Kunkel Law Firm - January 2021

Kunkel Law Firm - January 2021

JANUARY 2021 KunkelCase Files 888-228-9680 • www.KunkelLawFirm.com • [email protected]

FROM THE DESK OF

Gregory Kunkel, Esq.

SSA TO CONTINUE TELEPHONE HEARINGS

Social Security (SSA) has made clear that it plans to continue to only hold telephone hearings well into the new year. As I write this month’s article, the COVID-19 pandemic is raging throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and hospitals are being overrun with new patients. SSA’s emergency hearing policy provides that SSA will only offer telephone hearings in disability cases so long as the claimant consents. In the SSA claim process, however, the administrative hearing is critical because it is the only time you will come face to face with the person deciding your case. While many of our clients have opted to wait for in-person hearings, SSA hearing offices are telling us that telephone hearings will remain the only option well into 2021. With a new vaccine on the way, SSA may not hold in- person hearings again until the Fall of 2021, which for some will be too long to wait. Until SSA gets back on track, my office is available to assist you with any questions or concerns about scheduling your disability hearing.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AND PROMISING Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

When it comes to fulfilling our dreams, there’s a lot that could distract us from those goals. Unfortunately, for hundreds of thousands of people, 2020 was one large distraction. Over the course of every hardship last year, many people may have lost sight of their dreams. Yet, even if you’ve lost sight of them, I want to encourage you to not give up on the dreams you have. Jan. 13 celebrates Make Your Dreams Come True Day. I know that this holiday might seem like it’s telling people to accomplish their dreams in a day, but that’s not what it stands for. I believe this is a great holiday as it reminds us that our dreams are not only important to us but that we should keep trying to achieve them. It serves as a starting point. As we leave 2020 behind and look to the future, it’s a perfect time to turn our thoughts to those dreams once again. A dream is an idea — but it can’t stop there. If you have a dream you want to achieve, it’s time to get serious. Doing what you can to make sure your dream becomes a reality might be difficult. Often, it requires the right mindset, determination, and planning to get started, but once you do, you’ll be on the right path to accomplish goals. Even the most difficult dreams can come true by taking these steps.

–Greg Kunkel

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The most important step in accomplishing any dream is to plan. Planning not only gives your dream a more concrete feel, but it also allows you to get an idea of how long it will take and what you might need to succeed. Whether that’s taking a vacation to another country, starting up a business, or writing a book, getting that first rough idea will help you in the long run. Even with the pandemic, you can still plan. If you want to travel, now might be the perfect time to start saving so when traveling restrictions are lifted, you don’t have to worry about money. To get started, set some time aside to think about what your dreams are and start on a plan. I know that’s easier said than done. I have a hard time getting some free time in my own schedule, but what I’ve found that helps is to actually account for that planning. If you use a scheduling app, or even Google Calendar, to keep your day straight, open it up and find some time where you aren’t so busy. That could be in a week, even two

these can happen, but they are very rare. Usually, to accomplish things, it takes time and effort. All dreams can evolve from a figment of an idea and become a reality; all it takes is that first step. As we enter into 2021, I want to encourage everyone to rekindle their dreams and make them shine.

weeks — no matter when that gap in your schedule is, jot down some time so you can plan for your dreams. Even if you can only spend 5–10 minutes on it over several days, it’s still better than no planning at all.

The thing about dreams is that they aren’t overnight successes. Dreams like

HOW HABIT TRACKING AND DAILY RESOLUTIONS COULD TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

too hard on yourself if you miss a day, but know that sticking to a new habit is serious work, so starting small might help you out. Another important aspect of forming new daily habits is rewarding yourself. Bad habits, like smoking, have an inherent reward. However, healthy habits can have rewards too! Try consuming a bit of dark chocolate after a workout or treating yourself to a fresh beverage or relaxing to a podcast after tackling an important task. Find ways to reward yourself, and you’ll be more likely to stick to your new habit. Certain daily resolutions don’t have to be related to exercise or diet to majorly improve your life. For example, having a gratitude journal might boost your long- term happiness by 10% and improve your blood pressure. Don’t hesitate to improve your quality of life! Just start small, and you’ll be amazed by how far you’ll go.

Luckily, sticking with these habits might be as easy as making daily resolutions to complement your yearly goals. BJ Fogg, a Stanford University professor and author of “Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything,” notes that tiny habits can make a new habit easy to implement into your daily ritual. For example, taking a short daily walk could lead to an exercise habit, or keeping an apple in your bag every day could encourage healthier snacking. It’s important that you stick with it because habits take a long time to create. One study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology asked people about a simple habit they wanted to form, like drinking water at lunch or taking a walk before dinner. They found that the average amount of time it took before the action became automatic was 66 days! Don’t be

Yearly resolutions are so last year … if they’re your only resolutions, that is.

Having long-term goals isn’t a bad thing, but do you have a daily plan to reach them? The huge boost of motivation in January isn’t always enough to sustain you all year long. That’s why there are major benefits to starting new healthy habits, whether you increase your weekly exercise time, eat healthier foods, or work on getting better or more sleep.

