Would you do me a favor?

May 14, 2015 by
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Years ago, I read The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield. It’s about getting what you want through the power of asking. The book is filled with inspiring stories of real people asking for, and getting, just about anything you can imagine, even from complete strangers.

It’s also about getting better at asking.

It seems we humans have trouble asking for help and there are many reasons, including the fear of rejection and the fear of appearing weak or needy. The book offers strategies to overcome these challenges and strengthen your “asking muscles”.

One thing we can do to get better at asking is to start small. Ask someone for a favor, for example, that’s easy for them to do and won’t take a lot of time.

For example, you might ask the next client you see to take five copies of your brochure or report and “pass them out to people you know”. That’s easy to do because you’re not asking for proof that they actually did it.

Keep asking for favors, and do it frequently, to build the habit and to gird yourself for asking for bigger favors.

Soon, you might knock on the door of a professional in your building whom you don’t know, introduce yourself, and ask if it’s okay if you put a stack of brochures in their waiting room.

Make a point to ask for one small favor each day. In time, as your asking muscle gets stronger, you might find yourself asking for big favors.

Start making a list of favors you can ask, even if you’re not now ready to ask them. Include big and small favors.

For your practice, this might include asking for referrals, sending traffic to your blog, subscribing to your newsletter, signing up for your webinar, giving you testimonials, introducing you to centers of influence you would like to meet, and so on.

You’ll get more people saying yes if you tell them why you are asking them for help. Even something as simple as, “I know you know a lot of people,” for example, will increase response.

Let’s try this out, shall we?

Would you do me a favor? Please post a comment on the blog (or hit reply if you are reading this in your email) and tell me what you would like me to write about next. This will help me do a better job for you, so please let me hear from you.

See, easy to ask, and easy for you to comply. It’s not like I’m asking you to buy me a car. Not yet, anyway.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Personal development

Career day for fourth graders

May 12, 2015 by
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Did you attend your child’s third or fourth grade class for career day? Do you remember explaining what a lawyer does and making it as interesting as possible? Tough to do when you’re competing with Joey’s dad who is a professional magician, but you did it.

You explained what you did, who you helped, and why it is important. You helped some future lawyers see that being a lawyer is cool.

If you had to do it again (or for the first time), what would you say?

Think it through and write it down, or record it. This is a valuable exercise, even if you don’t have any kids.

It can help you explain what you do to prospective clients and referral sources. It can also help you create content for your website, articles, and presentations.

You don’t necessarily have to write at a fourth grade level, but keep it simple enough that your ideal clients can follow.

Here are some ideas to prime your mental pump:

  • What kinds of clients do you represent? What kinds of problems do you handle? Give some examples of real clients you have helped.
  • What’s the first thing you do when a new client comes to you? What do you do after that?
  • Do you charge by the hour? Flat fees? Why? How is this better for your clients?
  • Why did you become a lawyer? What do you want to accomplish in your career? Do you have any role models?
  • What’s the best way to find a good lawyer in your field? What questions should someone ask?
  • What’s the hardest part of your job? What’s the worst case or client you have had?
  • What are you most proud of about your work? What do you like best about what you do?
  • How is your practice different from others in your field? What do you do that other lawyers don’t do, or what do you do better?
  • Who would make a good referral for you? If someone knows someone like that, what should they do to refer them?
  • What questions do prospective clients and new clients typically ask you? How do you answer them?

Take one of these and write a few paragraphs. It won’t take you more than a few minutes and you can start using it immediately. And, if you run into a fourth grade class and are asked to speak, you’ll be ready.

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Filed Under: Communication, Inspiration, Legal industry, Marketing legal services, Networking, Online Marketing, Public Speaking, Referrals

Can you be successful doing work you don’t love?

April 15, 2015 by
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Can you be successful doing work you don’t love? If you define success in material terms, I think you can. But success is not just about money. To be truly successful, you have to be happy.

And here’s the thing. When you are happy, when you love your work, financial success is much easier to achieve.

You don’t have to push yourself to get up early. Mondays are your favorite day of the week. You can’t wait until your next speaking engagement, trial, or networking event.

When you love what you do, the work is almost effortless. Problems seem smaller and easier to resolve. You don’t have to work hard to find clients, you attract them, in droves.

When you love what you do, you are happy, and when you are happy, you love what you do.

What if you don’t love your work? What if it’s just okay?

You eliminate or marginalize the things you don’t like and do more of the things you enjoy.

