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OVERRULED
Louisiana Estate and Injury Attorneys
New Orleans • Covington
January 2024
(504) 384-7978
www.ScottVicknair.com
Ah, the age-old tradition of making grandiose resolutions as the clock strikes midnight. We’ve all been there, right? You know, the one where you pledge to become a gym rat, a kale-eating virtuoso, or a 5 a.m. yoga guru. But let’s be honest, by February, most of us are back on the couch with a bag of chips, wondering why we ever thought that six-pack was a good idea. Fear not, intrepid resolution-makers! In this cheeky, no-nonsense guide, we’re about to spill the herbal tea on how to actually stick to your New Year’s resolutions without the drama and despair. Get ready to hack your way to a more fabulous, less flaky you. Buckle up, because this year, it’s not just about resolutions; it’s about revolutionizing your goals. Let’s dive in and decode the secrets to keeping your resolutions alive and kicking all year long. First, you must have a specific, measurable goal and create interim milestones to shoot for along the way. As Greg Reed, author of “The Secret of Happiness,” says, “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” The next step is focusing on the process. What are the actionable steps you need to do to get there? Be specific here, too. It could be setting aside an amount of money every week for a financial goal, creating a certain caloric deficit each week for a weight-loss goal, or incrementally increasing the weight lifted on an exercise each week for a strength goal. Schedule time to take action. To-do lists are great, but until you align them with your calendar, things simply don’t get done. Try rewriting them daily, as doing so will significantly increase your success rate. Several remarkable things happen when you follow this approach. Your goals become sharper with each day, you program your subconscious mind to work on them, and when they are top of mind, you’ll start to attract resources into your life that will help you achieve your goals, and you will start making progress at a rapid rate. Also, you should think small to accomplish big things. No matter how big the goal, the key to accomplishing it is figuring out a path to get you there. Most goals can be broken down into a few key actions that you need to repeat daily. New Year, New You The Annual Resolution Remix
Next, figure out your one thing, the thing that, if repeated every day, will get you to your goal. For example, weight loss. Whatever strategy you decide on, whether it’s calorie restriction or exercise, ensure you do one action daily. The one thing for you may be planning your meals in advance to ensure you meet your macronutrient and calorie targets. Next, find a coach or someone who has done it before. One of the most powerful ideas I’ve ever heard was when I read these words, “Success leaves clues.” Do you understand what that means? If you can learn the methods that someone else used to succeed, then you can do the same thing! This can be a book, another person, or someone you pay to coach you. A “coach” is in my opinion the most powerful hack to achieving any goal. When you are serious about accomplishing something, committing both time and money to it infinitely increases the rate of success. Having an experienced coach will also get you to your goals faster. Lastly, the biggest hack is creating accountability. You need someone looking over your shoulder. Have a friend, colleague, spouse, or your mom check up on your progress regularly. By doing this, your chance of success goes up to 95%. So, be brave and share your goals with the world. Join a tribe of like-minded people. That can be the push you need to get yourself out of bed to go do it, the desire to not let people down. Willpower and motivation will only take you so far. It will get you through the first few weeks. For most people this wanes. You need a system to push you through to completion, and these hacks can help.
-Brad Scott
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Some of history’s greatest thinkers were more than a little eccentric. Let’s look at strange facts about five inventors, scientists, and philosophers who helped shape our world. Inventor Nikola Tesla walked around a building three times before entering it. He apparently became obsessed with the numbers 3, 6, and 9 and would only stay in hotel rooms that had a number divisible by 3. Famed physicist Albert Einstein created a contract for his first wife that outlined her household duties. The contract established that she must provide fresh meals, clean laundry, and “silence on request.” Unsurprisingly, they divorced after 11 years. Scientist Marie Curie carried test tubes full of radioactive isotopes in her pockets almost everywhere she went. She also kept them in desk drawers and open areas around her lab. This practice is believed to have contributed to her death from aplastic anemia in 1934. The ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras was afraid of fava beans, which wasn’t an uncommon fear during his time. Myth said that fava beans contained the souls of the dead since they had a flesh-like appearance. Finally, Sir Isaac Newton once inserted a sewing needle into his eye for an experiment to learn about how the eye perceived color and light. Surely, there was a less gruesome way to test his hypothesis! The Weird Actions of Brilliant Thinkers
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Check out recent episodes of our “Overruled” podcast! Whether you are interested in tips for business success, alien conspiracy theories, the positive impact of Volunteers of America on our communities, or concerns over the rising costs of insurance in Louisiana, we have something for everyone! Hosts David Vicknair and Brad Scott share their thoughtful, insightful, and often humorous takes on these and other topics as well as interviewing people who are making constructive strides in our communities and in the world at large. If you would like to become a guest on the “Overruled” podcast and discuss an area of interest you feel passionate about, send your contact information and a brief description of what you would like to discuss and why to Kyle@svlaw . law . If you’re chosen, we will set up a day and time to interview in the studio or via a Zoom meeting.
