You’re never scared? That’s a shame.

September 4, 2014 by
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If you’re never scared, you’ll never reach your potential.

You may be successful and happy but you could do more. You could do better. But only if you step outside of your comfort zone.

The most successful people in the world don’t rest on their laurels, they continually try new things, things that make them uncomfortable. They risk failure often, and often do fail, but they are successful enough to live extraordinary lives.

John Wayne famously said, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” Face your fears and push through them. Take on new projects that you have been avoiding.

The things that scare you the most are often what would allow you to grow the most.

For the record, I’m not advocating that you live every day in discomfort or that you continue to do things you hate. I’m saying give things a try. If you’ve been second chair on a jury trial or two and you are convinced it’s not for you, so be it. You felt fear, saddled up, and realized that it isn’t your path. Go try something else.

What could you try before this year ends? What new skill could you learn? What have you always dreamed about doing but never had the courage to try?

Don’t die before you find out.

Yoda said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” That may be true when The Force is with you, but for the rest of us, it’s “Try. Or try not.”

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Filed Under: Inspiration, success Tagged With: ,

The best advice I can give you about building your law practice

August 28, 2014 by
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Care to guess which of my emails and posts get the most passionate feedback?

It’s not posts about how to do things. It’s not about marketing, productivity, or anything else substantive. The posts that bring the most passionate, emotional feedback are, by far, those that are inspirational.

It’s when I talk about “big picture” themes that apply to all of us human folk. Or when I share something personal about how I’ve changed. The posts that share ideas that make people feel good about themselves and the future.

There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world. People are scared. Hurt. Looking for answers.

We all need a bright spot. We all want to feel hopeful.

That’s where you come in.

When you email your list, post on your blog, or talk to an audience, with everything you do in building your law practice, your number one job is to make people feel good.

When people feel good about themselves and the future, they associate those good feelings with you, the bearer of that good news and those prognostications. They will like you for it and want to continue hearing from you and being around you.

People want to associate with people who promise to lead them towards a better future. That can be you.

This doesn’t mean you can’t scare them with dire warnings. Fear can be very motivating. It doesn’t mean you should no longer try to educate them. Among other reasons, conveying information is important to building your credibility and trustworthiness.

But at the end of the day (speech, article, interview, etc.) give people hope. Let them know they aren’t alone on this journey, you’re right there with them, and things are going to be just fine.

They will never remember what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Client relations, Communication, Inspiration, Public Speaking, Writing

Happiness is a choice

July 31, 2014 by
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Yesterday, I had one of those moments. You know the one I mean. It’s when you’re having a bad day and you are convinced that you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re not good at anything, and you should probably give up and go do something else.

Yeah, that kind of moment.

But then I paused and thought about it. I thought about things that were going well, things that had amazing potential, and things that I was really good at, and the cloud of doom over my head floated away.

Just like that, I went from near despair to being excited about the future, and with that, I got back to work.

Do we really have that kind of power? Can we really just think ourselves into being happy?

You betcha.

Dale Carnegie said, “Remember, happiness doesn’t depend on who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.”

Yes, you can work your way through a funk. But had I tried to suck it up and work my way through my malaise, I’m pretty sure I would have simply found more “proof” of my inadequacies and justification for feeling sorry for myself.

Eventually, I would have forgotten about what was bothering me and returned to my regular chipper self. But instead of having an entire day being down, I was able to get back to “me” in just a few seconds.

When you are feeling blue, or experiencing any kind of negative emotion, instead of charging ahead despite those feelings, “change the subject”. Think about something that feels better when you think it. I might have thought about walking on the beach. That would certainly have felt better and my mood would surely have improved.

I chose another way. Instead of distracting myself from the issue (not being good enough), I found some aspect of that thought that felt better (thinking about what I was good at).

Either way works.

When we are unhappy, we can wait until our circumstances improve and then be happy. Or we can choose to be happy now and use that feeling to improve our circumstances.

Because happiness is a choice.

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Filed Under: Dealing with stress, Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With: ,

Reba McEntire: “To succeed in life, you need three things. . .”

July 24, 2014 by
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In the “I wish I said it” category comes this quote from singer, song writer, and actress, Reba McEntire:

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.”

Good advice for everyone, but especially lawyers.

We need to dream big to make it big. You can’t “play” at this profession, you have to go for it. Make big plans and take bold action. Another quote, author unknown, sums it up: “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, ‘Holy shit… what a ride!'”

We need a backbone to survive and thrive. Competition is tough, clients are demanding, and the ponderous rules we swore to abide by often make us want to bitch slap someone. Practicing law may be worth all the blood, sweat, and tears, but only if you can hang in there long enough to reap the rewards.

Most of all, we need to lighten up. If you don’t have a sense of humor, if you can’t laugh at the world and have some fun on this journey, you’re doomed. Bob Newhart said, “Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.” Robert Frost said, “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” Groucho Marx said, “Anyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot.” C’mon now, that’s funny!

