By David Daggett on 4/28/2008 7:03 AM

Half Way

     Doesn't it always seem to feel really good to be half way done? Well, this past week at Lewis & Daggett we passed the half way mark with our 2008 Safe Sober Prom Night program.

     So far, so good. We have had no reports of prom night car accidents of other tragedies.

     Part of the fun of SSPN is our interaction with the students. So far this year we have reached approximately 10,128 juniors and seniors in the triad area, an increase over past years. All these students have had the opportunity to sign the Safe Sober Prom Night "Do It Right!" pledge and to receive a free t-shirt. Some of the students have mentioned that they have been waiting since they were freshmen and sophomores and are excited that "now it's my turn!" These students inspire us.

     We are also inspired by the attorneys and staff on our team here at Lewis & Daggett. Out teams lead the program at all of the area high schools. They do this out of care, concern, and as a way to make a positive contribution to our community. We certainly thank our many helping hands that make this program so successful. At the same time, we also thank our in office team members as we all cover for each other during this eight-week period of time when we are all doing double duty.

     Although it has been fun to pass the half way point in the Safe Sober program, it is interesting that in life we never really know where half way is. We always need to be looking up and forward, trying to improve and do better, not just coasting. In fact, this is a lesson that students teach us at every school we visit.

     A hallmark of the SSPN program is positive peer pressure. Positive friendships and activities with peers help us establish values, and then these influences are a rock of stability as we continue through life.

     Peers also push us and help us to be better. Students do this in a very positive forward looking fashion. They help to lift each other's spirits and keep each other accountable. Peers provide a core group of support. Selecting and encouraging positive peers and providing them support, too, actually goes a long way toward building our own successes.

     Half way is certainly exciting! However, half way also means that we need to keep looking forward, improving, and doing better. As life progresses and we all look back at our successes, we will see a long list of positive peers that have helped to make us better and have made us what we are.

     Personally, I am not sure if I have made it "half way" yet, but I know there are many peers that have helped me every step of the way. Thank you to all who've helped us get to the half way point, and thank you for the army of peers and peer groups out there that encourage all of us, and particularly our students, in a positive fashion.

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By David Daggett on 4/21/2008 6:53 AM

Success and The 25% Club

     Do you know someone who is successful? We sure do! We were lucky to have Coach Bob Anastas in town this past week as part of our Safe Sober Prom Night program.

     Coach Anastas is the national founder of Students Against Drunk Driving, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. He was an All-American in both hockey and football, and was drafted as a quarterback and punter by the Patriots. He has taught high school and college, and has coached hockey and football. Bob has written three books on student-parent communication, and has had a made-for-TV movie made about his life and his work with students. Bob is certainly one of our hereos.

     In speaking to students, Coach Anastas explains how only approximately 25% of all people use their God-given talents, their minds and their bodies, to be successful in life. These 25% are successful academically, athletically, professionally, and personally. Bob passionately explains how students have to be part of "The 25% Club" to be successful in life, and then describes the steps to get there.

     Bob's four keys to success are:

     1. Run when others walk. This means that you need to keep your body in tip-top shape. Look and present yourself well. These simple things elevate you above the pack. Your first impression is the most important impression you make.

     2. Sleep when others party. You'll be a success because you're going to wake up in the morning well rested and ready to go. You need to give yourself the best chance possible to develop the gifts God gave you.

     3. Take your weakness and make it your strength. You need to make yourself better and always look to improve. Practice when others rest. That's how you improve and become the best you can be. 75% of all people are complacent. They won't do the extra work needed to move into the 25% Club. So, this means work ethic, practice, diligence, and perseverance.

     4. Keep your body under control at all times. Bob particularly emphasizes not to abuse your body with drugs and alcohol. You want to present yourself as a "clean package" and a good person.

     Coach Anastas emphasizes that doing these things is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. Choose to be in the 25% club and life will be very good to you. However, if you don't make this choice you may never be what you could have been. Period.

