All In or All Out: Choosing Your Path and Committing Fully

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the middle—not fully committed but not quite ready to walk away? Today's episode draws powerful wisdom from an unlikely source: Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. His famous advice about walking on either side of the road but avoiding the middle (where you get "squashed like a grape") becomes a compelling metaphor for how we should approach life's commitments.

My personal journey with commitment began when I decided to run the New York Marathon without starting small. By setting an ambitious goal and eliminating all backup plans, I discovered the power of going all-in. This same philosophy guides how I parent my boys—Luke, who's passionate about football and trains intensely, and Jake, who chose recreational soccer purely for enjoyment. Both represent valid paths because they involve clear decisions rather than halfhearted middle-ground efforts.

The turning point in my legal career came when my mentor bluntly told me I was only part-time committed to being a lawyer. Those words sparked a complete transformation as I burned bridges to other career options and fully embraced my path. Now, that all-or-nothing approach defines my practice and client relationships. I'm not interested in representing people who aren't equally committed to their cases.

Where are you walking in your life right now? Are you on the left side or the right side of the road, or are you risking getting squashed in the middle? Identifying areas where you're straddling the line—whether in relationships, career aspirations, or personal health—could be the first step toward a more fulfilling path. Remember, choosing to step away completely is valid too. What matters is making a clear decision.

Ready to leave the middle ground behind? Pick one aspect of your life today where you'll commit fully, and share your journey with me at @chazrobertslaw on Instagram or cr@chazrobertslaw.com. Your commitment story might inspire others to find their path too. Subscribe and leave a review if this resonated with you!

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This show is co-produced by Carter Simoneaux of AcadianaCasts Network, Chaz H. Roberts of Chaz Roberts Law and Kayli Guidry Bonin of Beau The Agency, and Laith Alferahin.

