Reaching Full Potential in your Career Lawyers Assistance Program Facilitated by Robert Bircher

Power of Purpose It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined!! I have observed from teaching our “ What can you do with your law degree” courses that about 60% of lawyers became lawyers almost by accident-i.e. they went to law school simply to avoid having an almost worthless B.A. or didn’t really have a better idea or were unsure of what they wanted so went with it For this reason many lawyers, after about 1-5 years after graduation ask themselves- why am I doing this? Or while appearing successful to the outside world are in fact quite unhappy- “this is not the life I wanted” is a common sentiment

Power of Purpose I believe this to be as a result of a lack of clarity about their overall purpose in life and their overall purpose in being a lawyer If you are working in a situation that is inconsistent with your purpose and/or values there will always be a vague sense of unease or that something is missing in your life-and you are right-what you want is what is missing!! Many people are living someone else's purpose (parents, relatives, the culture etc.) Every parent wants to say “my daughter is a lawyer”-which often means “Obviously, I didn’t screw up as a parent too badly!!”

What is Purpose? It is “right livelihood” what you are meant to do Everyone is born with a purpose- identifying, acknowledging, and honoring this purpose is the most important action anyone can take Without conscious awareness of your purpose you can be easily sidetracked and lead an aimless life-there will be a sense of lifelessness in everything you do Most of us have been trained since birth to kill our dreams- “Be realistic- Be practical-Focus on what you can make a living at”

On Purpose If you are aware of your purpose it is easy to make decisions-it means you are doing what you love to do, doing what you are skilled at and accomplishing what is important to you You will be successful- meaning you will be in the process of creating that which is most important to you Most people feel if they are not struggling or suffering something is wrong-when in fact the opposite is true!!

Purpose Blockers Most people can easily see the value of knowing their purpose but can’t figure out what it is. “I would follow my purpose if I only knew what it was!!” Why is it so hard?-it should be obvious-after all how could you not know it? Theoretically it forms the centerpiece of your life One common reason has been mentioned-following someone else's purpose-the life your parents wanted for you-the problem is it is your life not theirs

Purpose Blockers Another reason is that following your purpose requires courage and it is easier to just follow the herd- also it may not be trendy, popular or lucrative Also people who follow their purpose may be seen as mavericks and eccentric People may have to make a radical shift like changing jobs, careers or going back to school, moving to another city or country etc.

Value of Purpose Sense of fulfillment or accomplishment rather than rather than being on a treadmill Usually results in helping others in some way Makes decision making easier When you are old you will have a sense that you lived a “rich full life” rather than “living with your reasons why not” You will have a sense of having lived a valuable life rather than “ all I did was work and accumulate a mountain of junk, then I died”

Types of Purpose Purpose can be about life in general or about a part of life such as my purpose as a lawyer It will not come as a blinding flash of insight It will not likely be that grandiose “ I am here to save the world” It can be simple “raising my children to be loving human beings” It can be big “to inspire people to live their highest vision in a context of love and joy” Jack Canfield It can be general “to help others by teaching spiritual and personal growth” Robert Bircher

Finding your Purpose Story time-living your purpose doesn’t have to be complicated Visualization exercise-what is in your treasure chest? Cognitive written exercise Presentation exercise How much of your present life situation is on purpose? What changes (if any) do you need to make? Remember what success is: being in the process of creating that which is most important to you-start now!!