Commandments for Lawyers: How to Make 2019 Your Happiest Year Yet

 
You might have a whole host of resolutions for 2019: Lose weight, stop smoking, or pick up a new hobby, for instance. However, the most important resolution of all might just be the most simple: Find happiness. Many people have found life-changing results when incorporating the following suggestions into their lifestyles. Not only will you be happier, but you’ll also get better results in your law practice. Here are some basic commandments to follow:
Don’t Compare
One trap we fall into when we have insecurity issues is comparing our journey to others. We can easily suffer when we are jealous, envious, or coveting the success of others. The first casualty is gratitude. If we are judging ourselves as less than other lawyers, we forget the many gifts and talents we do have. No matter what we do, there will always be people who appear to have more than us and others who appear to have less than us. Plus, remember that appearances can be deceptive. In other words, don’t assume anything about a person’s life. We can get into trouble rather quickly if we assume other people are better off or worse off than we are. The grass might seem greener, but often it’s not. Focus on our own experiences, quality of life, and skills instead.
Be Yourself
The various add campaigns which hammer on “be like [someone else]” are sure traps of suffering. Quit trying to be something or someone that you are not. We all have a place in this world and we might as well be ourselves. Quit trying to be someone else. That role has already been taken.
Remember, You Can’t Control Another Person’s Happiness
Everyone’s happiness is their own full-time job and no one else’s responsibility. When we practice law, we are simply guides through the legal system, not guarantors of anyone’s happiness. Each client has their own destiny and destination and we can only do the best job we can to get them there. Never promise results. You can do the best job any lawyer has ever done and still lose. Remember that when clients start being critical or ungrateful. It doesn’t help to feel guilty or take responsibility for things you can’t control.
Smell the Roses
When we get so focused on our career and the problems of our clients, we can lose perspective on the joy of being alive. We need to listen to birds singing and watch the rain falling, so to speak Paying attention to aromas, landscapes, or the feel of a spring breeze on our faces—let alone the joy of being with loved ones—will remind us that our real job is to notice everything we can about living.
 
About the Author
James Gray Robinson, Esq. was a third-generation trial attorney, specializing in family law, for 27 years in his native North Carolina up until 2004. Since then he has become an individual and business consultant who works with a wide range of people, professional organizations, and leading corporations. Robinson’s mission is for all people to have fulfilling, peaceful career experiences and work environments. At the age of 64, Gray passed the Oregon bar exam and is again a licensed attorney.