“Get busy living or get busy dying.” This line was delivered by the character Andy Dufresne in the classic film, The Shawshank Redemption.
The question I often hear, and that I remember asking myself, is “how?” How do we get busy living when we feel stuck, when the path forward is unclear, or the actual steps that we need to take elude us. Knowing that I was stuck, but not knowing how to move forward, motivated me to hack my life.
Psychologist Esther Perel says that stuck is stability gone rigid. Every system, she says, straddles stability and change. Too much stability leads to being stuck. Too much change leads to chaos.
Right now, on a macro level, we’re experiencing both. We’re straddling stuck and chaos. Is the world open or closed? Will we “go back to normal” or will there be a “new normal?” Will we recognize it, or will it be unlike anything we’ve experienced to date? Many of us are stuck in a holding pattern while chaos swirls around us.
How do we “get busy living” in the meantime? By syncing with ourselves again.
Life being what it is—a dynamic shifting of events and interactions that impact us in all sorts of ways—being in sync with ourselves gets us back on track when we’re diverted and keeps us centered in times of challenge.
Wondering where to start? Try this exercise that engages your neural and somatic resources to guide you toward a realistic future of your own design.
Imagine two points on the floor. Point A represents where you are in your life now. Point B represents a time in the future of your choosing—six months, one year, or five years from now—in which you’ve attained your future as you envision it. Keep it realistic. Start with a goal and align the time frame with that goal. For example, if I want to get a PhD, five years is more aligned with that goal than six months. If I want to learn to scuba dive, six months makes sense. If I want to buy a house
Stand in Point A. Take a moment to think about where you are now, then walk into your future, Point B. When you get to Point B turn around and look back at Point A. This engages your mind in a type of constructive thinking that fills in the steps you took to get there. Notice too how your future feels. Combining the feeling with the steps that you took to achieve your outcome creates a memory that becomes a mental blueprint for moving toward that future. Are you missing skills needed to create that future? Does it actually feel like the future you want?
Use this exercise to begin to design a life in which you are thriving.
Want to learn more about how to take charge of your life? Visit the Lawyer Life Reimagined program page, schedule a call with me, or take for a course a la carte.
Let’s thrive together!
Judith
Some people have been wondering ….
Why create a Center for Thriving in Law?
To equip lawyers, law students, and allied professionals with the skills not taught in law school, yet vital to success and thriving in law.
These skills include emotional intelligence, resilience, stress management, high performance and productivity, mindset and more.
Got it. How does you teach those skills?
Glad you asked. Our mission is to get tools and strategies into the hands—and minds—of legal professionals. We do that in several ways:
· Courses a la carte: online video skills development courses with downloadable materials and indefinite access for the self-directed DIY-er who wants to listen and learn on their own time and at their own pace. Comes with downloadable materials, community and online support.
· Lawyer Life Reimagined, a six-week live program for lawyers looking for a reset or to level up their current practice. Small group training includes assessments, weekly prompts, video skills development courses, materials, and live interim support.
· Programs for law firms 1. Online training for cohorts of up to 12 attorneys 2. CLE 3. Half-day or full-day retreats (now virtual).
· Video courses for law students interested in skills development.
Anything else? Yes! We want to create a community of lawyers committed to excellence and a well-lived life, not excellence at the expense of a well-lived life. Community forum coming soon!