Let’s
face it. As a group, lawyers are not the most well rounded people in the world.
In a profession that values meticulous attention to detail, the constant use of
logic to solve complex problems and the ability to synthesize large amounts of
information in a short time, it is no surprise that attorneys tend to be intellectual
overachievers. While by itself that is not such a bad thing, the downside of
having a personality so intellectually slanted is that attorneys tend to
neglect the creative and intuitive aspects of their personality. The world
begins to look like one big law school exam that can be mastered purely by hard
work and logic. But when our lives lack creativity, passion and purpose, the
lack of balance between our intellectual and creative aspects surfaces, often
in the form of fatigue, discontentment, anxiety, compulsiveness or depression. According
to one study, lawyers are suffering from depression at a rate higher than any
other occupation and more than 3.5 times higher than employed persons generally[1].
Lawyers also suffer from alcoholism and illegal drug use at rates far higher
than non-lawyers[2]. The divorce rate among
lawyers also appears to be higher than the divorce rate among other
professionals[3]. As a result many
attorneys retire early, leave the profession altogether or resign themselves to
living with the lack of joy and fulfillment that comes along with a life being
lived severely out of balance.
As
desperate as the situation may sound, there is good news. Achieving balance and
joy in your life is completely within your reach. And even better, doing so
doesn’t depend on working for less demanding partners, representing more
reasonable clients, reducing billable hours or leaving the profession. In fact
it doesn’t depend on any source other than you. Only you can make the decision
to be happier and more fulfilled in your life. But I can help.
What
follows is a set of tools and techniques that, if you allow them to, will bring
more balance to your life. The “7 P’s of Prosperity”- Passion, Present Moment
Awareness, Positivity, Picturing It, Physical Health, Playfulness and Practice are
tools that help you to see that no one, other than yourself, has the ability to
bring you joy or sadness. It’s ultimately only you that decides whether your life
will be blissfully happy, tragically sad or somewhere in between. The 7 P’s of Prosperity provide a road map
for bringing more joy and fulfillment into your life by constructing a path of
personal balance, discipline and purpose. They are not a quick fix to get rich,
lose weight or instantly solve your problems. But, when they are consistently
and earnestly applied, you will begin to experience your life as it was meant
to be experienced, as wondrous, exciting and, most importantly, fulfilling. It
is my wish to share these tools with you so you can begin today to experience their
benefits. There’s no better time than the present to begin leading a life that brings
you joy and fulfillment.
Passion
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you
come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who
are alive.”
–
Howard Thurman
People
who are passionate about their work don’t view it as work. They say time goes
by too fast. They get really excited about what they do and can’t wait to wake
up in the morning to do it. If you think you could never be one of those
people, think again. Not only can you follow your dreams and do the things in life
that inspire you. If you want more joy and fulfillment in your life, you must
learn to identify your passions and pursue them. You may tell yourself that you
are too busy or can’t afford to be inspired. But time and money really aren’t
the issue. When you find a way to get inspired, you are happier, more
productive and better at what you are doing. So, not only do you benefit, so do
your clients, employees, employer, friends, family and others you come into contact
with.
Author
Gay Hendricks has coined the term “zone of genius”. It is only when we are doing
the set of activities we are uniquely suited to do that draw upon our special
gifts and strengths (our “zone of genius”), that we are reaching our full
potential. Only in the “zone of genius” can we live truly fulfilling, inspired,
creative lives. Moving into the “zone of genius” can be scary because many
times it involves going beyond the limits we have established for ourselves.
But once we gain the courage to listen to what our hearts are telling us, we
realize that the fears and doubts we had were unfounded. And the rewards become
great.
What
gets you excited? What gives you chills when you think about doing it? What is
your secret dream life? Is it the idea of winning a major court case that will
help stop victims from continuing abuse? Is it the idea of closing a
multi-million dollar transaction in which you are recognized as the individual
without whom the deal never would have occurred? Or do you dream about the success fee more
than the recognition? Maybe what inspires you isn’t related to law at all. Do
you get goose bumps imagining yourself travelling around the world visiting
exotic cultures and meeting interesting people? Maybe you are passionate about
being the most amazing parent you can imagine.
