Starting a Law Firm | San Francisco MasterMind | Supplemental Income

It's been a whirlwind couple of days for me, in a good way. On Friday afternoon I hopped on a jet bound for San Francisco, ready to figure out how to take my practice to the next level. And I've got to tell you, it was a great experience. And it's exactly what I'm going to talk about today. In addition to that, I'm going to answer a reader's question about supplementing your income while opening your law practice. Here we go! Oh, and one last thing, after you get done reading I want your comments about MasterMinding. Do you think it's bogus? Would you do one? What's holding you back? Thanks in advance!

San Francisco MasterMind - Getting Out of Your Fuselage

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend a MasterMind session put on by my business coach, RJon Robbins. You all know who he is. I've talked about him a lot.



The idea of the MasterMind, from my perspective, is this: we've all got messed up stuff running around inside of our brains, and for must of us, the stuff is different. There is one common theme though, with this messed up stuff - it works to sabotage our efforts to start a successful law firm. Now, this stuff I'm talking about isn't big stuff. It's not like we're all crackheads running around out there. It's more subtle than that. But that's what makes it so powerful and so dangerous. The goal of the MasterMind is to figure out what that messed up stuff is, how to work past it, how to recognize it, and how to move forward without it.



I can't go into too many details about the actual experience in San Francisco, and there's a reason for that - it's confidential. When we are in that room together we are sharing our most intimate secrets. We talk about our law firms, what is working and what isn't. We talk about out lives, what is working and what isn't. And, for some people most importantly, we talk about our pasts and how our experiences have shaped the way we view the world. It's the feeling of safety that allows for so much sharing, so much self-inflection, and so much growth in such a short period of time.



And, by the way, the best thing about the MasterMind is that we all walk away with a plan to triple our law firm revenues. At least. My plan, for example, if executed, takes me over one million in revenue.



Now that I've told you about the results, let me tell you about the process. We met in San Francisco at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. I was there, my wife was there, RJon and his wife were there, and there were about 8 other attorneys there (some with spouses, some without - the spouse was optional, I just wanted to include mine because I knew it would give her a great window into the way I think about my law firm). After dinner we watched a movie to kind of set the scene for the weekend and give us all a firm analogy to work with when either explaining our problems or helping people with theirs. Once the movie was over we talked about it, setting some ideas in our minds for the next day, and went to bed. Our homework assignment was to come up with one or two things that we thought were holding our business back.



Let me digress here for a moment. There are many things that hold our business back, and they fall into two different categories; mechanical and intellectual. The mechanical stuff is easy to fix - it's the stuff that processes and procedures can help with. For example, the way the phones are answered, the way that potential clients experience you and your staff, and the forms you use are mechanical. It's the intellectual, or emotional stuff that's hard to fix. Examples of this include the way we feel about money (our relationship with money), the way we view ourselves (otherwise known as self-esteem), and the rules that we've created that hold us back (that in actuality aren't rules at all). This is what we try to become aware of at the MasterMind.



When we get back into the room on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. sharp, we each take a turn going around the room. We record our experience (just our turn, not anyone else's) so we can remember everything. It starts by giving a little bit of background about us, talking about where our law firm is at, and then laying out our one or two "intellectual" problems. Then everyone takes a turn going around the room giving constructive feedback on what can be done to become more aware of the problem (otherwise known as fix the problem).



The great thing about this MasterMind specifically is RJon's presence. We don't do these every day. Some of the problems people have I can't identify with and have no idea how to fix. And someone needs to be there to make sure no damaging advice is given. That's what RJon does. He's got both creative and practical solutions for everything, and more importantly, he's got the experience to know how to flesh out the underlying problems. What that results in is you learning something extremely valuable on everyone's turn in the hot seat. Everyone's experience provides you with helpful things to take away and implement.



So, on Saturday we went from 9:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. only stopping for about an hour for lunch. And it didn't feel like a long time to me at all. On Sunday we went from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. - no lunch. And again, I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.



One last thing about the MasterMind before I move on. The one I attended last weekend was free. All I had to pay for was airfare, hotel, meals. Normally when RJon does these things he charges $5000 a seat (and that's what he's charging for his next one). While we were there he asked us for help describing what happens at these things so that people can understand the value they are getting out of attending. And I can see why he asked, because it is hard to describe without actually being there.

Why You Should Consider Attending a MasterMind

Before I go anywhere with this, I want to point out that I am not being paid anything by RJon for this post. Not a dime. If you sign up for a MasterMind with him I will not receive anything except a thank you from RJon and a thank you from you when you're done.



I've got two reasons why you should attend a MasterMind.

1. It Will Make You Money

I told you when I walked out there I had a plan for a million dollar criminal defense law practice. And I can guarantee you when you walk out you'll have the same. The people I was with practiced all different areas of law: estate planning; corporate law; family law; immigration law; and business law. They all walked out with ideas to dramatically expand their law practices in practical, real world ways.



Now, like any other ideas, these ideas require execution, which is all up to you. But the advice you get here will be like you'll get no where else. And the advice you get will make you back your $5000 and then some (which should be the way you evaluate spending money - look at what you get, not what you put out - if it's more than the cost, intrinsically or extrinsically, then it's worth the price).

2. You Will Grow as a Person

One of the great things about owning a business is that it becomes a reflection of you personally. That's also one of the bad things. The way to succeed in business is to also make sure you've got your stuff together personally. Much of that just requires understanding where you are coming from and why you have the perspective you have.



What the MasterMind session allows you to do is work on yourself while you are working on your business. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, in my session we discussed my relationship with money - it's an immature one. It's immature in the sense that I haven't yet fully grasped the potential and power of money for what it really is - a tool to get you the things that you want. In reading that last sentence that probably seems obvious, spending money to get what you want. If that were so, then RJons MasterMind sessions would be sold out. It's the concept of spending money to make money that is known as a maxim of business but is hard to execute in real life.



At our session in San Francisco I had the opportunity to see lights turn on in people's eyes as they made real personal breakthroughs. And if you don't think you're due for one of those then you are the best candidate to try this out and see just how many demons you're hiding inside your head.



Bottom line, think about it, find the money, and try something like this. I recommend RJon because I know he knows what he's doing. But there are others out there. If you aren't looking to grow in this way you and your business are suffering.

