New Year Reflect and Reset
Hi All,
Welcome to 2022! For our first episode back in the new year, we are looking at reflecting on the previous year and resetting for the new year. We have four steps that we are going to go through to help you evaluate where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there as we enter 2022.
The first step is to think about where you want to be. We like to start with five years from now as the first milestone. Five years is a good point because if you are in law school, you will be out and done with the bar and if you are a practicing attorney the five year point is not so far away but is still far enough away to make big things happen.
So taking this five year outlook - what do you want your life to look like? Be as specific or general as you want. It’s all helpful. Maybe you know that in your personal life you want to be a parent by that time - how does that affect the way you think about your professional path? For some of you, maybe the next five years looks like hustling hard in your current position to make partner. Whatever your five year goals look like they are very personal to you. Avoid thinking about what you should be doing or what you should want for your career. What do you actually want for you?
This can be challenging when we feel that there are so many other influences on our career. And a career in law really can offer a variety of paths that you can take. You may be working toward making partner in a law firm, working in house for a company, owning your own firm, or pursuing a career in public service. It’s important to make sure you are working towards the path you want you career to take. But that can feel overwhelming.
We both find that journaling helps us bring our goals into focus. While Haley likes a list-making approach, Amy connects more with guided or prompted journaling. If you want to try this, we have developed a line of journal specifically with lawyers and law students in mind. Click here to check out our current designs!
Once you have gotten clear on your goals, the next step is to identify the actions you need to take in order to achieve those goals. If you started journal to identify your goals, the steps to achieve those goals may naturally flow. Just keep in mind that your path to your goal may not look like someone else’s path to the same goal. This is your journey and at the end of the day you need to stay true to yourself.
Step three may be surprising - identify what you can discard.
The best example of something so many of us can get rid of is negative self talk. Law school is hard, being a lawyer is hard, life is really really hard sometimes. An honest perspective is so important, but a bad defeatist attitude simply does not serve you and will not get you to your goals.
The way you speak to yourself is probably one of the most critical pieces to achieving your goals. But there are other practical things you can discard that may be helpful to you. Maybe for you ordering your groceries online and having them delivered brings you hours in your week that you can devote to something else that will serve you goals better. Maybe you turn your phone on do not disturb every night at a certain time and get rid of that distraction after hours. Not everything has to be so serious and thoughtful. Perhaps simply designating Wednesday night at a take out night makes a big positive impact on how your week goes.
Finally, step four is to commit and embrace the journey. There will be bumps in the road. This is your life and your goals - they require your commitment. You’ve got this!
Have a great day!
Haley and Amy
P.S. - Are you a law student looking to start the year off right? Networking is the key to your success in law school and your long-term success as a lawyer. “The Law Student’s Guide to Networking” gives you the roadmap to a strategic networking plan to build your professional network efficiently and effectively. Click here to purchase today!
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