“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves,” – Dalai Lama

For me, November has been more than a time for Thanksgiving. It’s been a month for self-discovery, personal growth, and strengthening relationships.

Live – We were fortunate this month to have two sets of visitors. I love having people from out of town visit, particularly who are unfamiliar with Detroit so we can show them all the great things the city has to offer that are likely very different than what they’ve read about in the media.

Earlier this month we had my brother-in-law from Delaware and cousin-in-law from LA visiting for a long weekend. We explored the historical sites and buildings downtown, ate delicious meals at various restaurants like the Dime Store, Bobcat Bonnies, and Craft Work, but my favorite part of the weekend was a self-designed bar crawl touring the different breweries and distilleries in the city including Detroit Distillery, Jolly Pumpkin and Motor City Brewing. We visited 7 different neighborhoods and got to share some of the exciting changes happening in the city such as the Detroit Future City framework, in addition to the positive work I’ve been doing in the program with Detroit Public Schools during our current challenge to improve family engagement.

Several weeks later, we hosted our annual Friendsgiving, a tradition which started while living in Chicago with a few of our transplant friends that also couldn’t make it home for the holiday. What began as an intimate group of 3 or 4, has multiplied over the years into 10+ attendants. We were thrilled this year when our friends from Chicago agreed to come to Detroit to uphold the annual holiday together. Even more exciting, the Lions hosted the Eagles for the Thanksgiving Day game and being from the East Coast, most of us are Philly fans. We were able to secure tickets and before I knew it our group of 10 casually multiplied to 17. Football game aside, we had an amazing time tailgating at Eastern Market and sharing an enormous dinner with good food and good friends.

It was great getting to see and spend time with all of our visitors, and even though they might not be ready to move to Detroit, I am confident that each of them had an amazing time and will leave the city with a better impression than they came with.

Work – It’s been an exciting month at Brooks Kushman as I’m starting to get acclimated to the new job and take on more responsibilities.

Aside from managing the firm’s social media pages and updating the company website, my responsibilities have grown to include drafting press releases, submitting nominations for the firm and individual attorneys, preparing a monthly marketing report to share with the firm, and planning the community and charitable activities for the staff.

But my favorite part of the job is planning and working various events we host or sponsor. This month we sponsored the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, an international business competition featuring top tech companies and investment opportunities, connecting innovative entrepreneurs with funding from local investors and VCs. Founded by the New Economy Initiative, SPARK, Automation Alley, Macomb-OU Incubator, and Techtown Detroit, the competition was designed to highlight Michigan as a robust and vibrant venue for innovation and business opportunity. Brooks Kushman is a major sponsor and hosts a panel each year offering insight on the importance of protecting intellectual property for start-ups and entrepreneurs.

In addition to managing our booth at the business competition, I attended a Legal Marketing Association Luncheon where other marketers in the Midwest and greater Detroit area get together for networking, sharing best practices, and discussing industry trends. The job has been a fantastic learning experience for me to acquire new skills and build a network.

Play – 30 establishments this month, 13 of them for the first time, including Pho Lucky, a new Vietnamese eatery that opened just across the street from my loft in Brush Park.

In addition to supporting the local economy by frequenting neighborhood restaurants, there were several other noteworthy November events including the DIA’s Founders Junior Council Art Seen featuring the 30 American’s exhibit of African American contemporary art; our first Challenge Detroit social event which included ladies bonding night over wine and cheese followed by a fellow outing at our favorite neighborhood bar, 3rd Street; our annual Challenge Detroit kickoff party hosted by DTE Energy where fellows got to share their experiences with employers, board members, family and friends, followed by afterglow drinks and pool at Centaur; and perhaps most exciting celebrating the Detroit Tree Lighting Ceremony with VIP tickets courtesy of my Rock Venture fellow.

There’s certainly no shortage of activities in Detroit — over the past few months Fellows have become like family, and the real challenge is managing such a packed schedule!

Give – Although there was certainly a lot of Play, the most notable component this month was appropriately, Give. Thanksgiving is a time for valuing what you have, but should also be about giving others something to be thankful for. This month, I helped coordinate a holiday toy drive at my firm, delivered food to housebound seniors through Focus Hope during our quarterly Challenge Detroit service event, helped local small businesses in the Build Institute program set up displays and promote awareness for the Small Business Saturday Build Bazaar holiday event, and assisted with fellow Mike Paceiro’s deconstruction project.

Fellow Clare Lilek also started a campaign challenging others to donate 10% of their Cyber Monday purchases on the following Giving Tuesday.

Tis’ the season of giving and while I have so much to be thankful for, it’s all the more reason to help give others less fortunate something they can be thankful for as well.

Lead – I started out the month by taking a beginner’s meditation class at the Detroit Zen Center in Hamtramck. I highly recommend the course for anyone interested in learning more about meditation or just trying something new. Knowing little about meditation, I did not realize going in that the Center was affiliated with Buddhism, however don’t let that deter you. I was raised Christian but today I don’t really affiliate with any religion and prefer not to put a label on my beliefs. Growing up with Jewish and Catholic friends, I’ve attended various religious ceremonies. I would not liken the meditation class to any other religious ceremony I’ve experienced. My perception is that while meditation and Buddhism may not be separable, the experience is one of self-realization rather than worshipping or “practicing” a religion in the traditional sense one might think of.

I also began a life coaching program through a former colleague from JPMorgan. After leaving a career I’d spent the past 5 years in since graduating college and beginning a program in a new city doing completely different work for a one-year fellowship, the opportunity to participate in the life coaching came at the perfect time. Through the sessions I’ve started meditating semi-regularly (committing to a few times a week to start). It’s surprisingly challenging to fit even 10 minutes in per week between my work at the law firm, non-profit projects and volunteering through the program, and various family and friend visits this month. But I’ve found it to be a somewhat magnetic experience — the more I do it the more I want to do it.

I’m also exploring other aspects through the life coaching, including recognizing my personal strengths, how to improve on areas of opportunity, effective time management and balancing health and fitness with the rigorous program demands. Both the meditation and life coaching have been essential to my personal development preparing me to be a more effective leader.

In addition these programs, I’m also focusing on networking to build strategic relationships for my professional growth. This month I connected with a new acquaintance through Detroit Young Professionals and networked with other volunteers from the Detroit Free Press Marathon at their “Thank you” happy hour. While I genuinely enjoy meeting new people, building these key relationships in the city is also a crucial leadership and development skill.

It may sound ironic to talk about personal growth and development after noting the importance of giving to others, however I believe before we can impact change we must acquire the skills and knowledge to implement the solution that’s needed. One of the fundamental practices of the program, Design Thinking, starts with empathy. Being self-aware and open minded puts us in a true position to give back. In the wake of the recent attacks on Paris, I found this quote by the Dalai Lama very appropriate. Imagine if everyone found a little more peace within themselves. And in the spirit of President Obama’s address, we should all remember the importance of tolerance, inclusiveness and acceptance.

I may still have a ways to go, but I believe opening your mindset, expanding your mentality and finding inner peace will allow all of us to better serve our communities and each other.