Supplemental Income and Starting a Law Firm

Here's a question I got http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffrom a reader last week:

This is completely off-topic, but I have a question for you. I recently went to a seminar with RJon, and he said that in order to be successful, you should put all of your energy into your new firm. What is your take on doing contract work to supplement your income while trying to establish your new firm? Thanks!

The answer to this question is simple - it depends. I don't think it's wise for anyone to just jump out there and get started without any kind of support. There's a real chance you won't make much money the first few months you are open. Having a support system, whether it's by a contract position, covering for other attorneys, or a loan from friends and family, is something to think about and figure out before you get started.



As for contract positions specifically, I'll only say this - be wary of using that as a crutch not to pursue your law firm. Starting a law firm is scary. Our subconscious doesn't deal well with scary. Instead of just telling you you're scared, it will do devious things to distract you, like convincing you how great the contract position is. If it becomes a crutch it's bad, if you use it as a tool to move forward it's good.



As always, I'd love to hear your comments and questions, particularly when it comes to MasterMinds. What is your hesitation? Is it the price? Is it the process? I'm curious!!

The frugal millionaire

To me, part of being chic is being good with money. In my opinion it is not chic to be irresponsible or unreliable with finances. Carrie on Sex and the City joked that she would be the old woman literally living in her shoe, because she had spent all her money on Manolos rather than investing in a pension plan. I don’t find that cute at all, in fact it makes me cringe.



I’ve always enjoyed motivating myself by reading personal finance books. If you make something fun to do, you’re more likely to do it. Forcing yourself to save money in a bank account rather than go shopping sounds dire, but turning it around and thinking ‘I’d rather save for something special than waste my money on that magazine/top like 20 others I own/book to cram onto my overflowing bookshelf’ makes me happy not to shop.



I read The Millionaire Next Door book years ago and loved the fact that most actual millionaires don’t get around in Dolce and Gabbana clothing with Rolexes on their wrist. They are normal looking people who are financially secure. They are basically frugal sorts who are married to frugal spouses (it’s very important that you are on the same page. If one is a spender and one is a saver, it won’t be easy).



They say ‘sure, enjoy a big home and expensive car, but after you’ve earned the money and not before’. And many millionaires they have interviewed don’t even do that (the after part). By and large it tends to be the wannabees who wear True Religion jeans (très expensive in NZ) and drive a Land Rover or Audi 4wd, and actual wealthy people who are more unobtrusive.



I love nice clothing and looking stylish, and so does my husband. We enjoy daydreaming about luxury items and travelling around the world staying at five-star hotels. But we are just as happy with our everyday lives, and build our stylish style on a budget, shopping when places have sales and wearing our clothing more often than others might.



I still think I have too many clothes. But whereas in another, previous life, where I had regular cleanouts of good clothing that was sent to the op shop, only for me to replace it again (that’s why I lived off my credit card), now I simply don’t shop for a long while, using and enjoying the clothing I have. It only is decluttered if I decide I have bought wrong, or downgraded to home-wear if it’s no longer good enough for going out.



I wear a Cartier watch that I paid a small fortune for brand-new ten years ago. Clearly I lost my mind then and thought that one needed a good watch to look the part. I do enjoy wearing it, and I like that fact that it is understated and not flashy, but if I was offered a cheque for the same amount I paid for it tomorrow, I would sell it in a flash. I just don’t need stuff like that to make me ‘feel’ wealthy. I would rather ‘be’ wealthy.



I have discussed with my husband whether I should look into selling my Cartier, as supposedly some brands hold their value. Usually it isn’t worth selling designer goods second-hand as you get a pittance back for them. He said even if I got the amount I paid for it, that much probably wouldn’t make that big a deal to our long-term plans, and I may as well wear it and enjoy it.



So I do. And it’s not to say we’re so rich that that amount of money doesn’t matter to us, but if I had my time over, I may not have bought the watch. Not only do you have to fork over the money, you also have to look after it, maintain it (there is only one Cartier repair person in the whole of New Zealand and it needs to be sent to him to even have the battery changed, you can imagine he’s not cheap), insure it (the watch is itemised on our insurance) and worry about it.



One of the authors of the Millionaire Next Door has written a new title, and I have been listening to the audio book in the car. It is called ‘Stop Acting Rich’ which is an updated version and pretty much advises us to stop ‘acting rich’ to ‘be rich’. Don’t spend your hard-earned cash on status items to look rich - save and invest that money for your future. Only when you are rich should you buy these items.



He tells us that many people in our neighbourhood that look wealthy are likely barely scraping by. ‘Neighbourhood’ is actually his main piece of advice – don’t live in a fancy one if you can’t afford it. Stretching yourself financially to afford a big house in an upmarket neighbourhood could mean compromising your financial future. It’s one of the fastest ways to go broke.



Not only will we get the biggest mortgage we can to afford the house, but then we consciously or subconsciously want to keep up with the Joneses, or the next-door neighbours with new cars, toys, trips overseas, private schools etc. A movie I saw recently - ‘The Joneses’ with David Duchovny and Tea Leoni - was a really illuminating look into this.



To ‘Stop Acting Rich’ (and start being rich), the author advises to buy in a moderate neighbourhood where you might be wealthier than the neighbours, but live at their level. Live below your means. You will be less likely to conspicuously consume if your neighbours aren’t. This is especially interesting for us as we have just starting looking to buy a house. I initially thought I wanted to buy a small townhouse or an apartment in an upmarket and expensive area, just because it would be nice to live in a nice area.



I am now changing my mind and thinking we want a normal house in a normal but still nice area, and we have been visiting properties within our price budget. And our house budget is one that we have decided we want to spend on a house/mortgage, not the maximum that our bank will let us have.



As tempting as it is to buy a bigger home fully renovated, or a bigger home requiring lots of work, we are committed to a low-stress European style (whatever that means nowadays, but I take it to mean the ideal Euro person who values experiences over things), we are looking at lower priced homes.



The millionaire next door authors reckon you shouldn’t have a mortgage more than twice your annual household income. When I work it out for us it is slightly less than the small house we are budgeting for. Scary, but that’s what it takes to be financially responsible.



It is quite exciting visiting houses for sale and imagining that we could own it, pay it off, decorate it in faded vintage French style amidst tones of off-white, cream, soft-beige, black and rose-brown. I can even see a bistro table and two chairs on the patio out the front.



Happy living within your means everyone!

Why Bad Decisions Make Good Stories--A Cure for Writer's Block

I'm on a writing sabbatical this week so I'm rerunning a favorite post from December 2009--hope you enjoy it!

