If you've been following me here or on social media for a bit, you know I'm a positive person. What you don't know is that I wasn't always that way. I called myself a realist, but I was really a pessimist. I saw the glass half empty instead of half full. I was down on my luck. If you showed me any of the upbeat, positive quotes I share now, I'd wave them off and say they weren't for me. I never made lemonade out of any lemons.

I was getting frustrated. It was after 10 p.m. ET and the plane was stuck in a holding pattern over Dulles airport in Washington, D.C. thanks to torrential rain in the metro NYC area, our final destination. The captain had just announced that we had enough fuel to circle "for a bit longer" and if not, we'd have to "come up with a new plan." <Sigh.>

Last year, I was lucky enough to secure speaking engagements from contacts who follow me on LinkedIn. They'd email me through my website or message me on LinkedIn and the rest is history. The thing is, I never had a clue that any of those people followed me on social media. They didn't like my posts or comment on them. It was a bit of a learning lesson for me: you really never know who's watching!

I'll come right out and say it: I watched the kids' movie Sing 2 three times this weekend. Each time, I couldn't get over how much the main message is something that adults need to hear and take to heart, perhaps even more than kids. So let me set the scene for the uninitiated (spoiler alert!).

On January 30, 2020, I hovered my mouse over the "Post" button on LinkedIn. I was about to announce JMT Speaks to the world. I knew there was no going back because once it was out there, it was out there. For the umpteenth time, I worried what "they" would think and if "they" would laugh. Then I got comfortable being uncomfortable, took a deep breath, and pressed "Post." JMT Speaks was "live"!

Dear iPhone, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m just not my best self when you’re around.

I'll come right out and say it: I don't make New Years' resolutions. But this year, I’m doing something different. I’m picking a “word” for my year. It’s not immediately obvious or sexy, but it works.

We made it! The third and final week of our annual review.* Our three questions are also on my blog if you'd like to refresh your recollection.

On to week 2 of our annual review! What did you think of week 1? What went well for you this year? I hope you surprised yourself because I know I did. As promised, though, week 2 is going to be a bit harder. The question is: What didn't go so well? Once again, I'm answering as an entrepreneur and letting my gut do the talking.

Back in September, I was super excited to host my first ever JMT Speaks giveaway and select a random subscriber to win one of my favorite books of 2021 (and all time), Atomic Habits by James Clear. I'm circling back to that bestseller so I can draw from the author's Annual Review that he performs each December (see page 245!).

The “bare minimum” is “15 pieces of flair,” not 37 — and there’s nothing wrong with doing the bare minimum!

I was lucky enough to accompany two preschoolers on a trip of "firsts" recently. Their first train ride, subway ride, and Broadway show. What a day! To watch them encounter those new experiences was kind of like looking up "joy" in the dictionary and seeing it defined by a picture worth a thousand words. The look on their faces was priceless.

I was nonchalantly walking down the street in town when I spotted it: yet another abandoned mask on the sidewalk. As I drew closer, I thought, "How funny, that's the same signature blue color of my JMT Speaks mask." Then I realized: it was my JMT Speaks mask! <GASP!>

Give or take ten years ago, I read an article in my local newspaper about an organization that assisted low-income women who were victims and survivors of domestic violence. It provided free legal representation for the women to seek final restraining orders against their abusers. Attorneys could volunteer to complete training and then take pro bono cases on behalf of these women.

"Whether you think you can or think you can't -- either way, you're right." - Gerald Ford. I've heard this a thousand times before, but it really struck me recently. Perhaps it was because the iFit trainer said it while she had me slogging it up a hill so high the elliptical inclined to the point where my topknot was bumping against the ceiling. (At 5'4", that happens approximately never.)

I ran into a local mom at the grocery store this weekend. As we debated the pros and cons of different kids-themed frozen waffles, I confessed I ate them too. She agreed and noted how quick and easy they are in the morning rather than cooking breakfast for the kids. She added: "I'm a bad mom." 

Those of you who have heard me deliver my authenticity talk know that I wrote a highlights column, “On Marino’s Mind,” in my high school newspaper. Fast forward nearly 25 years, and I’m using a different platform to highlight topics of my choice. It’s funny how these things go, but more on that after this fun excerpt from my first article. And why am I sharing this? I'm taking another trip around the sun this week and I can't believe how much my teenage voice and writing style foreshadows me now!

Just because I’m good at being a lawyer at a law firm doesn’t mean I have to do it….It’s ok not to want it anymore. It’s ok to let it go.

I love writing my newsletter. Suffice it to say, it's a highlight of my week. Sometimes it takes me 25 minutes. Sometimes it takes me an hour. However, I used to have this tiny problem: No matter how long it took, I couldn't leave it alone. I couldn't say, "It's done!" and move on with my life. I'd tinker with it night after night, driving myself nuts over inane things like whether semi-colons are too archaic. (They're not; I love 'em.) 

Five summers ago, I was a partner at the law firm that had been my home for nearly a decade. I was a commercial litigator and, at the time, was handling several high-profile matters. I worked a lot. Like, a lot a lot. I was also overjoyed to be expecting my son and spent the summer getting ready to be a mom.