Few principles of life add value to the growth in every profession and every aspect of life. They impact how one thinks, speaks, and the choices they make in their legal careers. One of the principles worth contemplating is – the comfort zone.
It is more of an attitude than a tangible action. In the profession of law, one may notice how lawyers scale heights & many lay low in their career growth, enthusiasm, knowledge, experience, and financial rewards. Why the difference? It is a Comfort zone. Once you let it go off, the shift begins towards growth and many new prospects. Every change begins to happen both within and without.
Also, the question is what is the comfort zone?
The comfort zone is a sense of security. Honestly, it is a false sense of security. It puts a lawyer in mental inertia. Nothing new ever happens in this zone. One may earn a hefty legal fee, live an honest and respectable life in the legal profession but still, it catches up slowly but surely if not noticed. In most cases, one may not realize until one is deeply rooted in their comfort zone.
We are bringing this topic upfront because this is not something we get to hear in law schools. If you are one of them whose aspiration is constant growth in the legal career, this is for you. Very often, a lawyer has to make decisions. Such decisions are the validity of a case, ethics, the urgent & important situations to name a few. A lawyer who is growth-oriented always pays attention to the important ones rather than the urgent ones.
One may take a moment to think how many urgent things take the time and energy off the shelf in a day. It is called the comfort zone. It takes you off the main actions and decisions that align with your goal & help you focus on the urgent ones that cripple the career. Excuses, blame, regret, indecision, flouting ethics stem from the root of the comfort zone. It keeps one seemingly safe, but growth doesn’t exist here.
Urgent Versus Important
A farmer spotted a tiger in the fields and climbed up a nearby tree. He waited the whole night, but the tiger would not leave. Dawn arrived & the tiger made efforts to climb the tree & the farmer climbed higher and higher until he spotted a beehive. Not minding the danger below, he tasted a drop of honey. It was so sweet that he intended for another drop. Such is the comfort zone. It seems to be a pleasure but does not solve anything until it is too late.
Choose the important ones. It demands responsibility and ownership & that is where the spirit of a good lawyer lies. Enthusiasm, growth, knowledge, potential clients, prospects of money, respect, success follows change.
In the legal profession, all successful lawyers choose the cases wisely. It got nothing to do only with billable hours. They choose based on importance for prospects, to the firm and the self.
If decisions are based purely only on current needs, the comfort zone creeps in. Indecision is also a comfort zone. Choose growth. Spot your comfort zone and let go!