Still life--may be nice to look at but not the stuff good stories are made of.

Bad decisions? Ah, there you have my interest.  Friction and fracas--they are the real meat of the plotting craft.  Is enough happening in your book?  Are you stuck in a "still life" that's beautiful but not going anywhere?


An editor from a well-known literary journal once told me 90 percent of the stories he reads are rejected, and most for the same reason:  nothing happens.

Don't let that happen to your book!

Why Bad Decisions Make Good Stories
A friend from Florida just emailed me a list of random thoughts, truisms to laugh at or shake your head over. Here's the one that grabbed me for this week's writing exercise: "Bad decisions make good stories." Funny, but really accurate. A good motto for writers.

Bad decisions are one of the only ways plot is furthered in memoir and fiction. If you're stuck in a rut, chances are your writing is staying too safe.

This week's discussion and exercise looks at a simple question. Why are you keeping bad decisions out of your book?

The Downside of Staying Safe
A student in my classes complained about her writer's block. She wrote several chapters that just flowed out. Then, about chapter 5, she got stuck. Nothing happened--either on the page or with the pen. I suggested she look at the bad decisions in her chapters. Try to find something that made everyone uneasy or got them into trouble.

What you're after here are the qualities of risk. What does the edge feel like? What does it feel like to "up the stakes" in your writing?

This writer was working on her book's storyboard (a visual map we create in my workshops and classes) so I suggested she review the main plot points.  As she scanned them, she realized nothing big had happened after the opening event, which triggered her story. Everyone was skating along, keeping the status quo.  This writer realized she had been saving the "good stuff" for later in the book, because she wasn't sure she could conjur up enough of it to spread around. Thus, there were no bad decisions resulting from the triggering (opening) event.  And very little momentum, very little energy to propel the plot.  This was a book that would probably get shelved after chapter 3, unfortunately.

I asked her why she was holding off on getting her characters in trouble via bad decisions.  She explained at length, and I realized that this writer is a very nice person in her real life, someone everyone liked and someone who prized harmony at all costs. She also believes in a world where most people are good at heart, so she just couldn't see how to embarrass her characters with any faux pas.  She liked them all (they were modeled after her!) and she couldn't see a way to paint them as bad people.

I like this writer--who wouldn't? And I also believe in that kind of goodness. But not on paper. Not in fiction or memoir, especially if you want to publish today.

I'm not suggesting you have to make murder and mayhem. Bad decisions can just be telling a white lie, and watching the consequences unfold. I asked this writer if she'd ever told a white lie, and she said, "Of course, who hasn't?"

"Find your bad decisions," I suggested. "List them, then transport one into your story."

Finding Bad Decisions--This Week's Writing Exercise
We've all made bad decisions. We've been on the receiving end of other people's, too. They are hard to forget, no matter how hard we try. Think of what your "story" was after the decision. It probably had drama, movement, energy, and consequences. That's what you're after in your writing.

This week write about one really bad decision you made in your life. Write about it in all its glory. I like to set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes, to limit the agony. Maybe you're far enough away to not feel the pain of it again, but if you do feel some embarrassment or unease as you write, good thing--because it'll make the writing that much more emotionally grabbing for a reader.

Now look at your book draft. Where are the bad decisions? If you don't have many, make a list of 10 things your character would never do. (Use this equally for memoir or fiction.) Now write one scene, one moment, using one item on the list--imagining it happening.

See if this provides momentum. Gets you unstuck. Out of that "still life."

Starting a Law Firm | Steve Jobs and the iPad

I didn't really know what I was going to write about today, as my starting a law firm material is pretty low, and then I looked at cnn.com and saw that Steve Jobs stepped down today as the CEO of Apple (don't worry folks, he's still going to be the chairman of the board, so his design aesthetic should at least linger). Then I remembered that pretty much all day I've been thinking about getting an iPad, even going to an Apple store today and walking around, and I thought that would make a great topic for today's post.

Why Would a Lawyer Want an iPad?

I don't know why any lawyer would want an iPad, but I can think of several reasons why I would want an iPad. Here are a couple.



1. I am wasting way to much time in court waiting around.



In the world of criminal defense, you waste about half of your life just standing around waiting for things to happen. They call 50 people in for an 8:30 court date and start knocking them out. That means there are significant amounts of time spent sitting in a chair in a courtroom.



Until now I'd just carried my iPhone with me and made due. I can check email, read some stuff, and otherwise keep myself occupied. But I know that I could be doing so much more. With the iPad I could not only read cases and briefs and emails, but I could actively read them, which is so much better. The iPad gives you the capability to edit documents, work with PDFs, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I can actually keep working while I'm sitting around in court!



2. If I take some time to learn how, it can be a powerful trial tool.



I keep up with technology for the most part, and I've seen some of the things the iPad can do. And I'd like to be able to take advantage of them when I'm in trial. As a criminal defense attorney I need all the help I can get (the deck is often intentionally stacked against you). If this can help to even the playing field even a little bit, then I'm for it.

What Kind of iPad am I Getting? 3G or Wifi Only?

This question alone is what has been holding me back the most. There are basically six options you have for an iPad - 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes and wifi or wifi and 3g enabled.



I'm thinking of getting the 32 gig model, just to make sure I have enough room (I don't think I'll ever be able to use that up), but I was wavering on whether or not to get the 3g or the wifi only model. The 3g is more expensive - $729 versus 599 and you have to pay a monthly fee for the 3g service, but, you have the added safety net of always being able to connect to the internet, even if there is no wifi around. This is important for me because our courtrooms, like I'm sure most of yours are, are still living in the 80's when it comes to technology. That means even if they've discovered the wonderful world of wifi the signal is often weak and crappy.



So I think I'm going with the 3g 32 gig model. And of course I'm going with black. That's just my style.



I'll keep you up to date periodically with how the iPad experience is, what is working well, what isn't, what added benefits I've discovered, what drawbacks there are, and what applications I'm using. Hopefully it will help you out.



As always, love to have comments and questions. Been a little quite lately. Don't you all have anything to say? :)

Starting a Law Firm | Update on Law Firm Marketing | Mailbag

Before I get too far, I wanted to tell you I answered a couple of questions and updated my pricing schedule for the new law firm internet marketing service I'm offering. Click on the link to go check it out. I've already got one person signed up, there's only room for one more, and I'm not joking about this when I say it could be a game changer for your practice. But enough about that. Let's get on to the good stuff.

