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

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Is success luck or strategic persistence?

2022-12-26T14:57:00.002-08:00

The answer is obviously, BOTH.

Do you want to lean on one and not the other? Nope.

So, my recommendation is to strategically persist in your goal attainment and letting luck have its way.

If you look at some of the great businessmen and women; you’ll realize that being both persistent and strategic played a role in success.

So how do you do both?

I think we all know how to be lucky: Just throw the dice. You can’t be lucky without playing the game.

When you walk into Vegas, you must buy chips then play roulette. Its’ not until this moment you have a chance to be lucky or, in a lot of cases, unlucky.

On to the second part of strategically persistent. First you have to set a goal. This goal has to be obtainable and straightforward. I normally wouldn’t say obtainable because it suggest that it is too easy. However, in this regard, we are focus on a person being persistent rather than obtaining some lofty goal.

Next, set accountable measures to get your goals. In other words, have specific steps to obtaining your goals. How do you know you are being persistent if you don’t have measurables.

Lastly, you have to consciously reevaluate where you stand. Is the current method of achieve success to daunting? Are you stressed? Are you enjoying the process? You don’t have to answer all of these questions at one time. But, having them swimming in your head will help guide to some measurement of success.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice, Ph.D.

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Why are bars so popular?

2022-12-26T14:13:00.001-08:00

Have you ever visited to a city and see a stream of bars in a row? Or have you been in a rural area and only notice patrons at the local bar?

I think the reason why bars are so popular is because they offer comfort, its disarming, and of course you can live in a fantasy.

So, let’s discuss this further.

Is a bar comforting? Absolutely, YES. No matter if it is a high-end hotel bar; or a ‘hole in wall.’ A bar is typically a place where you can ‘let your hair down.’

How is a bar disarming? Typically, a person who is visiting a bar is trying to relax. So, you have a group of people who are less likely to engage in any stressful situation.

Okay, how can one live in a fantasy in a bar? Think about it. A bar offers beverages that intoxicates you. And in a state of intoxication, you may think you are prettier, smooth talker, or incredible hulk.

So, what does this have to do with motivation? Simple: Treat your customer as they are coming into your bar. If they feel comfortable doing business with you; disarmed about your product/service; or they can accomplish a goal through, you; then you have a customer for life.

If you can mimic the same attributes of a bar with your business; you will almost be guaranteed success. Obviously, you must do without the intoxicating beverages.

But start with inviting your customers on a journey with you while growing their business and/or making their life better. They essentially get the experience of being at bar with you.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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Knowing your Value

2021-10-23T02:09:00.004-07:00

For some reasons, a lot of people think very highly of themselves. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with a little of self-confidence. However, when in any relationship, you want to understand your role and the ‘value’ you bring to the table.

I mean think about it. How many times you have interviewed someone, and they want an ungodly amount of money with no education, experience, or new ideas?

Understanding your worth in any relationship will increase your value and the areas you need to improve, regardless of type.

In earlier times, everyone had a role in society. As you can tell, that didn’t work out so well. And I think it is partly due to people resting on their laurels and not trying to improve themselves.

This post is about knowing you value, but more importantly adding to your value. As mentioned above, in earlier times, people were birth in specific situations. And without any type of self-improvement, then the people will perish.

Also, it is important to realize that no matter where you start, you have value. And if you do not have value, you can develop it.

Now, I’m not talking about everyone going around stating how much they think of themselves. But, in any relationship, you want to ask yourself, (1) what am I getting out of this relationship, and (2) what can I do to add value to this relationship?

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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How to deal with Learned Helplessness with your Company?

2021-09-05T22:13:00.003-07:00

For those who don’t know what Learned Helplessness (LH) is here is the Webster’s dictionary definition:

Noun: A condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to be one of the underlying causes of depression.

Now, how many of us have experienced this ourselves? Or know someone who deals with this. I know I have dealt with this with myself and with others.

So, why am I writing about this? Simple, if you are a business owner or lead a team of people, having to deal with individuals who have learned helplessness can be a daunting task. And more so, having these people on your team is not good for the company’s bottom line.

Ex. Susan in sales is always complaining that she doesn’t have any leads for mortgages. She makes calls, advertises, and constantly ask her friends for referrals. But it seems that she can’t get ahead. But one thing Susan doesn’t talk about is her attitude when dealing with leads that come into the call center. She has a major issue with negative talk that transfer to the prospective buyer that they should not be buying a house and/or entertaining the option to refinance.

Sometimes we can be doing all of the seemingly right things, but still could be lacking the very talent need to move to next level.

My solutions to this are to (1) systematically do evaluation on your performance, (2) always be improving yourself in all areas of your life, and (3) control your mindset. Yes, these seem like small tasks to do. However, you’ll be surprised at how many people who do not and/or will not follow these steps for the sake of increasing their quality of life.

When you do an HONEST evaluation of yourself, you notice your strengths and weaknesses. You realize that you might be working too hard in one aspect and have a blind spot in another.

