Sanjay Sabarwal's Blog – Page 86 – Business Law, Writer, Crossfitter, Father at 50 :)

Legal Reasons

March 1, 2016 Sanjay Sabarwal

The other day, someone complained about getting rear ended quite hard. Immediately, I asked if they had gone to the doctor. The person shrugged and they “might” go after their work shift as they felt okay. I repeated that they really should go see a doctor to make sure. Once I told them I was an attorney, they joked “Oh you are in it for the money. I have insurance, and I already reported it.”

I chose at that moment not to take it personally and walked away. I just hoped they got the help soon. Few realize why getting an attorney is important. I chose to practice law not to make money, but to make things fair for aggrieved parties. The reality is that although you pay for Insurance, they are not your friends. They are profit centers, and they will always look to reduce expenses. Moreover, if you have inadequate car and/or medical insurance, you could not be compensated for missed time at work as well not getting proper medical treatment.

It is important to me that people always go to the doctor. Every person reacts differently to accidents. Even if one feels fine, it is best to go to a professional rather than just assume everything is okay. It makes no sense to me why people take the chance of not going.

Trust me, I am not in it for the money but to ensure you don’t regret ignoring your body.

Few Moments

February 25, 2016 Sanjay Sabarwal

Each morning, I wake up and for a few seconds while I am still in bed, I express gratitude for my life, for the people in it and my existence. Those few moments matter to me because so much could change. It has in the past. New people, problems, ideas and things happen. Then there is the inevitable loss. It surprises me still how I respond when death occurs. It is as if I continually forget how that is also life’s deal. You come in one day, and you leave. Most of the time, you never know when, but you know what even if you do, it has become important for me to love my life and the people in it the way I was meant to.

This means connecting with loved ones, telling them how I feel, letting them know they matter to me, and how much. I forget sometimes, but lately those few seconds, I send out gratitude. I used to feel silly , but no longer. Life is too important to be lost in regrets. That’s not to say, I don’t say it to them, just that those moments have become important because sometimes words are enough.

I say again and again in those moments and now. Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for allowing me to see your light. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Simple words, important. I no longer need to have to see all my loved ones (although I wish I could), but if nothing else I hope and pray these thoughts reach them in their moment of need.

Brownness

Today is a New Day

February 9, 2016 Sanjay Sabarwal

The last few weeks have not gone as planned. Take for example, yesterday where I planned to write, work out, work and then go to my writers group. Instead, I slept in, went to my annual physical where the doctor told me I had “too much belly,” and then rushed to get my blood work done while late for a meeting at work. Then at the meeting, a throbbing headache started and next thing I knew I was in the midst of a full-blown migraine. My amazing wife took care of me, and tried all sorts of things to ease my pain, and then the day ended.

At first, there was this constant knocking in my brain that I lost the day. Then it hit me that I failed to work out 5 days a week last week, and then I didn’t meditate regularly, and I wrote only a few days, and was unable to visit all my studios. On and on, the noise went until I took a breath and remembered what I committed my buddy Jayden. I would not get attached to results, and what things should look like. I get to powerful, calm and loving even if that came down to just applying that to me. Which I do not do very often. I get to stop beating myself up, and accept the days as they are not as I wish for them to be. This is not to say I am abdicating responsibility. It just means that I get to do what I can, and not get attached to how it should be, but how it is.

I get to accept, and know that beating myself up only bruises me, and does not make me stronger. Acceptance does. Today is a new day, a new moment, an opportunity to make the most of it regardless of the results.

Preeti

My 44th

January 28, 2016 Sanjay Sabarwal

There is nothing like a birthday to remind me that I am no longer the young and idealistic person from high school who believed he could change the world. Instead, there is now someone who can at least change his environment. There is also nothing like that day where so many people go out of their way to express their feelings about you and truly make one feel truly special. It felt amazing to be thought of and wished by so many. It took me aback, and I struggled with the attention to be honest. It is humbling and inspiring to hear from so many, and have so many come personally to express wishes. I do not take it lightly, and it confirms for me once again that we all respond to positivity, passion and accountability.