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

I got a couple of good questions from readers, so I thought I'd spend today answering them. I've found that this is a good way to talk about some thinks I might not have though about or to readdress an area I may not have been too clear on. If you've got a question, leave it as a comment and we'll talk about it on here. And, since these are reader questions, if you've got your own experiences, please share in the comments. The more the merrier!

Starting a Law Firm and the Phone System

Here's a comment from Anonymous, who says:

Great blog - enjoying the wealth of info.

One question - you have no physical phone lines in your office so is it safe for me to assume that you are using your cell service for Internet connectivity? What type of cell service plan do you have?

This comment came from the post on (link provided for quick reference), and I'll do my best to answer it, though I'm not precisely sure where the commenter wants me to go with it.



Yes, I don't have any physical phone lines in my office. I use a combination of Google Voice and Skype for my set up. Google Voice provides the phone number, Skype provides the feel of a physical telephone system (ability to forward, etc.).



As for internet connectivity, it is not safe to assume I am using my cell phone for internet connectivity. Where I live, we have internet delivered through cable, just like TV. I believe it's called DSL, or was called that. I have internet in my office, set up to a wireless router, that provides all of us with internet service. When a call comes in to Google Voice it is forwarded to my assistant's Skype number and she then answers it and deals with it as if it came directly to her. If I need to take the call she can forward it to my skype number or to my cell number (I typically have it forwarded to my cell in the office out of pure convenience to myself).



That's how it works.



To answer your specific question, I have an iPhone 4 through AT&T. I'm on the original data plan that has no limit for $30 a month, and my phone service I think is about $65 a month. That's it.

Starting a Law Firm and "Dressing for Success"

Another recent comment that I thought I'd talk about comes from Ian, who says:

Hi Jim,



I've been following your blog for awhile and I can honestly tell that you have a gift for it. Kudos to you!



Reading your latest post a question popped into my mind that you tangentially touched upon in the past when you talked about your buying an iphone when you started your firm in order to portray the right image with clients.



How important do you think the accoutrements of what people (and other lawyers) perceive as success in a lawyer (the Rolex, the BMW, the Gucci loafers, whatever) are in building up business? We all heard the adage "dress for success" but I'm curious to hear your take on things.



I'm coming to this issue as the driver of a Dodge Caravan (for me it doubles as family vacation vehicle), the wearer of an (admittedly Swiss) watch that cost about $250 and an occasional shopper at Jos A. Bank when they're running big sales, etc. I gotta admit that even in my mid size town (population 250,000) I sometimes feel a little put down at attorney meetings where the parking lot usually looks like an import car dealership, so I'm wondering what your thoughts were.



Cheers and thanks for all you advice,



Ian

This is a tough question to answer as it may apply differently to different people, depending on your practice area and things like that. But here's my take.



First things first, first impressions are everything. People are going to decide a lot of things about you, right or wrong, based on what they think of you the first time they meet you. The great thing about this is you have the opportunity to control pretty much all of the variables surrounding meetings. The bad thing is you have the opportunity to control pretty much all of the variable surrounding meetings.



When people meet an attorney for the first time they have a lot of stereotypical things built up in their minds. Some of these things are good, some of them are bad. The key is to sit down and think about what stereotypical things your clients will be thinking and accentuate the good and delete the bad.



For example, I'm in criminal defense. When people think of criminal defense lawyers they typically turn to what they've seen on television - well dressed, smooth talker, a "shark," untrustworthy, sneaky, and some things like that. So, when they first come to meet me they are immediately trying to size me up to see if I fit into their stereotypes - if I fit in the right way I get hired. If I don't, they'll "think about it."



So, I make sure when I meet with clients, almost all the time, I'm wearing a suit. And a suit that makes me look good. The idea is to present an aura of success, of confidence. That's what they need in their attorney, and that's one thing that will make them feel comfortable.



Second, I make sure my office is nice, not overly done, and inviting. I want them to feel at ease, feel like I have no problem paying the bills (which I don't) and feel like I'm sitting in my office slugging it out for my clients on a daily basis (I am). I don't want it to be over the top because I don't want them thinking about how I paid for all the stuff I've got in my office. I want them to listen to me.



Now, where first impressions aren't made - the type of car you drive; how much your suit costs (please, though, spend enough money on a suit so that it looks good on you - if you don't feel like taking on the world in that suit, move on to the next or get it tailored - there's no reason to look like a slob); and anything else you can think of.



I drive a 1997 Toyota 4Runner. It gets me from point A to point B. When I meet clients and potential clients, I don't typically show them my car. I also don't tell them the price or make of my suits. I don't own a watch. I have nice shoes, because nice shoes make for a nice suit, but I didn't spend over $200 for them.



I think at the end of the day, it all comes down to meeting client expectations. If you're worried about impressing other attorneys, I wouldn't worry about it (unless, of course, they fall into client expectations). Whenever I see some guy with a nice car I don't think he's better than me or more successful than me, I just think he's a car guy (they should see my golf clubs!).



When you're starting a law firm it's important to look established, like you're organized, but it's not important to throw off a fake air of success. Just put yourselves in your potential client's or current clients' shoes and go from there.



That's it for the mailbag today. What do you think about these two topics? Have a question about something else? Let me know!

Starting a Law Firm | Influencer: The Power to Change Anything | A Review

I was flying back from Kansas yesterday after visiting some family and I was reading a book that I thought would be relevant to discuss here. As the title of the post suggests, the name of the book was "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything." It is written by Kerry Patterson, among others, and was really quite an amazing book. Here's a review of it, and I hope you go out and buy it. (It's sad we have to put this here in today's world, but I'm not getting any payment for this - I didn't even get the book for free!).



Throughout our daily lives there are things going on that we'd like to influence the outcome of. We want our wife to let us go play golf (don't read anything into this honey!). We want our companies to be more efficient. We want to lose weight. We want to stop eating the things we know we should not be eating. But exerting this kind of influence over ourselves and others is difficult, and in some ways can seem to be impossible.



Well, it is possible, and this book, Influencer, gives you the tools to do just that. What the book does is break down influence into six different categories:

(1) Personal motivation (making the undesirable desirable);



(2) Personal ability (surpass your limits);



(3) Social motivation (harness peer pressure);



(4) Social Ability (find strength in numbers);



(5) Structural motivation (design rewards and demand accountability); and



(6) Structural ability (change the environment).

