16 - Purpose, Creativity, and the Practice of Law

Summary

This chapter describes the relationship between purpose, creativity, and satisfaction in your career. It begins once again with awareness of each of our unique strengths and weaknesses, as well as an examination of our passions. The chapter ends with ideas about how to transform our experiences with the law to create the most meaning in life.

WHO AM I?

Who am I?

Am I spirit or flesh?

Am I sacred or secular?

Am I irrevocably shaped by the circumstances of my personal history, or am I still free to move and grow, to uncover a new and brighter path?

Am I fragile or strong?

Am I broken or am I whole?

When I listen deeply to my inner life, what do I hear?

What is the substance of my soul?

What is the core of my being?

What is my true nature?

Wayne Muller

If you are more self-aware, people will respond more favorably to you. As a result, self-awareness is your ticket to better relationships and a happier and healthier life in the law. Self-awareness serves an even more critical function, however, as it helps you learn what is important to you. With self-awareness, you will be drawn to what is important to you, consciously and unconsciously.

In her book with Karen Gifford, The Anxious Lawyer, Jeena Cho explains that throughout the majority of her career, she worked harder with each passing year, but never gave much thought to why she was working harder or what she was working toward. She changed jobs a few times and worked harder at each successive job. Cho felt certain that becoming a partner, climbing the ranks, and having more and more clients would make her feel fulfilled.2 As she explains:

I wasn't exactly unhappy. I just felt lost. I felt overworked, and constantly exhausted. Then I returned to a practice I had abandoned since law school: meditation. Through meditation, I was able to calm my mind, which was constantly operating in overdrive. Once I found stillness, I had space to examine my life.

Why are you here? What makes you feel alive? What is the unique gift of yourself that you are bringing to all of us?