by Stephen Pfahler | Mar 17, 2023 | Best Life, Book
“What human beings can be, they must be.” Abraham Maslow All human beings have an objective or purpose to their lives. It could be money, power, fame, sex, pleasure, happiness, living for God, or just plain surviving. What is your purpose? This is...
by Stephen Pfahler | Jan 3, 2025 | Book
I have been a judge with the Los Angeles Superior Court for approximately 19 years. I have observed countless hours of attorneys in court, ruled on thousands of motions, and presided over several hundred trials. I am often asked by attorneys about the best practice...
by Stephen Pfahler | Oct 15, 2024 | Book
It was my very first day as a judge. I was ready. I had been a lawyer for a long time. I knew what I was doing. I was prepared. In fact, I had reviewed each of my files twice that morning before calling my calendar. Never mind that my first judicial assignment was...
by Stephen Pfahler | Aug 26, 2024 | Book
This past week was Kobe Bryant’s birthday. If not for his tragic death, he would be 46 years old today… and may still be playing basketball. Being born and raised in Los Angeles, I was a huge Kobe fan. I greatly admired his incredible, almost indescribable,...
by Stephen Pfahler | Mar 19, 2024 | Book
When I entered law school, my dream was to be a sports agent and sit in Dodger Stadium watching my clients perform. However, in my first year of law school, I had a professor in Constitutional law, whose incredible class sparked a new interest. He made me think deeply...
by Stephen Pfahler | Feb 1, 2024 | Book
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy, founded in the 3rd century BC and made famous by its Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Stoicism has undergone a renaissance in the last several decades, and many individuals are intrigued about what it has to offer about living...
by Stephen Pfahler | Dec 12, 2023 | Book
When Benjamin Franklin was twenty-seven years old, he strongly desired to improve his life, so he identified the most universal of all truths by which he could live. He identified thirteen essential virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry,...
by Stephen Pfahler | Nov 2, 2023 | Book
I recently heard the actor and comedian, Steve Martin, on the Charlie Rose show to discuss his memoir, Born Standing Up. During the interview, Martin talked about his process of becoming a success in comedy, and Rose asked him if he had any advice for aspiring...
by Stephen Pfahler | Oct 3, 2023 | Book
Regardless of your position on climate change, I believe everybody can agree that making our planet healthier is a good thing. I’m not getting political, but we should all recognize that a clean, green, healthy planet is good for humans and that a warming, polluted,...
by Stephen Pfahler | Sep 6, 2023 | Book
Olympic gold medalist, Lanny Bassham, tells the great story about a professional golfer he was training. Interestingly, Basham is not a professional golfer. He didn’t work with this golfer...
by Stephen Pfahler | Aug 1, 2023 | Book
The Director of the Mayo Clinic, Dr. James Levine, said that “sitting is the new smoking.” Dr. Levin has extensively studied the negative effects of the modern, sedentary lifestyle, concluding: “”Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than...
