Tow the Line (Part 1)
Life is about balance.
Your work as a lawyer is to attempt to keep some form of accepted balance for society.
Through your representation, advocacy, service orientation and commitments to the system of justice, ultimately you seek to maintain balance.
But, what does balance mean?
We understand it is a constant striving, it involves equity and fairness, has procedural and natural characteristics, avoids the extreme where possible and builds on the wisdom of the past. It cultivates and promotes cohesion and unity, champions diversity and the uniqueness of every situation.
Beautiful as the notion is, one of my concerns is the hypocrisy that we’ve created in the Legal Industry: a narrative that in order to serve society and maintain this all important balance, we have to be out of balance ourselves. That it is “the cost” of being a lawyer or working in the Legal Industry. To the extent that I hear about it as some ultimate sacrifice, that we “tow the line” for the benefit of this altruistic goal.
So, how does “balance” interact with “towing the line”? Are they the same thing or are they different?
Importantly, which one are you doing?
Perhaps this year, factors outside of your control have demonstrated that maybe your aspirations as a lawyer or contributor to the Legal Industry is well meaning, but in practice it has been towing the line.
Maybe this year you’ve been presented with what happens when you can no longer tow the line?
Is your version of “towing the line” sustainable?
If not - then you’ll be thinking about a way out, an alternative, or an ultimatum.
It’s natural to seek this, but your frustration is twofold: because now you know what you don’t want (the current unsustainable reality) and you don’t know where to go next (the unknown future alternative).
You might realise that you choose to zoom in on your (perceived) cause of pain, or even seek something that could be used as a scapegoat. Or, you might sincerely and correctly identify the true cause but then proceed to fall into a pattern of self-pity or complaining: drawing a narrative of lack, helplessness and unworthiness.
My fellow human, we are creatures of habit - and so when we are tipped off balance, I believe we are presented with an opportunity: to do things differently, to allow a new way of thinking to germinate in order to get out of the corner we feel pushed into.
If we don’t take it, if we don’t show the courage, curiosity and discipline to venture into the unknown - the danger is that we immediately start to build a narrative around convincing ourselves that where we are is good enough - that we just need to continue to tow the line even if we were on the brink just moments ago.
You need to recognize that these moments are strategic points of intervention. You need to take responsibility and do your due diligence when they are presented to you. You need to re-assess what the cost of towing the line really is, and whether it is the choice you wish continue to make coming into next year.
Because, it is always your choice.
If you choose to explore the possibility of doing things differently coming into the new year, let’s look at where we are at, in order to understand how we can do differently.
By reflecting through a few short (straight to the point) questions over the next days or weeks, you can lay ground work for dealing with change.
Take a blank canvas (digital or physical), a quiet space and some time and answer the following questions:
Figuring out what hurts
What is painful about your current reality as a lawyer?
This can be anything to do with the day to day or BAU work. It can also do with the effects of working as a lawyer on other aspects of your life.
The top three painful things about my current reality as a lawyer are:
1.
2.
3.
What belief did this year break for you in terms of the plans or aspirations you had as a lawyer?
This year broke my narrative/aspiration/goal/plan/belief in:
What situation have you firmly decided not to tolerate in this coming year?:
I have decided not to tolerate _____________ this year.
Tough but not impossible and hopefully a little therapeutic.
This is a great way to get you geared towards taking real action, producing real change in mindset and building clarity in your next steps. If you need any assistance and would like to walk through this together, or have a deeper conversation about tackling the next year, book a time!
In Part 2, we will look forward: at opportunity, at possibility, we need to get some grounding on what direction we can head toward. We need to see new things, or old things in new ways. This is all about shift in mindset and perception.
Be prepared to enjoy your new year 😊
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As always, the future of law is in our hands 🔥
Q.
Photo by Jon Flobrant on Unsplash