Have you ever asked yourself why? Why do we do things this way? Does it work? What do I like or dislike about…?
Or are you simply reacting?
Too many attorneys go to law school and follow the default path into their law firm. Then they go to the office day-in and day-out and do the work they are told to do, any work that shows up.
How is that working out for you? I thought so.
Making simple choices can make a huge difference in the quality of your career.
It’s easy to go to work every day and do your work without thinking why, as in why am I doing this? Is this work worth my time? If it doesn’t excite me, what are my choices?
It’s time to ask yourself: Is this what I want to be doing today? Next week? A year from now?
“…for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” – Steve Jobs
Yes, sometimes we have to do the work we don’t like but we shouldn’t have to do it forever.
It’s (not so) funny how weeks turn into months, and months turn into years and one day you wake up and say, “Where did the time go? What did I do? Is this why I’m still paying for law school, working 15+ hour days, missing my family, have no hobbies…”
I remember having breakfast with a junior partner at a small firm. He liked his practice area but wasn’t excited about the clients his firm represented.
I asked him what type of clients would make his job better. He knew exactly whom he wanted to represent. He talked excitedly about what made his dream client better.
And wouldn’t you know it, when I got back to my office, I came across an ad for an upcoming conference for the exact type of companies this guy wanted for clients. Match made in heaven! So I sent him the link. I even caught wind of a local group of entrepreneurs that meet monthly to discuss the issues facing his “dream” client and was sure to let him know.
So I followed up with him a few months later to see how he made out at the conference. Guess what? He didn’t go. How about the entrepreneurs group? He couldn’t seem to find the time.
Two years later, he hasn’t landed one “fantasy” client. Why not? He hasn’t even tried. He’s too busy doing uninspired work for clients he doesn’t really like.
It didn’t surprise me. Too many attorneys go into the office every day and continue to do the work they’ve always done, like it or not. Happy or not. Excited or not.
What their excuse? “What choice do I have?”
You have a choice! In fact, you are making a choice every day.
My friend had the power to find better clients, the clients he said would make his practice exciting and make him want to come into the office. He chose not to.
Not doing something is a choice.
Maybe this story resonates with you. Maybe you’re simply cashing a paycheck you earned for doing work you hate. Maybe you sit at the same desk, doing the same crappy work, staring at the same 4 walls 15 hours a day.
If this sounds like you, I want to tell you that life is too darn short to do work you don’t like. It’s time to take a serious look at your practice and your options.
It’s time to make 2015 the year you make a different choice.
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