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Filed Under: Dealing with stress, Inspiration, Just for fun, success Tagged With:

How to be more creative

June 26, 2014 by
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You’re in a rut. Every day you do the same things. The spark is gone. Your creativity machine has become rusty.

What if you played a game where you used your imagination to come up with some fresh ideas?

It’s called, the “What if?” game and it will help you be more creative.

Let’s play.

What if you were marketing used cars instead of legal services. What would you do to get more people to your showroom, sell more cars, or earn more from each car sold?

Well, you might hold a big sale. “An extra $500 off on any car this weekend only”. You might have elephant rides on your lot and encourage people to bring their kids. You might take your sales people on a retreat and have a trainer teach them some new techniques. You might also have that trainer consult with you on how to motivate your sales team with bonuses, trips, and other incentives.

Okay, that was fun. It was nice to think about things you could do if you weren’t constrained by law and propriety. You discovered that you can still be creative.

But so what? You can’t really use any of these ideas.

What if you could? (Yep, still playing. . .)

You’re probably not going to hold a sale, but perhaps you could put together some kind of limited time offer. “Book your appointment this week and get free document updates for life.”

You’re not going to have elephant rides in your building’s parking lot, but how about adding a toy chest and coloring books to your waiting room so clients can keep their kids occupied?

What about that employee retreat and sales trainer idea? You actually could do that. Bring in someone to teach your employees how to work with clients, to keep them happy and stimulate referrals.

If you want to be more creative, look at things from a different perspective. Think about the question or problem as if you were a different person, or under a different set of circumstances. Imagine you had different tools or different skills.

In other words, think like a kid.

Kids don’t settle for the way things are. They use their imaginations. They think about the way things could be. They ask, “What if?”

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Personal development, Productivity Tagged With: , ,

The foundation for all abundance

June 18, 2014 by
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Eckhart Tolle said, “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”

Tolle is probably right. It might be The Law of Attraction. I can’t give you a cite, but I’m sure it’s a law somewhere.

It might be religious. Giving thanks to God is a good thing.

It might be a subconscious mind thing, where when we think about good things we instruct our mind to help us get more.

So let’s do it. Let’s acknowledge the good.

Get to a place where you won’t be disturbed, get quiet and think. Think about your life, right now, and note all of the good things. Write things down if you want. Consider the 7 areas of life:

  1. Mental/personal development
  2. Career/business
  3. Financial
  4. Family
  5. Social
  6. Physical
  7. Spiritual

Give it ten minutes. Think about the good in your life: what you have, what you’re working towards, where you’ve been, and where you are going. Note whatever comes into your mind. You don’t have to touch on all 7 areas.

If you notice a negative thought, replace it with something that’s true and feels better. So if you think, “I’m not making the kind of money I want,” replace that with: “I’m earning more than I did before,” or “I’m learning about marketing and on my way to earning more this year.”

Whatever your beliefs about the efficacy of appreciating the good in your life, you can’t deny that thinking about the good feels good. And that is it’s own reward.

I appreciate you. Namaste.

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

Are we having fun yet?

May 13, 2014 by
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I have a theory. And a challenge for you.

My theory is that we are put here on earth to have fun. The purpose of our lives is to feel and express and share joy.

We work because we enjoy what we do or because it provides the funds that allow us to do what we enjoy. We learn things because we enjoy learning or because it makes us better at our work, which allows us to have more fun.

We raise kids because they give us joy (most of the time). We embrace our religion because it gives us inner peace, direction, purpose, and pleasure.

We watch TV and movies and play games because it’s fun. We buy new clothes and new cars and other things we may not need because we enjoy looking good.

Every sentient being acts to either avoid pain or achieve pleasure. We’re hard wired for this. We avoid danger and we seek comfort. Humans are defined by our self-interest, and as we pursue things that make us happy, we make the world a better place. We create, we contribute, we share.

I’m no philosopher, but this is what I choose to believe. And. . . I enjoy believing it, so don’t try to talk me out of it.

Are we having fun yet? Yes, we are. That’s what we’re supposed to do.

My challenge to you is to admit why you’re here. Confess that you are a pleasure-seeking creature and give yourself permission to freely express your love of life.

Make it a habit. At least once a day, do something completely fun. Play a game, read a comic book, watch a funny video. Do something creative, just for the fun of it. If you have to, schedule 5 minutes a day on your calendar and label it “fun”.

Imagine what it would be like having fun all day long. Getting up with a smile instead of a groan. Doing deeply satisfying work. Surrounding yourself with people and things that make you happy. Going to bed at night knowing you have a purpose and you have lived that purpose.

This is not a pipe dream. You’re on your way towards making this your reality. You may start with 5 minutes of scheduled fun, and if that’s too much for you, start with one minute. Then two. Eventually, most of your day will either be outright fun or something that supports it.

Life is supposed to be fun. If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Just for fun, Personal development

What advice would you give your younger self?

May 7, 2014 by
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If you could write a note to your younger self what would you say? You can talk to yourself as a young child, a student, or early in your career. Or all of the above. Share your hard-earned wisdom and your knowledge of the future.