     "If we dream it, it can be done." - Coach Bob Anastas

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By David Daggett on 3/31/2008 6:48 AM

18 Years!

     It’s finally here! This week the 2008 prom season begins. Our Lewis & Daggett team is excited for the 18^th year of our Safe Sober Prom Night Program.

   

     Mike Lewis and I founded SSPN in 1991. In what we do professionally we all too often see the destruction and tragedy done to children, families and individuals by drinking and driving. We believed that we were in a unique position in our community to address this issue, and so Safe Sober Prom Night was born. We really never dreamed it would be so successful for all these years.

     We have used a two prong attack First, we believe that young people need continual reminders of the dangers of drinking and driving. Second, is to help create an environment of positive peer pressure to help encourage our students in the right direction.

     The SSPN program has become part of the values and culture at our firm. In fact, when we start going to the high schools starting this week our entire L & D will be involved reflecting reflecting their high personal levels of commitment . We will personally visit more than 30 high schools and give away more than 10,000 t-shirts in the triad area.

     Over the years, SSPN has won a number of significant awards in additional to local recognition. The program has been awarded the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Public safety award, as well as the American Bar Association Award for Dignity in Lawyer Advertising.

     Of course, the most significant award is from the students who now think Safe Sober is "cool" and proudly participate year to year. This year a "cool" addition is virtual pledge that students can take on-line, and of course there are lots of other goodies there too.

     Please join our students and our L & D Team in make this year the safest prom season ever!

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By David Daggett on 3/24/2008 6:50 AM

Lights, Camera, Action!

     Are you ready? Prom season is now just right around the corner. Lights, Camera, Action - it will be here. We are all excited and ready for this special time.

SSPN Commercial Shoot - Glenn High School

     This past week we really experienced "Lights, Camera, Action" with a group of students at Glenn High School. Glenn had the highest percentage of students take the Safe Sober Prom Night "Do It Right!" pledge out of all the all local high schools. In doing so they won the opportunity to participate in this year’s TV promotional advertisement.

     The Glenn students have great leadership with Principal Coplin, and faculty leaders Ms. Wilson and Ms. P-H (as the students call her). They helped coordinate the students for this extra-curricular activity, which really turned out to be a great experience.

     With the help of WXII TV we were able to turn the auditorium at the high school into a temporary studio in order to shoot the spot. In the process, Mike Lewis and I were able to give the students a bit of a lesson in actual production, as well as having a good bit of fun with them.

     Our Lewis & Daggett team is always impressed with our local students. These students at Glenn were top notch in all respects. We enjoyed the afternoon we spent with them, had a lot of fun, and are excited about their futures.

     This year’s SSPN ad should hit the airways in the next week or so. It will also be posted at www.safeandsober.com. Also at the website students will be able to take the virtual pledge, contact friends, get prom tips, and keep up with all of the SSPN activities.

     Please join us in encouraging our students - they are off to a great start!

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By David Daggett on 3/10/2008 6:47 AM

The Artist

     It is hard to believe that the time changed for spring this weekend, and prom season is right around the corner! Our Safe Sober Prom Night program is getting ready for its 18^th season. We of kicked things off this past week by announcing the winner of the T-shirt design contest.

     The annual T-shirt design competition is open to students at all high schools in North and South Carolina. We received many impressive designs from a number of schools in our area. The final decision proved to be quite difficult for the selection committee.

     The winner of the 2008 Safe Sober Prom Night T-shirt design contest is Tyler Pennington, a senior at North Surry High School. Tyler’s design will be featured on more than 10,000 t-shirts distributed to high school students in the Triad area, and available to all high schools throughout North and South Carolina as part of the Safe Sober Prom Night program.

     During a surprise presentation in his classroom at North Surry High School, we presented Tyler with the very first 2008 t-shirt produced and a scholarship check for $500.

     Our team had a great time with the surprise coordinated by Tyler’s art teacher, M.s Jennifer Via, and administrators at the school. They included and coordinated Tyler’s family, school officials, and the Safe Sober staff. Tyler was really caught off guard!