You can delegate, outsource, and partner. You can change practice areas, client types, and target markets. You can get rid of the marketing techniques that make your stomach churn and replace them with things that come naturally.

You can also give it time. You may learn to love your work eventually. As you hear sad stories about friends who have lost their jobs and can’t find any work, for example, you might start appreciating things you previously took for granted.

Or you might see your current situation as a stepping stone to something else.

Whatever you do, make sure you don’t dwell on the negative aspects of your work. Focus on the things that make you feel good.

Think about the things that are going well and come easily to you. Think about your accomplishments and victories. Think about how good it is that you are paying your bills and that you have the time and space to turn an okay situation into something great.

Focus on the things that make you happy in your work because what you focus on grows.

Success is easier when you have a plan. 

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Dealing with stress, Increase your income, Inspiration, Personal development, success Tagged With:

Too much of a good thing is AWESOME!

April 3, 2015 by
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Indulge yourself. Throw caution to the wind. Eat the whole thing. Buy the one you want.

You’ve earned it. You can afford it. You want to do it, so do it.

Go on a bender once in a while. Spend more than you think you should. Pig out, goof off, go blow off some steam.

You won’t die from eating too much today. Neither will you go broke from a one-time purchase. It’s what you spend or eat or do EVERY day that counts.

So after you have a crazy day or a crazy moment, get back to work. Don’t make binging a habit, unless you’re binging on good books. Even then, you have work to do and too much of a good thing could be too much.

You’ll have another binge day at some point. You might even plan it. And look forward to it. Of course it’s more fun when it’s spontaneous, as in, “Screw it, I’m not going to work today, I’m going shopping!”

Mini-splurges are also fun. Go to a nice restaurant this weekend instead of the usual place. Leave work early one day a week. Stay in bed an extra hour on Sunday.

If you’re like me, knowing that you could indulge yourself feels good, even if you don’t do it.

I’m not going to buy the laptop I really want (but don’t need), but it feels great knowing that I could.

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Filed Under: Dealing with stress, Inspiration, Just for fun, Personal development

Eat dessert first

March 17, 2015 by
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I went to a funeral last night. DJ was my friend and business partner and he was only 55 when he died.

As I thought about DJ and what he meant to me, I thought about how much he loved people. He was a great listener, always upbeat, always willing to help.

More than anything, DJ liked to have fun. Having fun was his rai·son d’ê·tre. No matter what he was doing, he did it with gusto.

When we went to dinner with DJ, he had the peculiar habit of ordering and eating dessert first. He said he didn’t want to miss the best part of the meal.

Eat dessert first. Enjoy life while you still have it.

Stephen King said, “Ask yourself frequently, “Am I having fun?” The answer needn’t always be yes. But if it’s always no, it’s time for a new project or a new career.”

I’m going to ask myself that question more often because life is short and it passes quickly.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, success

What’s on your bucket list?

February 18, 2015 by
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What are you not doing because it’s too risky, too expensive, or takes too much time?

What are you not doing because you are afraid?

We all have them. Things we would love to do but talk ourselves out of doing. Or postpone until it’s too late.

I’m too old. I’m not good enough. It would take too long.

But do them we must.

Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so.”

What’s on your bucket list? What do you want to do at least once before time runs out?

Something fun? Something daring? Something you’ve always wanted to try?

Pick something and do it now. Don’t wait until the time is right. Don’t avoid doing it because it is difficult. Jim Rohn said, “There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”

It’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay if you don’t know how. You’ll figure it out. “Leap, and the net will appear,” said John Burroughs.

Start with something small if you want. Then do something bigger. Make “trying new things” a habit, until you find yourself doing great things, things you’ve always wanted to do.

Twenty years from now, look me up and tell me all about it. Tell me how your life changed because you took a chance.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With:

What to do when you don’t feel like working

February 9, 2015 by
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It happens. You look at your calendar and your list of tasks for the day and you don’t want to do any of it. You don’t want to work, you don’t want to talk to anyone, you want to take the day off.

But you’ve got obligations. You have work to do and bills to pay. You can’t abandon your responsibilities.

Yes you can. It’s just one day. The work will still be there tomorrow.

Give in to your whim and take the day off. Sneak off to the movies or to the mall. Go sit in a coffee shop and read. Get back in your jammies and order in.

When you come back tomorrow, batteries recharged, you’ll plow through the work and get it done.

Before you take off, have someone contact your appointments and re-schedule them. And go through your task list for the day and prioritize everything so that when you return you can jump right in and knock out the most important tasks first.

