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February 2023
THE TRUSTED ADVISOR Down but Not Out
Moving Forward After an Accident
We usually meet our clients at a low point in their lives. They thought they knew where their future was headed when the unimaginable happened. A car accident, fall, dog bite, or other injury upended their plans and life as they knew it. During our first meeting, our clients are usually in pain, confused, and worried about mounting medical bills. They have no idea how or if they’ll get back on track. An injury caused by someone else’s negligence feels like getting knocked to the ground. Sometimes, it hurts so badly it seems like the best course of action is to stay there. But it’s not only possible to fight back — it’s necessary. Feb. 1 is National Get Up Day, encouraging us to bounce back after life has beaten us down. Some setbacks are more severe than others, but we’ll all experience them throughout our lives. We can also control how we respond to them. In truth, watching our clients rebuild their lives is probably the most rewarding part of our jobs.
unclear whether and how much they’ll recover. In the meantime, they’re worrying about car repairs, money for medical bills, and how they’ll make a living now that they’re out of work. Many of our clients face major surgery, which is a scary prospect. Often, it’s not the surgery itself that’s the worst part. The recovery can be grueling. Months of rehabilitation are often physically and emotionally exhausting, and the slow rate of improvement can make a person feel stuck. An injured person isn’t only battling physical pain; the emotional aspects of an injury are often even more devastating. People want to recover not only for themselves but for their families. We think other people expect so much of us, and we don’t want to disappoint them. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety are common reactions to traumatic injuries. Worst of all, our clients sometimes have to face the fact that they’ll never return to their previous activity and ability levels, and they go through a period of profound mourning. The situation often looks grim, but we’ve seen countless clients dust themselves off, meet the challenges head-on, and rebuild their lives. And having watched so many people go through the process, we have the resources to guide them along the way. Most of our work is legal, but we also encourage our clients to continue with their medical treatment, seek mental health counseling, and lean on their family and friends. If there’s ever a time to utilize your support system, this is it — and the people who love you most will want to be there for you. Meanwhile, we help you focus on your physical and emotional recovery by taking the financial and logistical concerns off your plate. We work hard to ensure you’re compensated for everything taken from you. But only you can decide to get up, get through this, and create a life that makes you happy. NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000 1 –Zac Leacox & Nick Norden
After an accident, a person faces all kinds of uncertainty. They’ve often gone from excellent health to experiencing chronic pain and disability. It’s often
Yes, Habit Tracking Actually Works! The Easy Way to Stay Motivated
Back in the 1980s and ’90s, almost every sports movie included a training montage — and no montage was complete without a giant paper calendar hanging on the hero’s wall. As time ticked by and the big game or contest approached, the hero crossed the days out one by one. Each square was a success, and it was another day of training down! It sounds silly, but according to habit expert and “Atomic Habits” author James Clear, that giant calendar isn’t just
A UKRAINIAN SOCCER TEAM FINDS A HOME Even War Couldn’t Hold These Players Back
A bright spot is burning in the middle of the darkness brought on by the Russia-Ukraine War: the Shakhtar Donetsk soccer team. Since the war began, its players have provided entertainment and modeled resilience for Ukrainians caught in the middle of the conflict. They continue to play and win, even though their team has been “homeless” for almost 10 years. According to ESPN, Shakhtar Donetsk hasn’t played on its home turf since 2014. That year, Russian-backed separatists forced the players to flee Donetsk and leave behind their beloved stadium, Donbass Arena. Things have only gotten worse since then. “For the past eight years, Shakhtar has led a nomadic existence … playing home games in Lviv (750 miles away), Kharkiv (190 miles), and Kyiv (450 miles),” ESPN reported. And yet, the team continued to succeed! Nothing could hold them back from competing. In 2022, they lost 15 of their best players to the Ukrainian military and had to suspend a game because of an air raid. They simply replaced the missing soccer stars and moved forward. This perseverance paid off. In a way, Shakhtar Donetsk finally found a home last year: The team qualified for the UEFA Champions League, placing them among the best soccer teams in the world. It was quite a feat for the underdogs, largely because they beat and later tied the powerhouse team Real Madrid along the way! “Our challenge was to make the impossible possible,” the Shakhtar Donetsk coach, Igor Jovicevic, told ESPN. This month, Shakhtar Donetsk will keep doing the seemingly impossible in the Europa League. Team captain Taras Stepanenko told ESPN that continuing the play will “show our defiance, our spirit.” Stepanenko’s village is in ruins, but he still dreams of going home to Donbass Arena — which the Russians are likely using to store weapons. “It is my biggest dream to go back to the arena and play,” he said. “I have thought about it since we moved from Donetsk. Maybe I won’t be a footballer anymore when we go back, but I will play as a veteran, as an old man. The club can organize a charity match, invite all the legends, and we can fulfill our dream. But I am confident it will happen.”
movie magic. It actually works! For some people, tracking their habits — literally writing down their successes and failures in order to keep a record — is an effective way to build and stick with new routines, like New Year’s resolutions. In his book, Clear writes that habit tracking works because it makes a particular behavior “obvious, attractive, and satisfying.” Tracking our habits in a visible place (like a calendar on the wall) reminds us to keep our “streak” of good behavior alive and holds us accountable if we mess up. It also just feels good to cross a square off of the calendar. “The most effective form of motivation is progress,” Clear explains. “When we get a signal that we are moving forward, we become more motivated to continue down that path. In this way, habit tracking can have an additive effect on motivation. Every small win feeds your desire.” You don’t need to use a ’90s calendar to track your habits in 2022. Instead, Clear recommends leveraging technology to make tracking as easy as possible. If you want to build better spending habits, put your credit card statements (which track your spending automatically) front and center. If you want to take more steps each day, buy a Fitbit so you don’t have to count them. That said, if you go the pen-and-paper route — or prefer an Excel spreadsheet — Clear suggests tracking your habit immediately after you finish it. That way, you’ll associate your positive behavior with the rush of satisfaction you get from checking a day off the calendar.