     Ms. Via, as well as other art teachers across the triad, did an excellent job motivating students to submit entries to the t-shirt design contest, and supporting the artists in their efforts. She has also used this as an opportunity for further learning and case study in her class.

     During this past week, WSJS radio feature a live interview with Tyler and highlighted the safe Sober Prom Night program. Several newspapers in the triad area covered the story as well. This was a great experience for Tyler. He handled it all very well. We are proud of him and optimistic for his future.

     In just a few short weeks, T-shirt distribution will begin at area high schools for student who sign the "Do it Right!" pledge to stay safe and sober on prom night. Please help us support our promising young people.

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By David Daggett on 2/25/2008 6:42 AM

Healthy Living Expo

     Last weekend our Lewis & Daggett team participated in the Healthy Living Expo at the Winston-Salem Convention Center. This is an annual event in town that brings out our large cross section of folks from our community.

     From the photo above you can see that members of our L & D team had a good time, and engaged a number of attendees in the fun of the event. As you know from our Values and Culture, we enjoy this sort of interaction and it makes us feel like we are furthering our law firm mission.

     The event is a good opportunity for all of us to improve our teamwork outside the office. We are always favorably impressed at the commitment of our folks to events like this that are strictly voluntary in participation.

     The last several years we have also used the Healthy Living Expo as sort of a kick off for our Safe Sober Prom Night activities. Prom season is just around the corner so we try to start raising awareness within the community.

   Planning, teamwork, and friends made the Expo memorable and enjoyable. We enjoyed the time we spent together and the fun the we had sharing with the community what we all like to do here at the firm!

     Each year at the Expo we meet new friends, and rekindle old relationships. If you dropped by our booth, thank you! We were glad to see you!

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By David Daggett on 1/21/2008 7:49 AM

Ask More Questions

     Do you ever feel exuberant? Are you ready to jump right in and give answers? Perhaps it would serve us well to ask more questions. We are reminded of this at Lewis& Daggett every time we make a presentation at a school - the students love to ask questions!

Students naturally ask questions    

     First thing this morning, right after I got out of bed, my wife told me I was "exuberant!" Exuberant! I had not even gotten started yet… I hadn't had a workout, I hadn't begun working, I hadn't even gotten going and I was already exuberant. Perhaps this exuberance is related to Slow Down! and Take a Chill Pill.

     At Lewis & Daggett our exuberance has us always ready to go, and we help people with answers very quickly. Folks at a law firm are probably more inclined to give answers than the average person. We are always moving very fast, ready to go, and are "exuberant" in our willingness to answer questions.

     So, our next resolution is to ask more questions. Do you ask more questions or do you give more answers? The truth is, we all sometimes act like we know more than we really do. Of course, none of us knows everything, and one way we learn is by asking questions. In fact, children learn how to ask questions at a very early age.

     Our own children can get us trapped in the "why?" game very quickly. They always want to know more. Perhaps we can learn from children that we learn more when we ask more questions.

     Asking questions instead of giving answers (or even direction) is probably a more effective form of leadership. Asking questions gets others involved and participating in achieving a result. Perhaps the results are even more meaningful.

     The art of asking more questions will probably take some practice and some patience, so we will need you to help us along the way. The good part is we will probably become more interesting, more effective, and learn more along the way.

     Can you help us ask more questions?

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By David Daggett on 1/7/2008 6:53 AM

Resolutions

     Do you ever make resolutions for the New Year? Every year for the past 20 years or so I have done my annual "Resolution Ride" on my mountain bike. I leave home very early New Year’s morning so that I can sit on the little hill on the west bank of Salem Lake and watch the sun rise. I have been out in cold, snow, rain, and everything in between. The last couple of years have been cloudy and/or rainy, but this year was spectacular!

Daybreak 2008!

