In the previous post, I outlined the first part of the Success Patterns exercise I often use with lawyers wishing for a new career direction or job and/or more fulfillment and satisfaction. Today’s post looks at the second part of the Success Patterns exercise.
Write a detailed description of each experience you identified in Part 1
Reflect on the subject matter, people context, your role, purpose, etc. in each experience. Dig deep to recall what is going on when you are firing on all cylinders. Then write about each experience with as much detail as possible and without self-editing. After you finish writing all of the descriptions, and only then, reread them to look for themes and patterns. What do you notice?
Example – shining experiences: planning a wedding, crafting a strategic appeal, developing an expertise
Detailed description of each experience: . . . .
Sample patterns & themes from the descriptions: strategic planning, organization, preparation, time management, setting and achieving goals, taking the lead, independence, decision making
If the above hypothetical sounds like you but you are in a practice area where you are constantly putting out fires, are always in triage mode, and never get ahead of the practice, of course your natural light is not shining! On the other hand, your job may be a great fit for the nimble lawyer who dislikes writing lengthy briefs and thrives on flying by the seat of their pants thanks to their own particular talents and success patterns.
The next post will cover the last part of the Success Patterns exercise.
Please contact me if you are ready for change and would like to see if we can work together to help you get more of what you want in your practice and career.