Being switched on is the key differentiator. It must become a habit, second nature, part of the very fiber of your being. (Location 27)
Sure, if I had shot the guy, I may have escaped legal prosecution because it would have been seen as self-defense. But that would have been cold comfort if a man had lost his life because I panicked and shot him. I would have had to live with that for the rest of my life. (Location 92)
The thing is, once you’ve crossed one moral line and listened to the devil on your shoulder, it becomes easier and easier to cross bigger and bigger lines. (Location 136)
Your only hope is to stop the dominoes before they start falling. You can do this by remaining switched on. (Location 141)
Dad taught us that in order to pass the tests of daily life, you must always be ready to perform, whether at work, at school, in relationships or when looking after your own security. (Location 234)
As far as he was concerned, there was no way you could stay mentally strong and prepared unless you were in good physical condition. (Location 237)
As I grew up and became a Special Agent, I came to think of being ready for life’s tests as being “switched on.” Switched on means you are operating with all your senses, staying alert, and running on all cylinders. (Location 250)
“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me” is a great approach to life. (Location 290)
I learned early in life that good character is doing the right thing when no one is watching. (Location 370)
The home where we had all experienced so much joy, love and kindness throughout the years was now a house of pain. Death instantly changed all that was good and normal into fear and uncertainty. (Location 437)
A butterfly often appears in my life seemingly out of nowhere, at the perfect time and place—just when I need to know that my father is near. (Location 620)
Many people fail to absorb data from their environment—and the ones who do receive and assess it often fail to take action. They are not switched on. (Location 744)
She taught me that the combination of yoga, meditation and proper nutrition was the foundation for a peaceful life. (Location 779)
Not only does a UCA need to be a convincing liar but they also need to have great emotional dexterity as they switch effortlessly back and forth between two different roles. They have to convincingly wear their disguise as a bad guy, making sure they look and play the part one hundred percent at every minute. And they also have to constantly think like an agent, stay alert and aware of everything they say, and keep in mind the kind of evidence they will need for court. There are always a lot of moving parts in any operation. (Location 851)
John’s shooting taught me an invaluable—and indelible!—lesson about listening to one’s gut and taking action. From then on, I would always listen to my gut. (Location 1115)
In this case, trusting my gut meant disobeying a direct order. (Location 1138)
It wasn’t my pain I was feeling but the anticipation of facing the pain of everyone else (Location 1275)
Death and birth…we all move between these two unknowns, trying to understand them both as separate when they are actually the same. (Location 1405)
The stress of traumatic events, along with the responsibilities that went along with being an agent, a dad and a husband often weighed heavily on me. Thankfully, my dedication to wellness and the joys of family life saved my sanity. Sometimes, I believe they saved my very life. (Location 1408)
As I lived for two-and-a-half years with the nuanced ESC case, I still practiced SEE—trying to eat right, get enough sleep and exercise. I jogged and lifted weights at the gym to alleviate stress. Before bed, I did sit-ups and push-ups, just as Dad had taught us to do when we were kids. (Location 1417)
Nobody likes to lose a case at trial. This is especially true of government attorneys who usually insist on taking only slam-dunk cases to trial. But even some of those cases don’t make it to trial. There are several factors behind this: • the attitude of most government attorneys is, the more positive marks on their record, the better; • many of them are looking to the next chapter of their lives, which might include a judgeship or a job that requires an especially high wins-to-losses case ratio; • there is often prosecutorial discretion in these government cases involving white-collar criminals, which means that they can decline to prosecute if they so choose; • government attorneys might be intimidated by Ivy League attorneys representing the target company. Plenty of those attorneys are former Federal Prosecutors themselves and know all of the ins and outs of the Department of Justice; and government attorneys prefer to prosecute low-hanging fruit (meaning, targets without high-stake political entanglements). (Location 1631)
At times like these, I also prayed The Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” (Location 1682)
I consider the tragedy of 9-11 to be a total failure by the U.S. government. Prior to 9-11, the United States was completely ignorant of the terror threats, and our overall understanding of Muslims, Arabs and Islam was minimal at best. I do not believe that we have become substantially wiser or more knowledgeable in this regard. (Location 1937)
Peace-loving Muslims would disavow the statement that the Koran teaches that all the infidels must die. They interpret holy war (“jihad”) to mean the internal holy war we all must face as humans—the struggle of good versus evil. (Location 1941)
It is critical to feed your mind good, positive thoughts and surround yourself with good people with good energy. (Location 1953)
We are all responsible for the information we ingest, just as we are responsible for the food we ingest. (Location 1954)
It was yet another reminder of how fragile life is, and how everything can change in a New York minute. More importantly, it was a wake-up call and a reminder never to ignore your own instincts and intuition in favor of what a doctor may be saying. A doctor does not live in your skin—only you do. Only you truly feel what you are experiencing, health-wise and otherwise. It is important to be switched on and actively involved in your own wellness and medical care. (Location 1986)