What would you say about your choice of career? Would you recommend a different college? A different major? A different career?

What would you say about getting a job, going solo, or getting a partner? How about your specialty?

What advice would you have about networking, advertising, speaking, writing, and the Internet?

Would you tell yourself to travel more? Pursue a hobby? Start a business? Follow a dream?

What would you tell yourself about what’s important, and what’s not? Would you recommend taking more chances? On what?

What books would you tell yourself to read?

Is there something you would tell yourself to avoid? Do differently? Start earlier?

What would you say about dating, marriage, and children? Would you tell yourself to take better care of your health? What specifically would you tell yourself to do?

Your letter, of course, isn’t really a letter to your younger self, it’s a letter to your current self. It’s a way to get you to explore what’s important. You may not be able to undo what you did in the past but you can start your future today.

I’m doing things today I always wanted to do but never “allowed” myself to do. I made excuses about why I couldn’t, told myself there was no money in it, or convinced myself it would have to wait. Five or ten or twenty-five years from now, I want to be able to say, “I’m glad I did,” instead of “I wish I had”.

It’s not too late to follow your dreams. You’re not too old. You can start a new career, a new business, a new way of doing things. You can get healthy. Be happy. And live the rest of your life doing what you want to do.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Personal development

How to stop procrastinating

April 2, 2014 by
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I don’t believe all procrastination is bad.

Sometimes, procrastination is our subconscious mind telling us that what we are resisting is not in our best interests. Without procrastination, we might rush into projects that waste time or money and distract us from our most important objectives. Procrastination is a buffer that allows us to examine our plans, make sure that they are appropriate and that we are ready to move forward.

And yet we all have projects we know we need to do, and often want to do, but still procrastinate. Many books have been written about how to stop procrastinating. One of the best strategies, and also the simplest, is to just get started.

Do something related to the project and you will have begun. And beginning is the most important part.

What have you been procrastinating about in connection with marketing? Something you know you should do but haven’t done?

Updating your website? That’s a good one. Okay, let’s see if we can get you started.

Procrastination is often a sign that we need more information. Start by making a list of things you need to look into. You might set up an electronic file and use that for your notes, ideas, resources, and links.

Write down some ideas. Make a note to do some searches on keywords like “self-hosted wordpress,” “wordpress themes,” “email autoresponders,” and content marketing. Save the links to your file. Here is a list of resources I recommend to add to your list.

Also, when you see a website that has features you know you need, or a layout you like, add the link to your notes.

Hey, you’ve started this project! You may have a long way to go, but you are closer now than you were before.

Let’s do another.

You’ve been thinking about finding and joining a new networking group. Let me help you get started:

  • Write down the names of people you know who are good networkers; make a note to ask them for advice
  • Search online for groups in your local market that might be appropriate, in two categories: (general networking groups (chamber of commerce, Rotary, BNI), and groups that cater to your target market (industry, trade groups, etc.)
  • Do a search for “how to choose a networking group” and get some tips for your notes
  • Visit the websites of candidate groups and get information about when they meet, what kind of members they have, and who can join
  • Narrow your list to five candidates and put their meeting days on your calendar

There. You’ve started.

One more? How about a project to increase referrals.

  • Schedule a Saturday this month to update your database or contact management system; make sure everyone you know is in it; if you have to manually go through closed files, schedule time for that
  • Add a field or tag so you can identify contacts (client, former client, prospects, professional contacts, and other)
  • Write a few lines for the first draft of a “touching base” email you can send to your contacts

Yep, you started that project, too.

You can do this for any project you have been putting off. Do anything related to that project, even if it’s just opening a file and jotting down some notes. Once you have started, you are on your way.

Next, choose some aspect of one of these projects and “start” on that. Take some action that moves you forward.

They say the hardest part of going to the gym is going to the gym. Once you’re at the gym, the rest is (relatively) easy.

For help with your website, get this

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan, Personal development Tagged With: ,

What are you working on?

March 12, 2014 by
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The life of a practicing lawyer is fairly predictable. Cases and clients come in, we do the work, and then we’re done. Some clients come back, new clients come in, and the cycle continues.

Is that all there is? Is that all there is? If that’s all there is, my friends, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s break out the booze and have a ball. If that’s all there is. (Big Peggy Lee fan, here.)

This can’t be all there is. There has to be something else. Something you’re working towards.

I’m not talking about formal goal setting here. I’m talking about something exciting that you are working on, outside of your regular daily work.

Renowned plastics surgeon and author of Psycho Cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz, put it this way:

“People who say that life is not worthwhile are really saying that they themselves have no personal goals which are worthwhile… Get yourself a goal worth working for. Better still, get yourself a project… Always have something ahead of you to ‘look forward to’ – work for and hope for.”

You might be starting a side business, writing a book, or training for your first marathon.

It should be something that puts a smile on your face every morning when you wake up and think about it. Something that makes you feel better when you’re having a bad day.

We all need a project. We all need something to look forward to.

So, what are you working on?

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Personal development Tagged With:
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