One of the hallmarks of a successful career, according to Steve Pavlina, is "making a meaningful positive contribution to others." Indeed, many lawyers say they went to law school in order to "make a difference" or "to help others." I know that was important to me when I started my career. Unfortunately, looking back on twenty years of practice, I can’t say I made the kind of difference I thought I would when I was starting out.

Pavlina is writing a series of articles on how to create a fulfilling career. He begins with the premise that no one should settle for anything less than complete satisfaction. We deserve to "have it all" and have it now, and we can, he says. "Almost" isn’t good enough, and neither is "working towards". Either our careers are fulfilling or they aren’t–there is no in between.

Someone once said that life follows three distinct phases: learning, earning, and returning. A deeply fulfilling career, the way Pavlina defines it, is one that combines all three elements right now. Contribution ("returning") is something we do every day, not just when we retire.

It took me a long time to admit that I wasn’t fulfilled in my career as a lawyer, and even longer before I was finally able to extricate myself. Oh, I know I played an important role in the legal lives of many people, and there were other aspects of my career that were satisfying (e.g., intellectually, financially), but, on balance, my career wasn’t anywhere near what I would call deeply fulfilling.

I like to tell myself I had to go through what I went through in order to get where I am today (and to appreciate where I am today), and I’m sure there is some truth to that. But only some. Today, I know you don’t have to settle. Now I understand that you can have it all, and you don’t have to wait. If you’re not completely fulfilled in your career, I hope you don’t take as long as I did to find that out for yourself.

If you are interested in making some changes, if you would like to be able to learn, earn, and return today, not someday, please contact me. I’m working on a project with several attorneys who feel the same way and it might be a good fit for you, too.