Then, step by step, the authors walk you through how you can use these categories to change the things you want to change (for the worse or for the better).



It's a great book because not only is it filled with a lot of theoretical information, it also provides a lot of great real world examples. The examples include changing corporate culture, losing weight, stopping debilitating diseases, harnessing the power of employees, and many others. It can be a great insight and provide great direction into improving any challenges you are currently facing in life and opening new doors that you thought might be closed to you.



It should be pretty clear to you how this book is relevant to starting a law firm. But just in case it isn't, I'll tell you personally how it's going to help me.



First, there are things that I have to do all the time that I don't necessarily like to do. It's not that they are bad things, I just don't personally find them enjoyable. What this book has allowed me to do is take a step back and reframe the way I look at things, in order to derive the satisfaction I should out of completing those tasks.



Second, there are personal goals that I want to reach that I know I am holding myself back from. This book has provided me with the tools to change bad habits into good, to make myself more productive, and enjoy every single bit of it.



Third, and finally, the book has provided a lot of insight from a managerial and entrepreneurial standpoint. There are ways to handle specific situations that are much better than others. There are specific steps to take in a specific order to garner the best results. And there are important things related to my business that I need to keep top of mind if I want it to continue going in the direction it is going.



Starting a law firm should be the best experience of your life. You should enjoy it. So take the time to think about why you are doing it, what it really means to you, and then get out there and do it. Oh, and read the book. I guarantee you'll get something from it.

Banish “said” from your vocabulary

‘I’m afraid she’s dead,’ unveiled the doctor. A silence settled on the room as the family took this in.

‘You’re sure?’ proclaimed Lois, quietly. The doctor nodded.

‘I’m terribly sorry,’ he conversed. ‘It was a peaceful end.’

‘Did she...’ Lois vocalised. ‘Did she have any last words?’

‘Yes,’ nodded the doctor, nodding. ‘She epitaphed a few words before she left us. “Tell my children I love them,” she stated. Then she recapitulated “all of them,” and shortly after that, she went.’

‘I can’t believe it,’ philosophised Lois. ‘I can’t believe she’s gone.’

‘I’m so terribly sorry,’ the doctor gushed.

‘Can I ask a question?’ questioned Lois.

‘Of course,’ dialogued the doctor.

‘If we had brought her in sooner,’ she began, ‘is there anything we could have done,’ she continued, ‘to give her more time?’ she concluded, questioningly.

‘I... I’m afraid not,’ the doctor ejaculated.

Stylish Organisation

After reading this article on stylish organising person Kristina Karlsson a few weeks ago, I knew I had to do something about our office at work. Because it’s just grown with us as we've run our shop over the past almost-seven years, I haven’t really set up many systems. There were a few labelled folders here and there and a lot of piles of paper. I also made the most of being surrounded by shoeboxes by saving the nicest and sturdiest ones to house items that are better filed that way.



I know that you cannot be serene and chic and in control of your life when you can’t find a vital document, or regularly unearth something where you have missed the deadline. In spite of knowing that it took a different tack to get me motivated in organising myself. That motivation, my friends, was style.



Seeing this Swedish expat’s Australian website made me covet her kraft paper range (the top picture in this post, alas it is not my office). Sadly I knew it would add up to a lot buying all her rather highly priced stationery items. Coming from thrifty Scottish stock I made me own version. Shall we call it Fifi K?







(Above) is a picture of our shop-office. It is part-way through my organising frenzy. I had already begun re-doing our filing systems but had been in too much of a hurry to take 'before' photos. Story of my life.



What did I do I hear you ask?



I used the same lever arch ring binders I already had, and made covers for the old labels with chopped up thick brown kraft paper shopping bags that were stashed away, some labels my Dad had given me when he was cleaning out his office and double-sided tape that yes, I already had. I don’t know where the tape came from and didn’t know how I was ever going to use such a big roll, but you never know when something’s going to come in handy (I am part hoarder/part minimalist).



My husband watched with interest this new hobby of mine. Afterwards he said when I had done one box it looked like a shoebox with lame bits stuck on it, but when I had done everything it looked very pulled together and professional. This is high praise indeed to me for I feared I was wasting my time (when I had so many other important things to do).





(Above), the finished product.



I used a simple ‘typewriter’ font and stole Janet’s idea of using no capitals, just because it looks cool, and that is what I’m all about in the office. Nothing else was ever going to get me to do my filing. But look, look behind my laptop (mine's the one on the right), can you see neat and empty-ish baskets? Me too!



I know my getup isn’t nearly as designer as Kikki K’s, but it’s a million times better than what it was and all it cost me was a few (several) hours of my time and a bit of ingenuity. That to me is far more satisfying that just buying a job lot (not that I wouldn’t accept a total Kikki K package if an office makeover tv show came knocking).





When I was thinking how I could pretty up the binders and boxes and make them look uniform, other than brown kraft paper I thought of nice wrapping paper (which some of us fold up and think we’ll use again. Sometimes we do, sometimes it stays in a drawer forever) and also the sheet music I wrapped a gift with here. Both would be thick enough and patterned enough to cover up logos and writing. They would be attractive for a home office and I am already thinking what I can do with my sewing room.



I did spend some money on our new shop office fit out. I bought two items – an inexpensive whiteboard, XL size, and a cork board of the same size. We’ve been meaning to get them for about four years, but clearly now is the time for us to make our move. And they weren’t even on special. I had to strike while the organising iron was hot, forgive me frugal gods.





In the course of reorganising the desks and shelves I also cleaned like there was no tomorrow. I took everything off the desk apart from the printer and cleaned it (and even though the printer stayed put, it was moved around and dusted under, and over). I removed all the storage boxes from under the desk, dusted and vacuumed and then sorted all the cords so they didn’t show on the desk as much. When I put storage boxes back under the desk I decluttered and sorted so there weren’t as many. The top of the desk was spray-and-wiped and everything was put back nice and tidily.



I used a sturdy cardboard box lid to contain all the little things that make a desk look messy, like stapler, address stamp, memo cube, lethal receipt spike, calculator and hole punch etc. They are still easy to get at though. Storage solutions may look pretty, but they have to be practical for everyday use too, or else you won’t use them and things will go back to how they were. I know that from experience.





I am so happy in our newly reorganised office now, and I promise one day when we’re a lot richer, I will shower myself with Kikki K’s goodies for providing the inspiration. If you haven’t already, go read the article. She’s very infectious.

