Atlanta Divorce Law Group - November 2019

Atlanta Divorce Law Group - November 2019

Here’s a New Approach to Strengthen Your Faith and Find Genuine Gratitude ARE YOUR WORRIES KEEPING YOU FROM FEELING THANKFUL?

November 2019

It’s hard to believe it’s already time to start preparing for Thanksgiving. It seems as though you get together with friends and family to celebrate Labor Day, and then you blink your eyes, and the holidays are here. As you start counting down the days to your festive Thanksgiving feast, you’ll likely be reminded by friends, family members, and advertisements to “be grateful” for all you have in life. Finding time to acknowledge and appreciate life’s blessings is extremely important, but I think all of us can admit when we’re up against a wall of stress, anxiety, change, and adversity, feeling grateful is far easier said than done. I’ve been through a lot of these situations in my own life, and it was only after learning a new gratitude method from my personal development coach David Neagle that I found a way to get through some of my life’s hardest challenges with my head held high. The method requires you to look past the stress stemming from a difficult situation in front of you to imagine what your ideal outcome looks like, and then show gratitude for it. Let’s say, for example, you have spent the last few weeks racked with anxiety about a parent’s health, your kid’s school, or your ability to pay all your bills. When big stressors like these happen, your mind can be your worst enemy. You can slide into a place of fear and feel so paralyzed by worry that you lose the creativity to solve problems. The situation only worsens as time goes on.

Neagle’s approach to these types of situations suggests you imagine your ideal outcome — your parent’s medical labs coming back with a clean bill of health, your child’s teacher finding a better way to explain algebra, and your finances being in order — then feel gratitude for those enjoyable conclusions. By expressing gratitude for outcomes you hope will happen, even though they haven’t physically manifested yet, you are exercising your faith muscle. You are taking yourself out of that frightening box of mental doubt and opening yourself up to faith and opportunity. You are allowing for your ideal scenario to occur rather than accepting it will never come to fruition. Just like everyone else, I’ve experienced more than my fair share of life’s challenges, and I’ve often felt there was no clear way out of them. But, once I started practicing Neagle’s approach, I found it 100% effective. If the future looks unclear for you right now, start using Neagle’s method to initiate the process of determining your own future. Rather than assuming the worst-case scenario, imagine your best-case scenario and let the feelings of gratitude weave through your thoughts. It might even help to take some time every morning to write them down. If you’re transitioning out of a marriage, chances are you have a number of worries plaguing you. Instead of allowing yourself to stay in a constant state of fear, close your eyes and picture the solutions you hope to find. Focusing on all the good that can grow out of stressful situations not only strengthens your faith, but it also opens your mind to the opportunities you can seize to bring the solutions to fruition. It might take a little practice, but I promise you it’s a helpful and effective way to bring genuine gratitude into your everyday life. If you have any other questions about Neagle’s approach, I’m only a phone call away.

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–Sara Khaki

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Embracing Our Firm’s Culture at Our Recent Staff Retreat! WHAT’S OUR TEAM BEEN UP TO?

Here at ADLG, our entire team shares a mission of eradicating the stigma associated with divorce by providing secure and happy futures for our clients. We understand family law is about helping individuals and families manage the emotional struggles of facing an uncertain future. This process requires our legal team to be human, sensitive, and empathetic to the big changes occurring in our clients’ lives. Since we take such a holistic approach to helping families get through challenging transitions, we have to take steps to ensure our firm’s culture and core values mirror our mission and overall philosophy.

up with strategic plans for our clients’ cases. Because we spend so much time working together, we decided it was important to get our team members out of the office for a staff retreat several times a year. The purpose of these retreats can vary. For example, last year, we embarked on a ziplining tour in the hopes that our metaphorical leap off the wooden platforms could help us better understand our clients’ transitions into new lives following a divorce. It was a memorable team-building experience that got us out of our comfort zones and brought us closer together. In recent weeks, we shut down the office for half a day and embarked on another retreat. With the objective of encouraging each team member to contribute to our firm culture in their own unique way, we headed down to the Avalon Hotel, which is just down the street from our office. While we weren’t dangling 50 ft. above the air, as we did during our last retreat, we did spend the afternoon participating in fun competitions, doing complex but entertaining problem-solving activities, and listening to an informative presentation. All in all, the experience was rewarding and brought our team closer together, but most importantly, it helped us ensure each staff member was contributing to creating a firm culture that aligned with our existing core values: Be Visionary, Be Empowered, Be Compassionate, Be Driven, and Be of Integrity. We’re all excited to see what the next retreat has in store for us!

In order to provide our clients with the best possible support, we spend much of our days collaborating and putting our heads together to come

With These Gratitude-Themed Games ENGAGE YOUR KIDS ON THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is an excellent time to teach children about gratefulness. By planning some fun, gratitude-themed games, you can impart a valuable lesson and spend some quality family time together. Get your kids in the holiday spirit by adding a Thanksgiving twist to these classic games. PICTIONARY Want to bring out your kids’ creative sides? Pictionary is the perfect way to encourage artistic expression and grateful thinking. Try adding a rule where players have to draw something they’re grateful for. This will get your kids thinking beyond turkey and stuffing and give them an imaginative way to express their gratitude. Plus, who doesn’t love a good art contest? GUESS WHO? To play gratitude-themed Guess Who?, have each participant write down their name and something they’re thankful for on a slip of

paper and put it in a bowl. Then, at the dinner table, have each person draw a random slip and read what it says without saying the name while everyone else tries to guess who wrote it. While Pictionary may get your kids talking about what they are thankful for, Guess Who? will tune them into what others around them are thankful for too. PICK-UP STICKS Like regular pick-up sticks, the goal is to remove a stick from a haphazard pile without disturbing the others. However, by using

colored sticks that represent different kinds of thankfulness — such as places, people, or food — you can make players think outside the box. This will ensure you get a wide range of creative, thoughtful answers whenever the kids pick up a stick. These modified games are great for helping your kids realize how much they have to be thankful for. Use these to spend some fun, educational, quality time with your family this Thanksgiving.