Chapters

• 0:04 Welcome and Mr. Miyagi's Wisdom
• 1:12 Setting Big Goals and Burning Boats
• 2:15 Teaching Commitment to My Sons
• 3:40 Building My Law Practice All In
• 5:28 Challenge to Pick Your Side
• 7:38 Sponsor Message and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Hey there, welcome to Law. Have Mercy. I'm Chaz Roberts and in today's episode it's all about commitment, going all in picking a path and owning it. And who better to guide us than the one and only Mr Miyagi from Karate Kid? I love that movie as a kid. It stuck with me. Yeah, we're channeling some serious wax on wax off wisdom today. Let's dive in. Picture this Daniel's getting life lessons from Mr Miyagi and the master drops the ultimate truth bomb Walk on the left side of the road safe. Walk on the right side of the road safe. Walk in the middle squash like grape Oof. That's not just about dodging traffic, it's life. The middle of the road is where you get stuck, where you lose your way. Commitment means picking a side left, right doesn't matter and going for it with everything you have. No straddling, no, maybe later. I've built my life on that idea and I'm teaching my kids to do the same. Let's talk about what that looks like. So for me, commitments have always been about setting big goals and burning the boats. No plan B. Take running when I first laced up my sneakers, I wasn't worrying about running a 5k Nope. When I first laced up my sneakers, I wasn't worrying about running a 5K. Nope, I set my sights on the big daddy of them all, the New York Marathon, 26.2 miles through the streets of the Big Apple. I felt like I would be there and I'd say man, how the heck did I get here? Little boy from Cecilia, louisiana, and I'm in the Big Apple running through the five boroughs. Why? Because I'm all in no middle of the road. No jogging here, just a real goal. I picked a side and when I crossed the finish line in Central Park I knew I made it at least in that goal. Right, because I picked it, I went all in. I signed up for the race, all in no middle of the road. Now take my boys, luke and Jake. They're learning this too, each in their own way. You take Luke. He came to me one day. He said dad, I want to play football. He's four years old at the time. I looked at him and I said okay, if we're doing this, we're going to do it right. And that man throwing the football every single day in the yard sun, rain didn't matter. At night we'd run plays in the living room, dodging furniture like it was a defensive tackle, right. We got him a personal coach to dial in his skills. We go to Red's workout. He's all in. Luke didn't just want to play, he wanted to be a player. He picked a side and I'm going to make sure he owns it. Then there's Jake, my other son. He's not as adamant about sports, he's different. Jake loves soccer. But he told me straight up, dad, I just want to have fun. I don't want to do travel ball, I don't want to do crew, I don't want to do anything extreme, I just want to have fun. Well, guess what? I respect that. I respect the heck out of that. He picked a side. He didn't want the grind of competitive leagues or travel teams, he just wanted the joy of kicking a ball around with his buddies. And that's a side, believe it or not, that's not middle of the road. He didn't waffle in the middle half playing, half checked out. He chose recreational soccer, clear as day. So I'm still out there coaching the team, running drills, keeping it fun, but Jake's commitment is to joy, and that's just as real. Here's the thing. Mr Miyagi's lesson isn't about everyone being a superstar or chasing a big prize. It's about deciding who you are living and living it to the full extent. And my work as a lawyer is the same deal. When I opened up my law office, I realized very quickly I needed I couldn't just do it half pregnant, right? I remember my mentor, barry Salinger, where I distinctly remember going to court and he was like, hey, man, you're having fun, but I think you're kind of doing it part-time. You need to be all in. And that was really the inspiration for this podcast. Is me thinking about that recently? That was probably 14 years ago, and he was like, hey, the law is a jealous mistress. You need to be all in, it's not a part-time job. And so I burned the bridge, I stopped looking for other jobs, I got rented an office and eventually built an office. I bought laptops, I started getting business cards and branded things. And that's how Chaz Roberts Law was built. It means I'm all in. Some people they're not all in and that's okay, just don't be in the middle. When I take a case on, I'm all in, digging into every detail, fighting for the client, like it's almost like a personal vendetta right Me against the insurance company. Some people I've had clients who have over the years have not been all in and that's fine too. And I say, well, maybe I'm not the lawyer for you, because my clients are very serious clients and they know that I'm all in on their case. So they have to be all in on me In the middle, where you half-ass it and hope for the best. That's not my style. That's grape squashing territory. So what about you? Where are you walking right now? Left side or right side? Are you stuck in the middle? Maybe it's your job? Are you gunning for the next step? Are you just coasting? Your health are you training like you mean it, or you're kind of hitting the gym? Your relationships are you showing up fully or are you holding back? The middle feels safe, but it's a trap. It's where you miss out on the big wins and the big joys. Have you ever dated someone where you think like you're not really all happy, but it's not enough to break up? Man, you got to go all in or all out. All in or all out, and all out is fine too. The middle, the middle sucks man. Here's my challenge to you today. Pick one thing in your life where you're straddling the line. Maybe it's a goal you've been flirting with, a decision you're dodging. Choose a side. Go all in, like Luke with his football, or commit to what lights you up, like Jake with his soccer. Sign up for your version of the New York Marathon, whatever that looks like to you. Tell someone you're all in, burn the boats, because when you leave the middle behind, that's where life gets electric. You know, mr Miyagi didn't just teach Daniel how to fight, he taught him how to live. Left side, right side, no middle. That's the key to life, to a life that's bold, real and yours. So what's it going to be? Stay in the middle, risk the squash, or pick a side and make it happen. I know where I'm walking. Speaking of commitment, let's take a quick second to give a shout out to today's sponsor, alexi. As a lawyer, I'm always all in for my clients, and Alexi has been a game changer for my practice. It's an AI-powered online platform that helps small and mid-sized firms like mine with research, drafting, pleadings, medical chronologies you name it. I'm talking faster, sharper work, without the middle of the road hassle. I love this product and I highly recommend giving it a look. It's at Alexi A-L-E-X-I dot com. Trust me, it's the kind of tool that lets you pick a side and win. Big thanks to Alexi for sponsoring it All. Right back to the show. Look, guys, I hope I left you with some things to think about. You know I'm wrapping up here. Find something in your life today anything fitness, health, wealth, your job, a relationship and go all in. Make a commitment, make a bold commitment. Pick one side of the road. Okay, all in or all out. Quit straddling the line in your life, please. If you make a commitment and you go all in or all out on anything, let me hear about it. Shoot me a DM on Instagram, chaz Roberts Law. Shoot me an email, cr. Chaz Roberts Law. I'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a five-star review. Make sure you subscribe to the show. I hope this helped you, thanks.