Our namesake and “boss man” was featured by Mary Gardella of Mary Gardella Photography in her Empowered Stories after his portrait session. What follows was originally posted on Mary’s site.
elle’STORIES for inspiring our souls
A Q & A to stir the empowerment juices following a session with Mary
Say hi to Michael of The Gottlieb Law Firm
Q. What do you do that brings in the bread & butter? What do you do that keeps your life happy?
A. I am the managing member of a law firm that represents entrepreneurs.
I may be the luckiest person on Earth because I truly love what I do. I spend all day interacting with amazing people who are looking to change their corner of the world and I’m privileged to be able to share their passion with them.
Q. What was the significant moment in your life that led you in the direction you are now?
A. Many years ago, I was playing golf with a close friend and he was getting so upset about how he was playing. I asked him why and he said he wanted to be the best he could and it made him angry that he wasn’t playing as well as he wanted to. That made sense to me and I loved his passion for the game, but I realized that my priorities were different. I have many hobbies: golf, racing cars, playing sports, etc. and I realized I was okay at being competent, but not necessarily a superstar at those things. I did some soul searching and realized that there were three things that I desired to truly excel at: being a husband, a father and a lawyer. In addition to those, I’d add that I want to excel at the business of running a law firm and I strive to be the very best “boss” to our team of lawyers and assistants.
Q. What do you do to motivate you?
A. I spend as much time as possible with other entrepreneurs. I am an active member of my local EO Accelerator program and being with the other Accelerator and EO members is inspiring. I also regularly read about entrepreneurship. Outside of that, I lift weights and set physical goals that push me hard to achieve things I wouldn’t have ever believed possible just a few years ago. Now I know that very few things are truly impossible.
Q. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18 year old self?
A.
1. Do those things that make you proud.
2. Recognize that people who are negative don’t want to be that way, but something has happened in their lives to cause their negativity/unhappiness and it likely has nothing to do with me.
3. To the extent possible, surround yourself with people that inspire you.
Thank you, Michael!
xoxo, Mary Gardella
PS. Michael is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. All heart. And I know that heart goes deep into his business and the entrepreneurs he helps. www.marygardella.com