Available at ScottVicknair.com/ podcasts or listen on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Referrals Welcome! We sincerely thank everyone who has sent us a referral this past month. We appreciate being your personal trusted legal advisor; even if we cannot handle your case, call us and we will work on finding someone who can help and assist you. CALL NOW – OPEN 24/7 (504) 285-7675
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Committing a crime will never be a get-rich-quick scheme or a successful career path, but we’ve had plenty of would-be criminals who had to learn that lesson the hard way! One example is James Sorby, a Scottish man who decided he wanted to cash in on the rising price of copper. As he thought about how to get his hands on the metal prized for its ability to conduct electricity, he decided it would be a good idea to go right to the source, so he targeted a local power plant in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. As he started to carry out his mission, he forgot he was in a truly electric environment. He ignored the signs warning of the dangerous high-voltage lines in the plant. But as he collected coils of copper and prepared to make off with them, he was instantly jolted with an estimated 22,000 volts of electricity, and around 400 homes were left without power. He miraculously managed to survive, though with severe burns and a damaged skull, and was given 12 months of community service. Another man, Nicholas Mark, entered a Pennsylvania pizzeria looking for work, but he found something else instead. A tip jar containing over $200 caught his eye, so after filling out the application, Mark left. A few hours later, he returned, snatched the tip jar, and ran out of the restaurant. However, his getaway was short-lived, as his completed application had provided his real name and address. Plus, he left behind a backpack that verified his identity, so he was eventually caught by police. Finally, Alberto Saavedra Lopez demonstrated why you can’t go back home to the scene of your crime. While living in Cottonwood, Arizona, he stole $5,000 from the bank where he worked. For two years, he got away with it by moving to Phoenix. In time, however, he moved back to Cottonwood and applied for a new job — at the local police station. But, as he applied to become a dispatcher, officials did a background check, discovering he was an at-large suspect in the theft. So, when he showed up for his job interview, they greeted him with handcuffs. Bumbling Burglars Prove Crime Doesn’t Pay
TIME TO UPDATE YOUR ESTATE PLAN HAVE A HAPPIER NEW YEAR The holidays bring joy, togetherness, and celebration, but they also bring family gatherings that can either evoke warmth and nostalgia or create tension. Whether these gatherings bring happiness or conflict, they serve as a crucial reminder to update your estate plan for the New Year. Ensure peace of mind for you and your loved ones by clearly outlining your wishes and distributing your assets according to your desires. Contact us today for a personalized estate plan tailored to your needs.
CHEESY CHICKEN CHOWDER
Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
Ingredients
• 3 cups chicken broth • 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes • 1 cup diced carrots • 1 cup diced celery • 1/2 cup diced onion • 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper • 1/4 cup butter, cubed • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese • 2 cups cooked and diced chicken
Directions 1. In a 4-quart saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat and add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 12–15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 2. In another medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat, then add cheese, stirring until melted. Add the cheesy mixture and chicken to the broth and heat it thoroughly!
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Louisiana Estate and Injury Attorneys
(504) 384-7978 www.ScottVicknair.com 909 Poydras St., Suite 2025 New Orleans, LA 70112 Inside This Issue
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Resolution Remix
Would You Put a Needle in Your Eye? ‘Overruled’ With Brad Scott and David Vicknair
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Cheesy Chicken Chowder 3 Not-So-Bright Burglars
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From Tragedy to Outrage: Ethan Couch’s Sentencing and ‘Affluenza’ When Privilege Kills
A LOOK BACK AT THE CASE OF ‘AFFLUENZA’ TEEN ETHAN COUCH
It was a case that enraged the nation: A teenager named Ethan Couch combined alcohol, arrogance, reckless behavior, and manslaughter in what became known as the “affluenza” case. On June 15, 2013, the 16-year-old and a group of friends stole beer from a store and had a party at his parents’ house before
going for a drive. As Couch was careening down the road at 70 mph in a 40-mph zone, he barreled into the town of Burleson, Texas. Speeding along the rural two-lane street, Couch plowed through an SUV that had stopped with car trouble on the side of the road, then slammed into another car that was stopped near the SUV. In the process, he killed four people and seriously injured two others. Upon his arrest shortly after the terrible crash, Couch’s blood alcohol level was reported as 0.24 — three times the legal limit for drunk driving in Texas. Two years later, Couch stood trial for the devastation he had caused. He pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter, but his attorneys put forth what came to be known as the “affluenza” defense. A psychologist testified for the defense that Couch was a product of wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for him, so he didn’t
fully understand what it meant to have consequences for his actions. Prosecutors had sought 20 years in prison, but Couch received no prison time. Judge Jean Hudson Boyd gave Couch 10 years of probation, along with an order to undergo long-term therapy. The decision by the juvenile court judge outraged the victims’ families, drunk driving activists, and most of the country. Over the past decade, Couch has cycled through bouts of disappearing and continuing alcohol abuse. In 2016, he fled with his mother to Mexico to avoid being arrested for a parole violation but was arrested soon after. The judge in that case sentenced Couch to two years in prison. After his release in 2018, he was again arrested in 2020 for allegedly violating his parole, but the charges were later dismissed. His probation is due to end in 2024.
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