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‘THE BACHELORETTE’ CONTESTANTS GO TO COURT Judge, Will You Accept This Rose?

happened. Instead, she allegedly lured him into in-person meetings and bombarded him with inappropriate calls and text messages. After years of back-and-forth, the case is finally moving forward. In July 2020, a judge ruled that all of Johnson’s accusations were proven except failure to hire. Upping the drama, Deadline reported that “no attorneys for Cimino or the studio participated in the hearing.” Meanwhile, another “Bachelorette” contestant, Luke Parker, has been ordered by the court to pay $100,000 for breach of contract. Parker, who vied for the affection of Hannah Brown in the 2019 season, has allegedly been making media appearances without the consent of the show’s production company, NZK Productions Inc. Each appearance was a breach of contract, and now he owes the company a pretty penny: $25,000 per appearance. According to Page Six, Parker might also

The reality TV show “The Bachelorette” is known for being packed with drama, but last year there was just as much scandal among its contestants off-screen as there was while the cameras were rolling. Late in 2020, not one but two past “Bachelorette” contestants ended up in court. One of them was Chad Johnson, hailing from the group of hunks who competed for Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher’s attention in season 12. That season aired in 2016, but it wasn’t until two years later that Johnson sued Sunset Studios Entertainment and one of its executives, Cristina Cimino, for sexual harassment, failure to prevent harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud by intentional misrepresentation, and wrongful failure to hire in violation of public policy. According to Deadline, Cimino told Johnson she would help him get movie roles with her studio, but that never

be on the hook for bad-mouthing the show and/or sharing information about what happened on set — both things his contract forbids. Hopefully, the 2021 season of “The Bachelorette,” which should air later this year following the postponed 2020 season, will feature less drama than these real-life legal battles.

Inspired by GoodHousekeeping.com

Take a Break!

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CASSEROLE Ingredients

Directions

•

1.

8 chicken thighs or drumsticks, lightly salted

In a large frying pan, heat oil and fry salted chicken on high until brown. Transfer chicken to the slow cooker. Add flour and stir. In the frying pan on high heat, fry the onion, celery, carrots, leeks, and potatoes until lightly browned. Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Transfer vegetables to the slow cooker and add the stock, rosemary, and lemon zest. Cook on high for 2.5–3 hours or until chicken is tender. Check seasoning and add lemon juice to taste. Top with parsley before serving.

• • • • • • • • • • •

1 tbsp olive oil

2.

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 onion, finely sliced

3.

2 celery sticks, thickly sliced

2 carrots, thickly sliced

1 leek, thickly sliced

1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut in large chunks

4.

2 garlic cloves, sliced

14 oz chicken stock

5.

1 sprig rosemary

Finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

6.

•

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Gregory Kunkel, Esq. PAGE 1 Make Your Dreams Shine PAGE 1 How Habit Tracking and Daily Resolutions Could Transform Your Life PAGE 2 ‘The Bachelorette’ Contestants Go to Court PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole PAGE 3 How to Find Your Flow in 2021 PAGE 4

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Is Deep Focus the Secret to Success? How to Find Your Flow in 2021

heightened focus (goodbye, distractions!), a sense of clarity, feelings of happiness and pleasure, and the impression that all obstacles ahead of you have disappeared. That makes accomplishing your goals feel like less of a struggle. It’s no wonder high-achieving hobbyists, workers, and creatives crave the feeling! How can you get in a flow? Usually, a flow state isn’t planned — it just happens. In a BBC article, author Steven Kotler describes flow as “a happy accident.” But he also notes that we can make ourselves “more accident- prone.” To set yourself up for a flow state, find a quiet place to work and choose an activity that’s difficult but meaningful for you. Ideally, it should be something you’ve already put work into perfecting. If you’ve never tried painting before, you probably won’t find flow on your first attempt, but an experienced painter could achieve it while mastering a new technique. Some people claim that being in a flow state is a form of meditation and that learning how to meditate can help you reach it. To that end, apps like Headspace and Evenflow (for iPhones only) are great places to start! Before you know it, you’ll be finding the flow like a pro.

Have you ever started working on an important project and looked up at the clock after what felt like minutes only to find that hours had passed? If you have, you’ve probably experienced “flow state,” aka the Holy Grail of concentration and achievement. What is a flow state? Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes a flow state as a “focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback.” That sounds complex, but you can also think of flow as being “in the zone.” And it might be the key to achieving your New Year’s goals. That’s because a flow state almost always coincides with tackling a difficult task, and when you’re in a flow state, even the most challenging things feel relatively easy. Why are high achievers obsessed with flow? Flow state doesn’t only happen for people with desk jobs. You can get it while running, playing chess, dancing, or climbing a mountain, and it’s considered the Holy Grail because it has a host of benefits. According to the meditation app Headspace, those perks include

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