The strange part is that I don’t feel any older, just more experienced and my heart grows bigger with the amount of love being poured into it. I admit there is a bit of nostalgia for days at UCLA, Kentucky, and the ideal that the world is for the taking, but if I was truly honest, I am filled at the brim with happiness. I keep setting bigger goals, and expecting more from myself because what good is a life not lived? I’ve made thousands of mistakes, and as much as I regret some of them, they each had something to teach me.

I truly wish I could thank each person and tell them that their words were not mere greetings, but an energy source. Their gifts not just material, but a reflection of their time and feelings for me. It inspires me, and encourages me to be better, do more and use their love to push me into uncomfortable areas.

44 is not just a number, it’s a testament as to lucky I am to make it to this point. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Preeti

My Goals for 2016

January 5, 2016 Sanjay Sabarwal

So with the new year here, I have a lot of things I wish to accomplish and what better way to be held accountable than to post them publicly?

Personal/Family:

a) Travel with wife to new places and also try new things in SoCal

b) Organize library/garage/rooms by decluttering

c) Connect with loved ones. Call not just text!

d) Read or listen to atleast 25 books

e) Learn Spanish

Health:

a) Get down to 190-200lbs by June 2016

b) Do Pull ups/Double Unders/Touch My Toes!

c) Deadlift 400 lbs

d) Run marathon

Work Areas:

a) Legal: Sign up new clients and generate $25,000 in revenue

b) Writing: Submit 4 personal essays, 1 short story and complete novel by end of the year. Generate $10,000 in revenue

c) Ziba Beauty: Remain a committed in-house counsel and co-owner

Community: Volunteer/donate a minimum of once a month

Financial: Be Debt Free and save 20% of my income.

Spiritual

a) Meditate daily

b) Memorize Japji Sahib

Leisure

a) Monthly hikes

b) Date nights with the wife

c) Act like a kid

Family, Food For Thought, Myself, Preeti

Reflections on 2015: Love More, Live More & Give More

December 31, 2015 Sanjay Sabarwal

So the last two days have been eventful in my life. Actually, if I was honest, I would say this past month and the whole year has been. But yesterday, I spent most of the day at the ER for a headache that wouldn’t go away. Last time, that happened, I had a subdural hematoma (a bleed in the brain) so it’s frightening. Luckily, it turned out to be migraine caused by heavy congestion. Then, this morning around 5am, someone tried to break into our garage. Our brave seven pound Maltipoo alerted us with her bark, and we called the police who confirmed that someone had kicked the door in. They didn’t get anything, although they were welcome to the 2 broken bikes, poker table, and 4 tires that were in there. I almost wished it was a homeless person that we could have given money to spend the night someone since it was so cold out.

The lessons I took from these events is that 2016 is the year I work on improving the foundation of my home to taking my health to the next level. I have had too many scares to not take it seriously. Yet, I also got a chance to reflect on how many amazing things happened this year. I learned that I focus too much on what I didn’t get done, and while that works on motivation, it devalues me in a way. So while it may sound like bragging, it’s more of a testament of just acknowledging myself that I am on the right path,

This year, I completed a Spartan Trifecta, wrote a novel, and 4 other personal essays, completed a leadership program, did lots of community service, started practicing law, deadlifted 305 pounds, worked out regularly, raised and donated money, became a Artesia chamber member, connected with loved ones, acknowledged my failures in trust with key people, and learned much more than I thought possible.

Now 2016 comes, and I now know that I need to travel more, do more fun stuff with Preeti, and of course learn more. So the last two days are a reminder of what more I get to work on, and as part of what I learned from Four Agreements is to accept it all and not take it personal.

So Happy New Year to all my loved ones. I hope you take a chance to reflect on your year as I did. It is a great way to build a foundation for the future!