Starting a Law Firm | A New Opportunity for You

UPDATE: Don't want to talk about this anymore here, though I've gotten several responses. For more information, go to lawfirmwebsiteseo.blogspot.com, my site that's more relevant to this.



I was at a DUI conference in Boston a couple of weeks ago and I had an interesting conversation with several people there. As we DUI lawyers are wont to do after we've had a couple of frosty beverages, we started talking about the respective strengths of our practices - how we're doing, where we are struggling, and what others might be doing that is working that we can use when we got back home.



A funny thing happened time and time again when I was having these conversations, everyone was paying a lot of money to try to take advantage of everything the web had to offer - and they weren't seeing great results from it. I would tell them about what I've done, how effective it has been for my practice, and I could just see their eyes light up as they asked me question after question about how to do what I did. And for pennies on the dollar.



One particular person I talked to said he wanted us to meet after the conference to talk about how what I knew could help their firm and their firm's business. I said sure, I'd meet with them, just like I've met with countless other people (and discussed on my blog) to talk about what I do from a search engine perspective. But he said something I hadn't heard before - he said "I want you to help us do this, and I want to make it right for you." That got the wheels turning. And here's why.



Anyone can do what I do to get higher rankings in the search engines. Literally anyone. But, it takes work. It takes grind it out work. It takes monotonous work. I'm just stupid enough and bull headed enough to do it - and over time I've gotten good at it. When I tell most people how to do it (the process will probably take you about an hour a day, every day, forever) they shy away from it, even though the rewards are huge.



So, I've decided to hire out my services to people that are interested in using them. What I will do, for a fee, is employ my strategies on your website to get them ranking at the top of the search engines for your desired keywords. I will do this and continue to do it as long as you see value in it, and I think you'll see value in it the moment we hit the top three results (which, depending on the competitiveness of your keyword could take a couple of weeks or a couple of months).



Since you all are my faithful readers I thought I'd give you the opportunity to sign up first. But here's the catch - I don't want to get overwhelmed with this, so I'm not going to just let everyone sign up. Right now I have no clients - none. Like I said, this literally was discussed three weeks ago with a DUI lawyer colleague of mine. I want to start slow and build over time, so right now I'm only going to take on two clients. That's it. So, after you read what I'm offering, if you're interested let me know quickly.



Here's what I'm going to do. When you sign up for me, whatever keywords you want, you have exclusive rights to those keywords with me. They have to be location specific, because that's all that matters anyway, so once you sign up, you'll get my full attention to your specific location based keywords. You get to pick two, and then as we grow, you can add more on for a nominal fee.



For example, let's say you practice divorce law in Kansas City. Two great keywords for you would be Kansas City divorce lawyer and Kansas City divorce attorney - that's what people type in when they are looking for you. You would have the exclusive rights to those keywords with me as long as you were a client - that means I would never sign anyone up in the Kansas City area for divorce law.



Don't know if anyone is still interested, but if you are, here is how the price structure is set up. I don't want to work for free, but I don't want to get paid for the premium value I'm giving you until you are getting it. So, the way I've set it up is a tiered fee structure. Every week I'll check your keywords and report to you the results. As long as you are not on the first page, the fee is $500 a month. Even if you get on the first page during a month, you don't owe any extra. Once you are on the first page, the price goes up to $1000 a month. That reflects the value you are getting - you should start to get more pageviews and hits on your website from being on the first page. Once you are in the top 3, the price goes up to $3000 a month, and it stays there forever.



I'm not sure if that sounds like a lot of money to you or not. If you are just starting out it may seem like a big commitment. But here's the thing, my guess is if I get you even one new client a month you have already paid your costs for the month (that's at the $3000 a month level). After that, everything is profit. To put it into perspective for you, the guy I talked to was paying at least $7000 a month for his search engine help!



This kind of search engine help probably isn't right for everyone. From my perspective, this service would be most valuable to people that have potential clients looking for their services on the internet - this means, for the most part, consumer based services. The one's I'm thinking of are criminal defense, bankruptcy (consumer), family law, personal injury, estate planning (maybe), employment law (from the employee side), and on and on.



I have no idea if anyone is going to be interested in this. I can tell you I could easily pay the price I've asked for with the business I've brought in using these techniques. I thought some of you might want some help from a reputable source that truly has your success in mind.



Remember, I'm only taking two spots for now, so let me know if you're interested and we'll talk further.

The Image List : A Great Way to Get Your Creativity Juiced

In mid-summer, my writing often takes a dive.  I feel the laziness of summertime and don't really want to work on anything, much less do the hard work it takes to be a dedicated book author.

I set myself a schedule, I set a timer, and still the stuff doesn't come out on the page.  Maybe
the garden is calling (boy, is it ever right now--anyone need some cucumbers?).  Or I've just gotten that cool memoir by Patti Smith (Just Kids--great book!) from the library and the book, my screened porch,  its comfy camp bed, and a glass of iced tea sounds pretty wonderful.

Basically, I'm too hot to write, too cold to write, too tired to write.  So little writing gets done.  This process doesn't make me feel better, surprisingly.  Because I really love to write, and I love my book.   

During doldrums like this, I usually let myself take a break, because I work hard most of the time.  But if that break goes on into guilt about not writing, or if the ache to get back to my book started growing, I have a couple of effective helpers to get my creativity juiced.

A favorite for the sensory-rich days of summer is the image list.

Using an Image List
In my writing notebook, I have a list of images.  These images are connected to my book.  They include objects, weather, vehicles like a certain car or truck, parts of a landscape like a river or a field of rocks, the way light comes into one of the rooms, a taste, a certain sound like bells, or anything that evokes sensation in me when I imagine it.  I add to this list of images whenever I can, so it's always fresh and interesting.

I encourage all my book-writing students to keep such a list, and draw from it for freewrites.  Here's how it works:

Last week, I was finally in front of the chapter I was editing for my next book.  But I was stumped.  So I turned to my image list.  I picked an image that somehow spoke to me, that might be part of the life of one of my characters.  I began freewriting about my own associations with that image.

The image was holly wreaths.  

I have some history with holly wreaths.  When I was a teenager, I was in charge of making huge holiday wreaths each winter from the holly my dad grew in our yard.  Not a fun project--holly has wicked thorns--but I loved the meditative time weaving the strands into a circle of heavy wire, trying to keep the berries intact, and I loved the months the holly wreaths hung on our windows and front door, bright against the snow.  It felt artistic, interesting, and certain different from my normal teenager life.  The making of this strange kind of art soothed me as a kid, and I still enjoy doing it.