     We also work on goals, resolutions, here at Lewis & Daggett. Interestingly, I had never looked up the definitions of "resolution" previously, but one of the members of our management team presented them to us this past week. Resolution is a decision to do, a commitment. Commitment is a sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose; binding yourself emotionally to a course of action; or, to make a pledge or dedication. Wow, these are powerful words!

     So, let’s spend some time reviewing resolutions. Resolutions can take many forms. They seem to divide into two big categories of pragmatic and aspirational. Pragmatic are specific such as a goal to lose ten pounds. Aspirational goals are not as empirical rather more like becoming more patient, a better dad, or strengthening relationships.

     Resolutions typically fall into categories like weight loss and health, personal betterment, professional development, volunteer more, educational advancement, and spiritual growth. Many people make more than one resolution every year. Interestingly, folks rarely actually keep their resolutions.

     So, how do we make resolutions stick? Find a partner to make a similar resolution so you can help keep each other on track. Experts say it takes about 30 days to break a bad habit and form a new one, so stay at it. Post your resolution in a place where you will see it often such as your bathroom mirror, dashboard, or computer screen. Most of all, be your own cheerleader.

     Over the coming weeks we’ll be discussing some of our law firm goals, or resolutions, that we’ll be working on for 2008. We invite you to join us with some resolutions and to feel free to share them with us. I will also be sharing some of my own here.    

      Together, we can make 2008 a great year. Please join us in taking positive steps forward.

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By David Daggett on 12/31/2007 9:49 AM

Top 10 Posts of 2007

     2007 was a great year! Thank you for joining us. We have some interesting topics in the works to start 2008. We have some L & D firm goals for 2008, and I will also be working on some personal resolutions here.

Wake Forest Quad Shortly After Bowl Win!

     Below is a Top Ten List of our top blog posts for the year. Click through to enjoy them again. Thanks for being part of our growing little community.

     10. Our Future Looks Bright!

      9. Encourage Child Safety

      8. Momentum Shift

      7. Commitment!

      6. Teamwork

      5. Completion

      4. Do Good Things . . .

      3. Collective Impact!

      2. Internet Safety In Your Own Home

      1. A Piece of Our Heart

     Thanks again for joining us. We appreciate your being part of our team and look forward to our relationships continuing in 2008.

     All the best for the New Year!

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By David Daggett on 12/17/2007 10:10 AM

   Our Future Looks Bright! 

    Youth are our future. At Lewis & Daggett we have focused for many years on youth initiatives, like Safe Sober Prom Night. We do this naturally out of our concerns for individuals. This is consistent with our L & D Team’s care and helping of people seriously injured, hurt at work, and disabled.

     So, to further this mission we spent some time this week with the After School Program at the West Forsyth YMCA. As you can see from the photo above, we had a good time.

     We were contacted by the After School Program Director Mary Ridings to talk about internet safety. She is a delightful hard working young lady who clearly loves the kids. Mary had read our piece on Internet Safety and asked us to discuss these issues with the students. We were more than happy to go out and have a discussion with their students.

     Don’t sell our students short - they were very bright and had a keen insight on the issues presented by today’s world, including internet safety. Our discussions led to three basic principles that probably apply to most aspects in life.

     First, "You Become Who You Hang With." This is their language, not mine. Certainly this is great advice and is consistent with what we all learned as kids - surround yourself with good and you will be good. The same applies with on-line activity.

     Next, "Don’t Talk to Strangers." We all learned this when we were very young, yet somehow the impersonal nature of the internet seems to make us not take it so seriously. There are predators (strangers) out there that we shouldn’t talk to. These students understand that the same principle applies just the same with the internet.

     Lastly, "Establish and Keep a Good Reputation." The students already know and are aware that colleges look at things like Myspace pages when making admissions decisions. Law firms do too. So, it is important to keep on-line materials positive and reflect favorably upon you.

     Please contact us if you would like more information on internet safety. Help us encourage and support our young people. We were impressed by these students and know that their future is bright!

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