#NALS11-Roll With The Changes

Eden Park - Cincinnati, Ohio

For many reasons, autumn is always such a pleasant time of the year.  My mother says it is her favorite season because the changing leaves are so beautiful, but here in Phoenix, Arizona it's more likely because the temperature is finally breaking below 100 degrees and people can actually go outside and enjoy themselves.  It seems as though people are friendlier and more willing to venture out to experience new and interesting beginnings.  There is also a feeling of anticipation in the air when autumn rolls around-schools are in session, baseball playoffs are underway, and the holidays are right around the corner.  It's simply a time of change and it feels refreshing.

When I travel to Cincinnati, Ohio next week for the NALS 60th Annual Education Conference, it will be the beginning of a change that will be refreshing and revitalizing for NALS.  As I drove to work on Friday, REO's song, Roll with the Changes, came on the radio and seemed quite timely for the season and the issues that NALS is addressing in its next Board of Directors and Strategic Planning/Think Tank meetings in Cincinnati next week.  Last week I wrote a short article in eNews for NALS about the flying pigs in Cincinnati and the historical origination of how "pigs can fly."  Cincinnati has evolved for many years and is a thriving metropolis (formerly referred to as "Porkopolis").  The recollection of Cincinnati's history and my own personal remembrances of the city when I lived there from 1985 through 1993 reminds me of how NALS also has great origins that began in 1929 and how it must continue to evaluate its relevance in today's neverending changing environment in the legal industry.  Perhaps it's no coincidence that the NALS national conference is held this year in a city where pigs fly and unbelieveable things really do happen. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Steve Jobs' passing earlier this week...and I have been touched by his genius in many ways, and not just by his Apple products.  His commencement address at Stanford in 2005 was highlighed on the news this week, in Facebook, and many blogs that I follow.  Again, I thought how timely his message is today and every day:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't 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."

Autumn is a refreshing time of year and the best time to embrace new ideas and changes.  NALS will Engage, Enhance, Inspire and Promote the association to make it relevant for the future while it rolls with the changes in the city where pigs can fly.