One of my characters also has history with holly wreaths (surprise!) because she lives on a flower farm.  So I wasn't too shocked, as I wrote my memories of wreaths, that a clue came from my freewrite for my book.

It solved a dilemma I've been struggling with:  how could I get this character to meet up with a former love who's back in town and causing trouble?  She would avoid this person at all costs.  But, believe it or not, the freewrite on holly wreaths got me thinking about a place, a time, and a situation neither could get out of.

Another flaccid chapter gets unexpected life breathed into it.  Thanks to the image list.

Writing Exercise #1:  Using the Image List to Locate a Character's Primary Image
John Gardner, author of The Art of Fiction, wrote, "We read five words on the first page of a really good novel and we begin to forget that we are reading printed words on a page; we begin to see images."

Ask yourself, what's the primary image that relates to one of your main characters? It may be an object (a favorite pen, jackknife, vase, wooden toy), part of the landscape (a river, cliff, apple orchard, path through the forest, side of a graffitied building), something worn by the person (sunglasses, black leather jacket, tattoo).

Spend 20 minutes writing everything you know about this image.

Writing Exercise #2:  Using the Image List to Develop Sensory Details in Your Book
Another favorite writing teacher, E.L. Doctorow, said, "Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon."

Set a kitchen timer for 10 minutes and write about this image from one of the five senses: smell, taste, touch (texture and temperature), sound, sight. Underline your favorite sentence from what you wrote, one that "evokes sensation." Can you add it to a page in your book draft?  Could it rescue one of your chapters?

Book writers (and all writers!) need to be able to hear both the random, illogical side of their creative selves, as well as the structuring, logical part. Images come from this random side, and they are just waiting to be grabbed.  Clues about how to improve our writing come from images, in my experience.  If the dog days of summer are leaving you feeling a bit distant from your creative self, begin making a list of images.  Then pick a time, set a timer, and go to it.

Write everything you can about that image.  It may lead you to a completely new view of your book.


PS  Next week I'll be on vacation.  I'm taking my book along and plan to plant myself with a ton of images (by a lake in the mountains) to inspire me.  Hope you do the same!  The blog posts will resume the following week. 

Chic Habits

Looking after le feet. Our poor feet. They are tromped around on all day, squeezed into shoes that aren't their shape, and generally forgotten about.



I've been doing two of my favourite things lately - using stuff up, and pampering myself. In my possession I have all manner of foot creams, heel balms and minty massage oil designed for the feet. These I have both purchased myself and been given as gifts. I didn't really use them though, and much as I like decluttering, I feel wasteful throwing out products I could use if I wasn't so darn lazy.



So I've rehomed all my foot goodies in the top drawer by my bed, where I also keep lip balms and creams, and body butter and rich moisturisers for the decolletage, hands and elbows. I apply all these things every night.



If I'm tired and it's late I at least do my decolletage and hands, but if I have gone to bed nice and early it's lovely to sit there using different lotions and really beautifying myself. It's a relaxing way to spend five minutes too, perfect for bedtime.



I have added feet to the list now. Some nights I might give my feet a small massage with the oil, others I might rub in the heel balm. Because it's winter here I put on bedsocks afterwards, this way I can use the thickest and most unctuous creams. In summer when it's too hot for bedsocks the lighter moisturisers will do and then I won't have sticky feet in bed.



When I wash my feet in the shower the next day they are very soft, and it inspires me to use my foot file more often than I used to. When I moisturise my legs after a shower I always include the feet too. We ask so much of them and then bemoan their ugliness (I hear it all the time in the shop, always from women). It's about time we gave them a little TLC!

Commit to clichés

‘Run like the wind!’ Olaf shouted. ‘The kind of wind that goes very fast in a certain direction, then changes course abruptly to avoid obstacles, whilst taking care not to let itself be caught by its pursuers!’

Anneke glanced over her shoulder. It literally felt as if her heart was in her throat – a thumping knot of muscle lodged just behind her tonsils, pumping blood around her body from its strange new position through arteries which presumably had been rerouted down her throat in some way. She ran as fast as she could, knowing that what pursued her was her worst nightmare – worse than finding herself back at school with no clothes on; worse than her teeth falling out in the middle of a business meeting; worse than not being able to understand what the man in the golden highchair was saying and then noticing that he has the face of her boss but sometimes it’s the face of her old piano tutor and she somehow knows without knowing how she knows that if she gets too close he will shout at her but the room is getting smaller and smaller and her shoes are too tight. It was worse than any of those things and was made even more terrifying by the knowledge that it wasn’t, in fact, a nightmare, but a real thing in her waking life. It was, however, a figurative nightmare, with all the concomitant emotional impact that description suggests (for which, see above).

Transitioning to the Image Brain: Write a Poem about Your Book

Novelist and short-story writer Stuart Dybek (Coast of Chicago) was interviewed in Novel Voices about unique approaches to writing a book.

A most intriguing idea he presented was this
:  Write a poem about your manuscript.

I was very inspired by this exercise. I don't consider myself a poet, but I wanted to try it.  Maybe it would give me some new insights on my book?

My current novel is in revision stage; it's a struggle and a joy, as all books are, so I grabbed a handful of magnetic poetry words from a bowl in my office.  I spread them out on the table and started arranging the words into three stanzas, each representing one of the Acts of my book-in-progress.

I've been stumbling around Act 3 for weeks, and doing this poem-writing exercise gave my insights into why.  Words came together easily in the stanzas for Acts 1 and 2 of my book, but Act 3 was still full of mystery.  Mostly, my poem shared questions.  What's going to happen in Act 3, to pull all the threads together?  Why does Kate stay, why does Zoe commit, why does Mel come back?

I realized I was telling myself I needed to know these answers, but my book wasn't ready to give them yet.

The poem let us come into some agreement about things unanswered, and we both felt better.  I stopped pushing.  I decided to be content with not knowing answers, because I wasn't ready to implement them.  Yes, I had a plot ending to the story, which seemed to work, but the inner story, the characters' motivations, were still mysterious to me.  Letting the question just be in front of me, as I continue to revise, felt right.

Since then, I've been mulling over the poetry exercise.  I've tried it in my classes, and I've seen it give writers a lot of peace about their books, where they are right now, as well as unexpectedly good ideas about next steps.   