To learn more about Clear’s methods and download his free Habit Tracker Template, visit AtomicHabits.com/tracker.
2 NordenLeacox.com | 407-801-3000
Goodbye, Divorce Month. Hello, Romance! 3 Expert Tips for a Stronger Marriage
It’s hard to say which of these theories is the real reason behind January’s high divorce rate. It could be a combination of the three. Whatever the reason, the good news is that we’ve made it through “divorce month” and into February — the month of romance. How can you keep your current (or future) marriage strong? We’ve gathered tips from couples married 50 years or longer to help you strengthen your marriage and navigate future divorce months. Reader’s Digest originally published these quotes, but they are so wonderful that we couldn’t resist sharing them!
Here’s a not-so-fun fact: January is the most common month for couples to divorce.
Why is January ‘divorce month’?
No one is entirely sure why so many spouses choose January to cut the knot, but family law attorneys and other experts have floated several theories.
• Zelmyra and Herbert, married 87 years, offered these words of wisdom: “Remember, marriage is not a contest; never keep score.”
• As the first month of the year, January is the perfect time for a fresh start. It may take ending their marriage for spouses to achieve their resolutions and find happiness. • Many couples stay together for their kids. After the high-pressure family holidays of Christmas and New Year’s are over, it may feel easier to initiate a separation. • If you stay married for even one day of the new year, you can file your taxes jointly! This could incentivize couples who separated earlier in the year to wait until January to seek divorce officially.
• Don and Estelle, spouses of 50 years, told RD: “We look back only to the good times. Remember and revel in your successes.”
• Jenny and Manny, married 65 years, shared our favorite advice: “When you go to bed at night, it doesn’t matter how angry or sad you are; always touch toes. It’s a little reminder that I’m here and I love you no matter what.”
We hope you enjoy this month of romance and many more!
Have a
Curried Steak With Scallion Rice and Peas Inspired by MarthaStewart.com
Laugh
Ingredients • 1 lb flank steak,
Directions
1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Brush with 1 tbsp curry paste, and let stand 10 minutes. 2. In a saucepan, combine rice, 1 3/4 cups water, 1 tbsp oil, and 3/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then stir, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15 minutes before adding white and light-green scallions. Cover to steam. 3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in 1 tbsp oil. Add the steak, flipping once; cook this for 7–9 minutes, then transfer to a carving board. 4. Reduce the skillet to medium heat, then add 1 tbsp oil and the remaining 2 tbsp curry paste. Cook this for 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup water and cook until reduced, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and cover. 5. Wipe skillet clean, then add remaining 1 tbsp oil. While stirring, add snap peas. Season with salt and cook this until crisp-tender, about 2–3 minutes. 6. Fluff rice before stirring in scallion tops. Slice steak against the grain, then serve with rice, peas, and curry sauce.
room temperature
• Kosher salt and ground pepper • 3 tbsp massaman curry paste, divided • 1 1/4 cups white rice • 2 1/2 cups water, divided • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white and light-green parts separated from dark- green tops • 8 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved on the bias
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Inside This Edition
2 1 Post-Injury Recovery Is Hard but Worth It
Retrain Your Brain With Habit Tracking A Heartwarming Ukrainian Soccer Story 3 Marriage Tips From the Experts Curried Steak With Scallion Rice and Peas A Cinematic Cure for Seasonal Depression
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5 Feel-Good Movies To Chase Away the Blues
Are you stuck in a TV rut and starting to feel down in the dumps? (Thanks, seasonal depression.) If so, check out one of these heartwarming movies for a pick-me-up.
his place in the world. He’s also on a quest with friends to defeat his evil uncle before it’s too late. Think of the film as a funny, adventurous, family-friendly take on the classic tale “The Ugly Duckling.” 4. ‘Dumplin’ ’ — Mashable called “Dumplin’” “the definition of sweet.” The movie stars Rosie (played by Jennifer Aniston) as a pageant-obsessed former beauty queen whose daughter, Willowdean, doesn’t fit conventional beauty standards. When Willowdean enters her mom’s pageant in a protest complete with dancing and Dolly Parton tunes, she sparks a small-town revolution. This movie is recommended for children ages 13 and up. 5. ‘We Can Be Heroes’ — Since its release in 2020, this superhero movie has quickly become a family favorite. The story opens with an aliens-versus-superheroes showdown, and when the aliens win and take the heroes hostage, their kids come to the rescue. As the title implies, the film will leave you feeling like you can be a hero, too.
1. ‘Rescued by Ruby’ — If your family loves dogs, this kid-friendly flick will be a real crowd-pleaser. It stars a pup named Ruby, who starts life as a shelter dog. After a state trooper rescues her, she becomes a search-and-rescue worker who finds and saves people. A true story inspired the uplifting tale, and according to some reviews, you may want to have tissues ready. 2. ‘Yes Day’ — Imagine spending an entire day saying “yes” to everything your kids requested. Congratulations: You’ve stepped into the plot of “Yes Day”! In this film, parents Alison and Carlos go along with their kids’ wildest desires and watch family bonding magic unfold. The Raising Children Network recommends this movie for adults and older kids only. 3. ‘Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness’ — The plot of this animated movie is as creative as its title! It follows a cartoon hero named Chickenhare, who is 50% rabbit, 50% bird, and 100% confused about
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