Improving yourself is something that everyone should be doing for the sake of their family and company. Improving yourself, for me, means reading books, listening to motivational audios, attending conferences in your field, etc. This allows you to learn about things you didn’t know existed.

Controlling your mindset is probably the greater of the three. Setting your mind to succeed helps block out all of the problems you think you have and get you to focus on solutions that are right in front of your face.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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Criminal Charges and Mental Health

2021-09-02T05:42:00.002-07:00

One of the increases legal issues that I see in present day society is the increased rate of arrest with people who have mental illness.

You might have heard of Matthew Rushin, a 22-year-old who was arrested for hit and run motor vehicle accident in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was diagnosed with a mental illness and acquitted of the charges. But, just think about the use of taxpayers' money for the arrest, imprisoning of Rushin, and district attorney time for trying the case.

This post isn’t about money, but more so on how to deal with law enforcement and the court system with someone who has mental illness. One of the issues you must understand when it come to this is that not everyone is a psychologist and/or psychiatrist. You will have to do the educating of the law enforcement agency, the prosecutor, and the judge.

Too many times, individuals think that everyone has the same level of knowledge about mental illness, let alone a specific one.

If you or a love is detained by law enforcement, it is important to remain calm and explain any mental illness that might have a DIRECT influence on the arrest. This is very key. If you just explain that a person has a mental illness with schizophrenia and the police officer is arresting them for smoking marijuana, you might have a problem.

Secondly, if a person is arrested and detained, it is important to obtain legal counsel and explain to them the dept of the mental illness. Your legal counsel is your representative to the court system, e.g., judge, jury, and prosecutor. Most of the time, the prosecutor will understand if (1) there is a serious documented mental illness issue present, and (2) that mental illness has a direct impact on the charge at hand.

Lastly, if the case makes it to trial it is important to provide as much information to your attorney about the mental illness as possible. Your attorney will know the proper documentation to file before the courts.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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Burning the RIGHT bridges

2021-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading a book titled The Greatest You by Trent Shelton. I’m on page 81 in the book and it’s very insightful. I’ve never heard of this author before, but I saw his book on the shelf in Barnes & Nobles in Macon, Georgia last year while with my college roommate.

Long story short, I'm in the chapter where he writes about burning the right bridges. And I think this is an interesting viewpoint because there are a lot of people in our lives who are negative, don’t add value, and look to gain from you at every waking moment.

Unfortunately, there are people out there who fall prey to these individuals because of their generous heart.

So you might be wondering why am I talking about this? The answer is simple: Most schools of thought will tell you when you run into these ‘energy drainers’ run away fast. But, what happens when these energy drainers are spouses, children, supervisors, and/or clients? You become an energy transformer.

I know this sounds like a lot of work. And I definitely don’t suggest being around these types of people for any significant amount of time, if you can help it. However, what I am saying is that you can’t constantly be around positive, optimistic and giving people all of time. Life just don’t work that way.

What you can do is become a source of conversion for the negative energy. Not trying to change the person but change the atmosphere in the room. Find ways to redirect the conversation to solutions rather than problems.

I found that one of three things happens when being a transformer: (1) the negative person gets on board with the program; (2) they get annoyed to find a way to not deal with you anymore, or (3) they become jealous of your energy. I think the first two can be dealt with easily.

The first response is great for both of you. You are finally moving in the right direction and getting things accomplished. The second response is a good one, but if you are on a team together, you still must find a way to work together to complete projects. The third response is something I despise. However, you must deal with it. You essentially must find a way to operate without them intentionally sabotaging your projects. Easier said than done, I know. But, if you recognize it, you have a better chance of heading off any potential issues down the road.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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How to handle your divorce?

2021-08-30T13:43:00.001-07:00

Going through a divorce is never an easy process to initiate. I’ve been through one. You make a vow to stick with someone for the rest of your life. And then all of sudden, you find yourself arguing everyday and totally loathing the presence of the person.

So I’m writing this blog post to hopefully help others who are thinking about going through this process; or those who have started the process already.

I handle a few divorce cases and I’ve learned prearranged agreement is always better. I think too many times spouses are wanting to get the most out of a divorce. But, in the process they drain their personal finances.

People see a lot of high-net-worth individuals on social media and television getting divorces. You see the ridiculous amounts of money for child support and alimony. However, in everyday life, people don’t have access to millions of dollars and multibillion dollar companies.

With that being said, my encouragement a lawyer is to make sure you to work out an agreement before filing for a divorce. Whether it’s visitation with kids, property and bank accounts, it is cheaper to have a plan before lawyers get involved. In the State of Alabama, you can have a private mediator work through some of the tension points in the divorce.

Even though I’m suggesting working out an agreement on your own, it is still important to have an attorney to review the documents and help with the process. But, having an agreement before filing with the courts and appearing in front of judge will make it cheaper and faster.