Poetry is image-based, so it clicks the writer into the right brain rather than the more linear left side of the brain.  This exercise takes about 20 minutes, but it can bring breakthroughs.

This past week on Madeline Island, I asked my workshop class to end our five day session with this poetry-making exercise.  I reassured them that they didn't have to be poets to do it, they just needed to be willing to play and explore what they knew about their books.  I passed out small handfuls of magnetic poetry words and let everyone get to it.  Some people are reluctant, of course, because this activity is all about process, not product.  It doesn't seem efficient or logical.  I encourage and cajole, and everyone eventually makes a poem. 

We share the rough poems, and many this year were very moving.  Some of them eloquently described the journey of the past five days of the retreat, where writers learned unexpected new avenues into their books.  Some poems talked about the struggle to find a story, and how it had come to resolution (or not).  Other poems showed a character's journey, and how the writer's own journey mirrored that.

I've expanded the exercise to include the steps below.  Try it this week, just for fun.  It'll sink you back into that wonderful sense of creative play, which is so appropriate for summertime.


This Week's Writing Exercise
 1.  Create one sentence for each of three acts in your book (their peak moments, their external movement, the changes that you're going for).

2.  Create one sentence for each of your main character’s shifts during the story, or your reader's shifts and journey as she reads your material.  These can be internal changes in the character, such as a big realization moment, or an external decision the person makes to do something differently.

3.  Create one sentence for each of three different setting details (with something from the five senses associated with each).  For instance, think about a setting you've chosen for Act 1 and a sentence that describes that setting.

4.  Create one sentence for each of three objects or memories associated with the book.  These can be something a character really loves or remembers.

5.  Find one musical detail in the book (sound or rhythm).

6.  Take all the above musings and write a three-stanza poem about your book, one stanza for each Act. Use one plot point, one character shift, one object or memory in each stanza. Then try to get something rhythmic or musical in each stanza.

Have fun with this!  Don't approach it too seriously; let the book guide you into new insights.

Starting a Law Firm | Spending Money to Make Money

I know I've talked about this before on here (at least I think I have) but there are decision you will be asked to make every day that require you to shell out money. And I'm not talking about paying for phone services or things like that. This money decision I'm talking about typically comes in the form of you paying someone to do something you could do yourself.

Now, if you are asking yourself "why pay someone to do something you could do yourself?" this post is specifically for you.

When you first start your law firm you won't even have to ask yourself this question - you probably won't have any choice in the matter because you won't have the money to spend. You'll have to do it yourself. But once the phone starts ringing and you start actually having to manage your time and resources, you're going to have to start spending some money - if you want to keep making more money that is.

What I'm talking about here is leverage - using what you've got to get even more. Leverage is an extremely powerful and effective tool if used right. And it's easy to learn how to use it right.

Here's a perfect example. When I started my law firm it was just me. I answered the phone, I did the paperwork, I folded the laundry, I mopped the floor, I went to court, I did it all. But eventually I found myself missing calls because I was in court so much. I found myself spending a lot of time doing paperwork and filing paperwork. All of that time I was losing to those activities was hindering me from going out and getting new work. So I hired Kelsey.

For the sake of this post let's say I pay Kelsey $10/hour (I don't, I pay her more than that, but it makes the math easier). Let's say she works 40 hours a week - that's $400 week or $1600 a month. For $1600 a month she has freed me from the responsibility of answering the phone, filing paperwork, following up with clients for documents, filling and mailing newsletters, and many other things. Do you think I can make more than $1600 with my new found 160 hours of free time? You betcha.

Yes, I know that seems like a lot of money, and I know it's a leap of faith to hire someone and let them help you. I mean, what if you hire them and then the phone mysteriously stops ringing, right? That would suck.

But here's the honest truth - it's not going to stop ringing. It's going to ring this month just like it did last month. Actually, that's a lie, it's not going to ring like it did last month - it's going to ring more because you're going to have the time to go after those marketing opportunities that you've just let slip away because you've been so busy drafting notices of appearance. You're going to schedule more meetings because you're not going to miss any more calls.

If you're not ready to spend some money to make some money I get it. I was there. And that's okay. Just know you are limiting your law firm's true earning potential by holding yourself back.

Go get em.

How to stay young

I wish there was a tape recorder going for the conversation I just had with a customer, because I don’t think anyone will believe me when I relay it to them.

A nice, well-dressed lady was buying a pair of shoes, and said she needed them to get around in the weekend and watch the grandchildren play rugby on a Saturday morning.

‘Grandkids!’ I spluttered. ‘You look too youthful to have grandkids, what’s your secret?’ I asked her. After I said it I realised it may be misconstrued as an impolite question (starting very young etc). Luckily she didn't take offence.

‘What cream do you use?’ I quizzed. ‘None really’, she said ‘I don’t use much at all.’ ‘Good genes?’ I asked again. ‘No, that’s not it. My mother has a lot of age spots’.

After a bit she said ‘Sex! Lots of sex. I’m not joking. Have sex. And have it a lot.’

Cue my startled face and then an interesting conversation. I’m no prude but she was very upfront and happy to tell me her secret to defying her age. And ten minutes before I'd never met her.

I told her about an Oprah show I saw a while back about a couple who were overweight, tired out and unhappy. They decided to rev up their life by making a pact to have sex every day for a year. You can imagine how vibrant, trim and healthy this couple looked after the year was up, not to mention happy and smiling, with an enviable energy.

‘It would be hard if you were single though’ I put to her. ‘Oh, my friends think I’m terrible’ she said, ‘but I have a 'friend' who’s ten years younger than me and we've been getting together for a couple of years. I’ve had marriage and I’ve had long term relationships, I just can’t be bothered with those now. I’m happy being single and just getting together with my friend every so often.’

I admit I was a little speechless (and impressed with her candour) at this stage. She recommended sex as the best exercise you can have, and of course it is fun and free.

Just in case you are wondering otherwise, she wasn’t tacky or tarty looking. She just looked like a pleasant, normal woman who might be standing in front of you at the supermarket checkout. Except that you might think she was 45 when she was really 55. I didn’t have the cheek to ask her age, but I was dying to know.

She asked if I always worked Fridays and I said I did, as she wanted to come in again for another pair of shoes and would come when I was there. Maybe I’ll find out then.

But in the meantime...

PS. Feel free to comment anonymously on this post!