It doesn’t really matter what inspires you. But you must know yourself
well enough to identify the things in your life you are passionate about and
then find ways to integrate those things into your life.
To
begin to unearth the things that really inspire you, start taking some risks in
your life and move beyond your comfort zone. Start doing things you have always
wanted to do- things you have only dreamed about doing, but never had the time or
courage to do. Try life out. That’s what it is there for. Don’t be surprised if
you hear a voice in the back of your head telling you that the dreams you want
to pursue are silly or frivolous or that you will look ridiculous when people
hear what you do in your spare time. That is the left side of your brain
talking and probably the reason why you have not pursued your passions already.
We, as lawyers, are good at being logical and practical. What is more
difficult, but just as important, is to learn to listen to our intuition and find
a way to work into our lives the things that inspire us, excite us and fulfill
us- whether those things are practical or not.
One
of the most inspiring things you can do is to serve others. By helping others,
you rise above having a narrow and self-centered point of view. Serving others
changes your perspective from one of separation to that of connectedness. It improves
self-confidence and self esteem. It builds up good will with those you have
helped, reminds you of the talents you have to share with the world and
provides perspective on the challenges you face in your own life. Serving others doesn’t mean you need to join
the Peace Corps or work for a non-profit organization. It doesn’t mean you need to donate 10% of
your income to charity or organize a fundraiser at your church. These are all
wonderful causes but the key is not what you do, but the state of mind with
which you do it. When you are doing what you love, you will be good at it. It
will only feel natural to share your talents with those around you. When you passionately
enjoy what you are doing, the principal benefit you gain is not money or
recognition, but the satisfaction and fulfillment of knowing you are doing what
you were meant to do and that you are benefitting others around you by doing
it. For example, if you are passionate
about skiing, you have a duty to share that passion with others who are
interested. And because it is your passion, you will love sharing what you know
and how you feel about skiing. Making time to give novice skiers some pointers
or volunteering to teach underprivileged kids how to ski, won’t feel like work.
It will feel natural and healthy. In
short, if joy and fulfillment are the goal, serving others by doing the things that
inspire you is the single most effective way of reaching it.
Passion in Action
Don’t
worry- pursuing your dreams doesn’t mean you need to quit your job or take
other extreme measures. There are a lot of hours in the day and a lot of space
for many different interests and pursuits. Start by making a list of the things
you dream about doing. Don’t worry about time, money or any other practical
concern. Just make your list as if you had all the money in the world, no job
to be at and no commitments or other limitations. Go through the list and put a
star next to each of the dreams that you feel you could integrate into your
current position in the next year. For example, if “travelling the world to
meet interesting people and see exotic places” is on your list, consider if it
is possible that you could take on more assignments in other firm offices or
onsite at the location of a client. Or maybe you could draft an article and
present it at one or more conferences out of town. Be creative in making as many connections as
possible. When you are done you may be surprised to find many of the items on
your list are marked with a star. After all, it is rare for someone to wind up
in a career that is completely unrelated to the types of things that inspire
them. When you are done, go back through all the items on the list not marked
and determine if you could pursue those goals in your spare time from work. For
example, if “writing a book” is on your list but you can’t figure out a
realistic way of integrating it into your practice, ask yourself if it is
something you can do before or after work, on the weekends or during vacations.
Mark a star next to all the items you can do in your spare time. At this point
most, if not all, of the items on your list may very well have a star next to
them. Only if many of the items on your list are not marked should you start
thinking more seriously about whether a career change may be right for you. But for most, pursuing their passions is
compatible with, if not complimentary to, their current career. Now, go out and
start working your dreams into your life!
[1] See “Depression Statistics in General & in
Lawyers” by Daniel T. Lukasik, Esq.
http://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/depressionstatistics.asp
.“A 1990 Johns Hopkins study looked at 104 occupations to see which professions
suffered from the highest rates of depression. Lawyers topped the list (when
adjusted for socioeconomic factors) and were found to suffer from clinical
depression at a rate of almost four times that of the norm.
[2] See “Why Are Lawyers So Unhappy?” by Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph. D. at http://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/lawyersunhappy.asp
[3] Id.
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