Now, I know there are situations where a spouse is not receptive and/or amenable to agreements. But, giving the thousands of dollars that can be spent on legal fees, it behooves you to at least attempt to agree on the major items. Mediators and lawyers are great way to get the emotions out of this process.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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Who cares about your business?

2021-08-26T21:15:00.001-07:00

No one is going to care about your business like you. And it’s okay.

You hear from these ‘talking heads’ on television and social media that your employees need to be just as passionate about your business as you are. I get the logic behind wanting your employees to be excited about what you are paying them to do. But, for me having someone gung ho fore a business that they didn’t put money into and sweat equity to start is huge misguided request from the owner. Employees are people. They have dreams and passions too (outside of the business). I believe the more you encourage them to follow their dreams, the better your business will do.

Think about it. When you are working for someone and they let you off early to handle personal business; didn’t you feel a high level of internal gratitude towards them? Absolutely. You automatically said that there is no other company that will allow you to do that.

This is even more so important during this Covid-19 pandemic. People are needing to work remotely because of their children getting exposed to this virus. So, if one kid gets exposed, then all of the kids who have been around has to stay at home. So, imagine if your kid either tested positive for Covid and/or was expose to it 4 times during the school year. This is a tremendous about of strain on parents. If employers allowed parents to work from home with their kids, it might give those employees a greater sense of ownership with the company. They might say to themselves that this company thought enough to let me stay at home with my kids regardless of my kid having COVID or not.

All in all, it does not matter if your employees do not care about your business like you. As long as they care! Obviously, you can’t have employees running amuck, e.g., not being professional, not returning phone calls, not making sales, etc. However, our business is not the ‘end all, be all.’ It’s just that a BUSINESS.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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Purposeful Living

2021-08-24T17:41:00.001-07:00

What’s purpose? And how does one find it?

Purpose to me is the motivation that gets you up in the morning and starts you on your way. It something internal (with or without an alarm clock). Some people call this your ‘why.’ Early on in my life, I struggled with my purpose. I was always naturally happy and positive. However, I did not get up early in the morning and I was not passionate about what I was doing.

So, I asked myself the basic question ‘what is purpose?’ And I found the answer by observing and hanging with other people who seemed to be highly motivated and successful. Now, when I’m talking about success, I’m talking all-around. My meaning of successful was a person who had it together in regard to their family, church, health, finances, etc.

What I found is that people with purpose had their life ‘tight.’ Meaning, they might have not been married to a super model, but the relationship they had with their spouse was AMAZING. There was respect, love and affection within the relationship. This was a successful relationship. The same thing with finances. They might not have had all of the money in the world. But, the money they did have was significant and everyone in the household respected what each other had.

So how does purpose affect all of these areas? For me, the answer is simple. When you are checking your internal checklist of what you are supposed to be doing, everything you do is done with a since of pride and excellence.

Purpose changed a lot for me in my life. Just the small tasks in my life became something of meaning and more importance. It was like I got the opportunity to take my cloths to the cleaners and pick up my two kids from school. It was not a chore. Think about it, there are people in prison, dead and physically unable to run errands. But, I have ability to not do only do it, but without pain or angst.

My encouragement to you is to find your purpose. And realize that even though your life may seem boring and dull, having purpose helps find motivation in your life and appreciation in every aspect of it.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice

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This is Your Life: Own it!

2020-12-04T10:45:00.052-08:00

I realize that 2020 has been a year that many people wish they could chug like a bottle of scotch. However, the truth of the matter is that 2020 is still a part of your life. It is important to learn how to embrace the ups, downs, highs, and lows to improve your situation.

We are only able to control a certain amount of the circumstances that occur in our life. Yet, we do have the ability to control our reactions when things do not go as planned. No, my friends, this is not one of my “feel good” posts. This is a reality check, a get off your butt and be productive in your life post.

If you are reading this a few years from 2020, understand that the United States just voted, and a new President will be inaugurated in January. Some people are upset and frustrated while others are happy with the choice of our country’s new leader. Regardless of your perspective, you are still in control of your life.

Life is what you make it. Does life throw some curve balls causing you to miss your mark or goal…sure. When life throws that ball, should you just stop and quit? Do you swing again in preparation for the throw that is best for you?

When you do not reach your goal making six figures during the first year of your new business, should you give up, throw the business plan in the garbage, and shut your doors. No, you strategize and figure out what you did right or wrong to capitalize and grow from lessons learned.

I am speaking from experience. Growing up was nothing like the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. However, I had some great opportunities to maximize, be productive and effective in my life and in the lives of others. I was not always a winner, I failed, stumbled, and even cried like a baby whose candy was stolen at times. Did I continue to wallow in my defeat? No …. I stepped up, I showed up and I was able to learn each time. It was not always the “perfect” situation, but it was instrumental for me and helped to promote growth

Takeaways:

Always protect yourself! Contracts are an artist best friend. And a great lawyer creating and reformatting the contract is an even better friend.

~ Attorney Ronnie O’Brien Rice, Ph.D.

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