. How are you going to determine if you have not fully executed your plan if you haven’t stuck with it long enough. If you are learning a new trade such as lawyering, you don’t send a demand letter out and because the insurance adjuster hasn’t responded yet doesn’t mean you have completed th...

Time is something that we all have a limited amount of. No matter how old or young you are; or how poor or rich you are; time is limited for everyone. A few things that has allowed me to be successful is the management of time:  (1) being on time, (2) only having a meeting for duration that is necessary, and (3) protecting your schedule for necessary tasks. Being on time is such an underrated characteristic. Meaning, to be early is to be on time, to be on-time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable. I know that sounds cliché, but this is so important. How many times have you arrived at a meeting on time, but everyone is taking 5 to 10 minutes to get ready with copies, coffee, and pens? And you have another meeting afterwards? How do you feel when you walk into a meeting 5 to 10 minutes early with the PowerPoint presentation ready to go, everyone is seated, etc.? Even the vision is totally different. You are welcome! Next time suggestion is don’t hold a meeting ...

Learned earlier last week there are a such things as DUMB goals. I’ve heard of SMART goals. But, DUMB is a new one for me. For those who don’t know either D.U.M.B. or S.M.A.R.T. (E.R.) goals please read below: The S.M.A.R.T.   goal acronym was developed to help individuals select specific goals that are achievable. And D.U.M.B. goals are more focused on the person’s purpose. To be more specific, S.M.A.R.T. goals are listed below: S pecific (simple, sensible, significant); M easurable (meaningful, motivating); A chievable (agreed, attainable); R elevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based); and T ime bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive). Other researchers (including myself) suggest you the next two: E valuate; and R eview. I’ve always respected the S.M.A.R.T. goal theory as it provides the individual of structure in direction and goal achievement. On the other hand, D.U.M.B. goals seem to be...

What is relationship marketing? “Relationship marketing is about forming long-term relationships with customers. Rather than trying to encourage a one-time sale, relationship marketing tries to foster customer loyalty by providing exemplary products and services.” (Marketing-school.org). If you are in any time of business whether it is for yourself or with a fortune 100 company, you are always marketing. And I have found that relationship is best form based on cost, time, and highest return on investment. In present day society, marketing has become more expensive and difficult. The main reasons for this increase in cost is the high amounts of content. This causes for a not so new approach:   Relationship marketing. One form of relationship marketing is ‘word of mouth.’ You often hear that the best form of marketing is ‘word of mouth.’ But, how many people know what this is? And how to do it? “Word of mouth or viva voce, is the passing of information from person t...

Some of you may have heard the phrase, ‘paralysis by analysis.’ But, do you understand what it means? Simply put, it when someone overthinks an issue or problem with no execution. This conundrum can be applied to life and movies. (forgive me I take guiding principles from movies). For me, one of the greatest movies of 2019 is Dolemite played by Eddie Murphy. The original movie was filmed in 1975 and the character was played by Rudy Ray Moore. The gist of both movies is that many flocked to California to be model, movie star, or some type of celebrity, but never make it. And Dolemite in the face of adversity becomes a celebrity with his own money. Due to folks not getting their chance on the catwalk or ‘big screen’ a lot of dreams are shattered. Dreams weren’t necessary shattered by others, but by the person’s own thoughts. To me, this is a prime example of ‘paralysis by analysis.’ Often time folks have dreams to be successful and do not execute on them because of the immens...

When observing ultra-successful people, one might assume that they have falling at the top of the mountain. But these individuals (and I dare say myself) achieved high levels of success by small changes in behaviors, self-talk, who they surround themselves with, etc. One of the small behaviors that I have changed is note and goal recording. I mean, it has gotten to the point that I write my goals down in the note section of my iPhone. Also, I over that list daily. I think it is important to have your notes portable, accessible, and editable. Life can be so random and spur of the moment. So, having your notes and goals easily accessible allows for adjustments. You always hear that saying that you eat an elephant one bite at a time. But, who in the hell wants to eat an elephant? I digress! But I think the purpose of the saying is that ‘life can be like an elephant if choose to look at it that way.’ Life can truly be like an elephant. An elephant has multiple pieces to it, sma...

I found that reading one book is boring and uni-dimensional. When reading one book, the reader may tend to focus on one area of life. For example, if you are reading the Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, your life for the breath of the book will be focusing on finances. Now, there isn’t anything wrong with just focusing on finances, but I find that your entire life is still moving while you are focusing on one aspect of it. Also, reading different books at one time makes me feel that I’m having a meeting with several different writers each day. I’m big on ideas, interesting thoughts, and milking the very marrow out of life. Writers offer so many different opinions about life whether it is about love, health, or spirituality. I original became engulfed with reading because I felt that little to no one understood the way my brain works. This is still true to this day. But reading is a way to connect with folks with like minds that might not be as accessible with my bus...