Lessons of An Icon - President's Message Nov 2011

Presidents Message
Lessons of an Icon
ALAN J. SEDLEY SFVBA President
N THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE PASSING of Apples Steve Jobs, expressions of laudatory praise and recognition bombarded the media, and deservedly so. Above all, Jobs was appropriately referred to as a great motivator and innovator, and the greatest single visionary of our lifetime. Some compare his vision and accomplishments to those of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Perhaps his life was best summed up by Steve Case, founder of AOL, who remarked: He started life with a number of challenges/obstacles. But he rose above that to become an icon and a legend He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages. On learning of Steve Jobs passing, I turned to YouTube and his address to the Stanford University graduating class of 2005, hoping to connect his insightful words of that day to the goals I and our Board of Trustees have set for this year. I was not disappointed. Jobs spoke of passion, a term familiar to me, and one that our Board heard me stress during our all-day board retreat a few weeks ago. In Jobs speech, he emphasized the invaluable role of passion in everyday life, and how closely success is linked to personal satisfaction: Youve got to nd what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to ll a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satised is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you havent found it yet, keep looking. Dont settle. As with all matters of the heart, youll know when you nd it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you nd it. Dont settle. Dont settle. Simple words, but a worthy lesson from a gifted, successful man. I have proposed that this year and going forward, the San Fernando Valley Bar Association become a must-have organization to our members, and a must-need organization to residents and businesses of the Valley. We can become must-have to our members by rolling out new, innovative and relevant programs, sections and committees that entice our members to become engaged and involved, to participate, learn, and teach others. But no one feels enthusiasm for a professional association, if they lack challenges and passion in their work day-to-day. Hence, we will roll out a Mentorship program, to help those attorneys, new or experienced, who wish to nd their passion in the practice of law. We will present a panel of Valley attorneys who love their work. They will be ready to assist, advise and mentor colleagues to help them nd their calling and passion. We will achieve this through casual conversations, over coffees and lunches, in small and group settings, and in legal career symposiums. Our mentors will be ready to share resources, provide guidance, direct mentees to other specialty associations and introduce them to recognized leaders in particular legal specialties.
The goals of our program are best summed up by Jobs, as he faced mortality: Your time is limited, so dont waste it living someone elses life. Dont be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other peoples thinking. Dont let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. We will become a must-need organization to our community only when we successfully provide meaningful programs and activities that seek to utilize our resources, both legal and nancial, to help the plight of those less fortunate and in need of assistance. We have plans to roll out an expanded Blanket the Homeless program that will include other noteworthy organizations to create a stronger, joint effort. Our Community Services Commission will seek to offer timely legal advice to residents of neighborhoods facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. Achieving these and other goals will provide meaningfulness to the mission of our San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Alan J. Sedley can be reached at Alan.Sedley@HPMedCenter.com.
www.sfvba.org
NOVEMBER 2011
Valley Lawyer

Lessons of An Icon - President's Message Nov 2011

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