Alan C. Fox's Blog, page 15

Every Sunday morning, once or twice a month, I used to host a brunch at my home for my extended family and friends. The food alternated, though it was usually deli, as did the people, though my parents were always there.

But shortly after my mother died, more than twenty-five years ago, our Sunday brunches ended. To this day, I don’t really know why.

Do I miss that tradition? Yes, I do. It was fun to regularly share food, news, and a running game of pinochle with my dad and brother. And no, I...

What was your best Christmas present ever?

For me there is one answer – my Lionel electric train set that my parents (actually, I think my father) gave me when I was six or seven.

It was a basic set with a single oval track, one engine, and a few cars. Maybe this was a birthday present, or maybe it was for both Christmas and my birthday because when I was young the price limit on any present in my home was one dollar. Even in 1946 an electric train set must have cost more than that. I Googled...

I have spent the past two days doing nothing. That is, I didn’t do anything I was supposed to do. On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I didn’t even take a shower.

Why would I write about doing nothing? Because, for me, this is extraordinary. I was introduced to my fiancé, Sprite, by a mutual friend. He told her, “Every move Alan makes has a purpose.” I agree with him.

I grew up with many fixed ideas. Some of those ideas, such as “you must save money each year”, have turned out to be helpfu...

“I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
“And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
“And in short, I was afraid.” – T.S. EliotThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

We live in a scary world. You can die at any moment in an auto accident or from a heart attack. A friend of mine died two days after she fell and hit her head on the kitchen floor.

But death isn’t all we’re afraid of. Many of us have fears about money or relationships, and all who are parents fear for t...

I’ve been running a successful business for fifty years.

My partner and I began our law practice in 1967 with one employee.

Eleanor was our receptionist/legal secretary/accountant. She worked hard every single day and knew a lot more about how to run a law office than we did. All of us worked twelve hours a day, six or seven days a week.

In 1968 I formed a real estate company which today owns and manages shopping centers throughout the United States. We have offices in Los Angeles, Denver, Ph...

Every day I am besieged with requests.

“Dad, can I borrow your SUV to move some furniture?”

“Would you please donate $5.00 to (fill in the blank)?”

“Would you and your fiancé like to join us for dinner on Saturday evening?”

In order to simplify my life I have learned to classify each request into specific categories, and I’ve developed a logical process for each category based on my patterns and preferences. Here are four examples.

Requests from family. My bias is always to say “yes” to a re...

I arrived at the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in the early afternoon of a pleasant Sunday in June. I was sixteen years old. After my adventure of flying alone, and riding a subway/elevated train in an unknown city all by myself, I found my dorm and checked into the room where I would spend the next five weeks. I was participating in a national five-week summer speech program for high school juniors.

A few of the guys had arrived before me and were throwing a footbal...

When I was a kid I wanted to be President of the United States. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one with this ambition. As an adult I realized that to become President I’d have to:

Meet and connect with a lot of people. Remember names and faces. Fundraise. Spend many evenings away from home. Have my private life constantly scrutinized and broadcast to the entire world.

I’m not very good and #1 and #2 and I don’t like #3, #4, or #5, so I’m happy that I never acted on that particular priority.

Whi...

Until I was twenty-one years old I lived with my parents in their house on a hill. I remember gazing with wonder at the strange roads and odd buildings on the hill across from ours. I simply loved the view.

Many of our preferences and priorities are rooted in our early experience. I still like my hot dogs with mustard, but I prefer my hamburgers with ketchup as well. From my father I learned the importance of saving money. From my mother I learned to be curious. Both curiosity and saving mone...

What should you pay attention to during the next few minutes? Reading my blog? Answering your phone if you receive a call? Taking a coffee break? It all depends, doesn’t it?

Each of us has a clear sense of what we must pay attention to at any given moment, and our priorities fluctuate from one second to the next, depending upon our changing circumstances.

There are some priorities, however, which endure, but which are too often forgotten or ignored. For example, we sometimes pay scant attenti...