This is a bonus part of the book. The main idea of this book is to bring more hits to the pages on Instagram (and other social media) that some students in Florida created.
Some of those students might benefit from the advice given by Mark, a lawyer. You can get more information from Mark by sending your questions to manyposters@gmai.com and I’ll forward the info to him.
- What did you learn in school that you still use today?
Words are very powerful. Words can win victories. Words can also cause problems. Thus, they must be used very carefully. Lawyers make their living by using words in various ways.
I still use today the words from literature and history that I learned when I was in school because I think they contain life lessons that help guide me, especially in law, where much of my work is dealing with adversity, controversy, and disputes amongst people. Many of the poems and plays and histories that I read in school have stuck with me.
I read a play in high school by William Saroyan called The Time of Your Life. I really liked the Prologue to that play. It contained many good words to live by. Mr. Saroyan wrote, among other things, “Remember that every man is a variation of yourself”. Those words help me to make friends and also to deal with others. This does not mean that people get a pass for acting badly, but it does help me understand them. It also opens up the world.
William Shakespeare wrote a great speech in his play Henry V about soldiers going into battle together. This speech can be applied to any group of people that join together for a common cause to fight for their rights. One sentence especially sticks with me: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers . . . For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” Wow, that says it all.
I also remember the poem Ozymandius by the English poet Shelley, which describes the folly of seeking worldly glory. Money is not the measure of a man. Money is good to have, sure, but it does not cure anything or make you a better person. You have to do that on your own. That is real.
The poem If by Rudyard Kipling also provided me with words to live by. It starts with, “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you” and ends with “If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son! ” If is a good poem for lawyers.
Also, I am a fan of Winston Churchill. Churchill was not perfect, but he used his words to fight for his country and against evil in World War II. Lawyers use words to fight for their clients. Churchill went back to his high school, Harrow, during the height of the war and gave this advice to the students: “never give in, never give in, never, never, never: in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” 
TinyURL.com/winstonstoryofthephoto
I have many other words that I learned in school that I still try to live by today. Those above are just a few.
2. What do you wish you had learned in school?
I wish I had learned a little more about the world and other people in the world. Although we learned geography and sociology, we really did not get many personal insights into the lives of others outside of our own little social circle. I think it would have been good to meet others outside of my normal environment. I would have liked more interaction with the rest of the world because I think it helps one to understand what is happening outside of your own life. This does not mean you have to accept everything that someone says or does, but it may help you understand and communicate or address others. Later, in college and as an attorney, I met many people from all over the world which has enriched my life with friendships.
3. Name one of your teachers. If you can name the teacher, then something was given by that teacher to you. What was it? Honor that teacher by telling us why you remember that teacher.
I can name several teachers and all for basically the same trait: Ms. Tanaka in grade school, Mrs. Murphy in 6th grade, Mrs. Miller in 8th grade, Mr. Moss, Mr. Heeley, and Mr. Caye in High School, Reverend Heidel from Chapel, Dr. Deal and Professor Tosswill from College, and Professor Strait from law school. All of these teachers were passionate about teaching and their subjects, but they were “gentle” in their approach, not strict. They would open the doors and let you walk through. They would talk with you, not at you. They made you feel good about yourself. They were constructive and understanding in their criticism. They helped me learn. They increased my self-esteem and confidence.
4. Tell us about a book. What have you read in the past ten years that you use today?
I got this quote out of a book that I did not read, but I liked it so much I give it to everyone I know who is graduating from high school:
Follow Your Bliss
The way to find out about your happiness
is to keep your mind on those moments when you really ARE happy -- not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy.
This requires a little bit of self-analysis.
What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what I call, 'Following Your Bliss.' Wherever you are, if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.
When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open doors for you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.
This is a quote from Joseph Campbell's book, THE POWER OF MYTH. You can write to Mark, the attorney who answered these questions, at mark@shklovlaw.com
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The downside to “follow your bliss” is that some people jump from job to job, looking for the bliss. Search “cal newport steve jobs follow your passion” to see how to apply “follow your bliss.”
See other advice at tinyURL.com/srihappy.
REVIEW: Here’s a pop quiz for anyone who’s miserable at work. Which action has the biggest chance of improving your happiness? (A) Getting a promotion or (B) focusing on the positive aspects of your job and trying to ignore the negative?
Sorry, says Srikumar Rao, the author of a new book, Happiness at Work. The answer is none of the above. To achieve greater happiness on the job, you don’t need to make more money.
“The exact attributes of what you are looking for do not exist in any job,” says Rao, who teaches a Columbia University course called “Creativity and Personal Mastery.” He believes that the single biggest obstacle to workplace happiness is the
 belief that we are prisoners of circumstance, powerless before the things that happen to us. To change your job, he says, you must change the way you think about it. “We create our own experience,” he insists. He relies heavily on Eastern spirituality and draws from many major religions. “The knowledge that we are responsible for living the life we have is our most powerful tool.” Review by Helen Coster |
You can get the book at www.TinyURL.com/instagraminflorida
You can learn about Mentors on Video at www.TinyURL.com/MentorsOnVideo
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