But here’s the thing. Sometimes, giving yourself permission to take the day off is all you really need, not the actual time off. Knowing that you could play hooky provides the relief you sought. Once you have it, you realize that the work isn’t so bad and you’re ready to get back to it.

Remind yourself that you’re in charge. Even if you work for someone else, even if you have demanding clients, with demanding deadlines, you’re the boss. It’s your life and you get to decide how to run it.

If you really need a break, take it. Don’t feel guilty about it, do it. And enjoy yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

What’s that? You want to know what to do if tomorrow you still don’t feel like working? Don’t ask me. I’m taking the rest of the day off.

Get more clients and increase your income. Get The Formula.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Dealing with stress, Inspiration, Personal development, Productivity

Happy people don’t become terrorists

February 4, 2015 by
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If more people in the world were happy, there would be less murder and mayhem and more peace and prosperity.

If more people were happy, the world would be a better place.

A happy world starts with happy people. It starts with you and me. We have a duty to the world, to our families, and to ourselves, to be happy. To infect our neighbors with our happiness, so they can do the same.

Let’s create a worldwide epidemic of happiness, shall we?

And so we have a plan. Our ongoing task is to find happiness in everything we do. To look at and think about things that make us happy, and avoid things that don’t.

Indeed, our thoughts are the only way to become happy. Dale Carnegie said, “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.”

If you’re not happy, change your thoughts. Stop thinking about what’s missing or wrong and start thinking about what could be.

When you see evil, recognize it and call it out. Protect yourself from it and take action to defeat it. But don’t dwell on it. Don’t let it consume you. Don’t let it stop you from being happy.

Over the years, I have become quite good at compartmentalizing my thoughts. If a negative thought enters my mind, or when I hear someone say something negative, I say “cancel” and let go of any emotions attached to it. For good measure, I often replace that negative thought with its positive counterpart.

We become what we think about. I want to make sure I think about what I want, not what I don’t want, and what I want is to be happy.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With:

99% of attorneys give the other 1% a bad name

December 26, 2014 by
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Attorneys are often regarded as selfish bastards who eat their young. We rank below used car sales people and politicians on the trust and likability meter. So I read with interest a story about an attorney who drove a stake through the heart of this stereotype.

It happened in an Oregon courtroom where Castor Conley, a 27-year-old married father of a 17-month-old girl, was charged with paying $150 to $200 for a stolen Nissan, which he sold for $275 to another buyer, who then sold it for parts. Conley pleaded guilty to a felony charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, but the deputy district attorney agreed to classify it as a misdemeanor if he paid $983 in restitution to the owner of the truck.

Conley couldn’t come up with the money, however.

Attorney Colin M. Murphy was in the courtroom on another matter and overheard the conversation. He didn’t know the defendant but realized that a felony conviction would affect his job and housing prospects and he volunteered to pay the money.

‘All of us sometime in our lives have done something we would rather not have done,’ he told The Oregonian. ‘And the time will come when perhaps we are going to be held accountable. And I think at that point we would like to have somebody show us mercy.”

The judge told Conley he should eventually pay back Murphy, but Murphy said he was happy to give the man a chance. “If I get paid back, great,” Murphy said. “If I don’t, no problem. I’m not going to hold the kid to it.”

I know it’s the Christmas season, but Murphy needs to stop this nonsense. He’s making the rest of us look bad.

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Filed Under: Image, Inspiration, Legal industry

The turning point

December 22, 2014 by
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During World War II, when it seemed like the allies were destined to go down in defeat, Winston Churchill told the world that a single allied victory was the turning point in the war. It was when the British routed Rommel’s forces at Alamein, driving German troops out of Egypt.

Speaking about the significance of this victory, Churchill said,

Now this is not the end.
It is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps,
the end of the beginning.

It was indeed.

Churchill later wrote in his memoirs, “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.”

If you’ve had a rough time this year, if the last few years have felt like we are at war and we are losing, take heart. Things are about to change.

I can’t tell you when, but I believe the world will soon reach a turning point. And so will each of us. Yes, I see the news, and things are bad. But I have faith in the future, and you should, too.

Our families, our clients, our community, depend on leaders like us to point the way towards a better future. We must remain steadfast in our beliefs and our prognostications. No matter how bad things have been, things will get better.

We must believe this, and we must never give up. There is too much at stake.

There will be other battles fought, but the turning point will come and we will win this war.

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Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With:
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