Magazine Feature / People

Professor urges chasing ‘real rabbits’

There was a moment, fresh out of law school, when Corey Ciocchetti (BA ’98, MA ’99) thought, “Is this the rest of my life?”

He had just started a new job at a prestigious law firm in downtown Denver when one of the firm’s attorneys barged into his office, slammed the door so hard that pictures fell off his wall, and yelled, “Are you an idiot?”

“That culture was bad,” recalls Ciocchetti. “I started wondering what I was doing with my life. I had all the money in the world, had a great job, everything I thought I had ever wanted, and I was totally miserable.”

Ten months later, Ciocchetti spontaneously quit without any idea of what was next, but he believes his path took him right to where he was meant to be: teaching and speaking about happiness, ethics and character.

Ciocchetti is now an assistant professor in DU’s department of business ethics and legal studies in the Daniels College of Business. He has also written and self-published a book, Real Rabbits: Chasing an Authentic Life.

“What do we chase in life?” he asks. “Money, fame. I’m competing with MTV, songs telling you that if you get rich and stay skinny, you’ll be happy. But if you chase those things, there’s never enough of what you don’t need.”

Ciocchetti also speaks around the country sharing the three things he challenges people to achieve:

•    Contentment in your heart: When you wake up in the morning, are you happy with who you are?

•    Good relationships: “To have good friends, you must be a good friend.”

•    Character: How you act when nobody’s looking.

Sophomore finance major Caitlin Blasi has taken a class from Ciocchetti and read his book.

Real Rabbits taught me to weigh what is important in my life,” she says. “I essentially learned ways to improve and build upon my character.”

Ciocchetti seems somewhat surprised and entirely thrilled with where life has taken him.

“I have found my dream job,” he says. “I’m passionate about this. Helping people, changing lives. Every day I get to think and be smarter. I actually work harder now than ever, but it’s not work.”

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