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CELEBRATING GIVING TUESDAY Supporting the People You Believe In

TECHNOLOGY AT ITS BEST Through the use of social media and technology, the organization hopes to

November is usually all about Thanksgiving, but it isn’t the only holiday that encourages generosity. Giving Tuesday is a phenomenal celebration in which millions of people from across the globe are inspired to spend 24 hours giving back to the communities they love. ORIGIN AND GOAL Giving Tuesday is celebrated every year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, and this year, the holiday lands on Dec. 3! It was established in 2012 by the United Nations Foundation and New York’s 92nd Street Y as a response to consumer-driven holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The purpose of the holiday was to spread the spirit of giving, not only for the people in our nation but individuals across the world. The goal is “to create a massive wave of generosity that lasts well beyond that day and touches every person on the planet.”

or just buying a stranger some lunch. Even the smallest actions can have the biggest impact. If you’re interested in participating in Giving Tuesday, get together with your friends, family, sports team members, or neighbors to brainstorm on how you can give back. To learn more about how you can participate, visit GivingTuesday.org .

encourage and spread generosity on a global scale using the hashtag #GivingTuesday. The website states that “... technology and social media could be used to make generosity go viral; that people fundamentally want to give and talk about giving.” Through massive social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the individuals and companies participating in Giving Tuesday can spread their missions and messages all over the world, encouraging others to do the same. HOW YOU CAN CELEBRATE Now is the perfect opportunity to support your community and the causes you believe in. The best part of this holiday is that “giving” doesn’t just refer to donating money. People can give back by volunteering their time to help a nonprofit business, donating goods and food,

CONCIERGE PARTNERS’ CORNER:

HERE’S WHAT OUR Clients Are Saying!

Featuring Kathleen Shack, Family Therapist at Family Solutions Counseling

To better help you through some of life’s biggest transitions, our legal team developed an in-house concierge program, which includes our compiled list of community partners whom we trust to provide you with great services at fair prices. These local professionals are dedicated solely to helping you make the transition into your new life with a little more ease.

“Atlanta Divorce Law Group took client service to a level beyond anything I could ever imagine! This law firm operates in a professional and confident manner. This was not an easy situation for me, but Atlanta Divorce Law Group made a difficult time in my life very smooth and stress-free. If you ever find yourself in this hard spot like I did, choose Atlanta Divorce Law Group to guide you through the storm; I promise it will clear soon!”

This month, we’d like to feature Kathleen Shack, whose specialties include guiding and counseling couples and families through their life journey. Whether you are a new couple looking for tools to build a solid foundation, a couple in crisis looking for a life raft, or parents of children who are transitioning through divorce, Kathleen can help. As a Divorce Coach and Child Specialist, Kathleen aims to help all family members heal while finding balance and harmony within the new family structure. Big transitions can feel overwhelming at times, but, with Kathleen’s expertise, you’ll have all the support you need to feel confident facing life’s next big steps. To get in touch with Kathleen, you can contact her directly at 678-220-0090, or send her an email at [email protected]!

–Linda A.

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Inside This Issue

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Are Your Worries Keeping You From Feeling Thankful?

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Check Out ADLG’s Recent Staff Retreat!

Gratitude-Themed Games for Kids

The Gift of Giving

Here’s What Our Clients Are Saying!

ADLG’s ‘Big Little Lies’ Series: Season 1, Episode 7 Recap

ADLG’s ‘Big Little Lies’ Series: Season 1, Episode 7 Recap

Season Finale Theme: Family Law

As you’ve likely noticed over the past several months, the ADLG team launched a new blog series to take a deep dive and analyze the numerous family themes addressed in the first season of the dramatic hit TV series “Big Little Lies” in preparation for the amazing second season, which was released this June. Below is a condensed recap of our blog entry that addresses the season ending and cliff-hanger episode, “You Get What You Need.” The title of this series is “Big Little Lies,” and, as the first season unfolds, the audience learns that each of the characters is holding onto their own lies — all for different reasons. Madeline is dealing with issues of custody and infidelity. Celeste is seeking counseling for her abusive husband and is considering separation. Jane is dealing with the trauma of rape, all while raising her son — who was fathered by her attacker. Characters Bonnie and

Renata are also trying to handle life as stepmothers, breadwinners, and members of the Monterey, California, community. But it seems that the more these ladies try to hide their lies, the worse their situations become. At ADLG, we believe family law is about helping individuals and families manage the emotional struggles of facing an uncertain future. Our legal team is sensitive and empathetic to the big changes occurring in our clients’ lives. For many couples, their “happily ever after” may not have been meant to be — at least not together — but divorce does not have to mean the end of your story. When a family unit is threatened by a legal issue, our team has the expertise to step in and help minimize the blow to the family’s well-being. We take a holistic approach in how we help a family get through this transition and are involved with all aspects of the family members’ lives as they deal with this challenging time. By protecting and securing a better future for our clients, we believe we can help our clients deal with their own big little lies and turn their personal challenges into positive changes. No matter how complex your struggle may seem, our team is here to listen. Give us a call, tell us your story, and we will do all we can to help you through it. In the meantime, be sure to check season two of “Big Little Lies.” We promise you won’t be disappointed.

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