Aligning Your Work Day With Your Higher Purpose

I get some of my best ideas from random newsletters I’ve signed up for over the years. One of the most interesting for me has to be a daily horoscope (yeah, I know, I know) from a site called DailyOM. More than just a horoscope (my official stance: interesting, but I don’t believe anything about our lives is written permanently anywhere, stars or elsewhere), it offers some interesting advice and perspective on the bigger issues in life – things that usually we find at the intersection of spirituality and our practical, “mundane” lives.

The Intersection of Spirit and Work

Today’s example was this piece on getting the big picture on work duties. (Interesting for a Saturday! But apparently my horoscope predicted – correctly – that I’d be focused on wrapping up some work issues before the holiday.) Here’s a quote:

Giving ourselves time to contemplate the place work has in our lives enriches everything we do. While working, we sometimes get so caught up in what we do that it can become an obsession that may lead us to forsake everything else in our lives that is also important to us—family, friends, spirit. Taking a break from what we are doing during the day to consciously think about how our duties fit into the complete scheme of our lives, however, allows us to think about the ways in which our work fills our lives with spiritual meaning. By becoming aware of the connection between your work and your spirit today, you will cultivate deeper levels of integration between your higher self and the other aspects of your life.

Take A (Constructive) Break

The break this piece is referring to isn’t the idle chit-chat at the coffee pot, or even a walk around the building. It’s a short (five minute, actually) period of still reflection in which we ponder this series of questions:

Is what I’m doing right now, this day, in line with my goals for my life and my work? Or have I gotten off-track somehow? And if so, how can I get back?

This is a constructive break, as opposed to a restorative break. And I think we need both in our day-to-day daily grind. What I find as I go about my days as a solo is that it’s so easy to get caught up in the chain of events — one thing leading to another leading to another — that I lose sight of the overall necklace that chain is shaping. And once that happens, it’s just a short hop to a place where we lose sight completely of our goals and our mission.

First, Though, You Have To HAVE A Mission…

Of course, this kind of constructive reflection isn’t going to help you much if you don’t know what “true north” is — your mission as a solo lawyer. Some folks write them down as mission statements, others simply tattoo them metaphorically on the inside of their foreheads, and still others (most, probably) never really think about it. This is your invitation to think about it now, over the holidays. The end of the year is a great time for this kind of reflective activity!

Finding True North

Don’t know how to get started? Here’s one way to go — find the way that works for you.

What you’ll need

• A journal or notebook (for some reason, the act of physically writing down these thoughts by hand helps you connect more to your authentic answers);
• An easy-writing pen — one that doesn’t grab the paper or create drag but flows easily;
• Some uninterrupted time alone;
• And the willingness to answer the questions honestly.

The process

Carve out about an hour of “alone time” in a place that feels restful to you — my two places are a particular spot of our beach, and on my deck overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, but it can be anywhere that feeds your soul and makes you feel safe. Your bedroom, even. Or you might prefer to take this to your office, if it feels right. Physically relax, and then, without thinking too much, answer these questions:

1. Why did I go to law school?
2. If money were no object, what would I do? This — what I’m doing now? Or something else?
3. What intrigues me about the law?
4. What bores me to tears about the law?
5. What am I doing right?
6. What do I need to do better?

Write your answers to these questions as quickly as possible. What you’re after is the first, intuitive response — not the well-reasoned, rational answers you’d give after due consideration. Turn off “lawyer brain” if you can and go to “spiritual mind” — after you get the beginnings of your vision on paper, that’s when you can turn back on “lawyer mind” and “entrepreneurial mind” and let them figure out how to make it happen. But right now, to get to the vision that pulls you forward from the center of your soul, you have to shut those voices up for a bit.

Next, you’ll take those answers and let them form the foundation of a written narrative that describes your ideal practice — the vision of your life at work that you’re going to commit to creating as a solo lawyer. It can be as short or as long as it needs to be to get you excited about it, and to provide enough detail to help you plan how you’re going to get there.

Refining the Vision Into a Road Map

Of course, after you get that vision in writing, you’re going to want to figure out how to get there. And that’s a process that depends wholly on two things: where you are now, and your strengths and assets.

If you’re a hop, skip and a jump away from that vision, and you’re in good health with no major stressors demanding your attention, then maybe you just want to refine a few key aspects of your practice systems and that might be all you need.

But if you’re just starting out, or if you have health challenges, or if you feel desperately far away from true north right now, you’re going to need a more detailed plan that gives you sufficient time to get there.

Whichever ends up being true for you, keep this in mind while you plan: be a friend to yourself — a supporter — not an enemy. All too often, we don’t even support our own goals; we do this by placing impossible demands on ourselves, or creating absurd deadlines, or picking goals that don’t align with our passions. So as you plan, look out for ways in which you’re sabotaging yourself, and make a conscious decision to be your own number-one supporter. Look for specific ways you can make it easier on yourself — not by lowering your sights, but by adding to your “arsenal” of tools to hit the target with precision.

Checking In On a Daily Basis

Now that you have that vision of true north, we’re back to the original advice: to take a five-minute constructive break and check in with ourselves, to measure our progress against that road map we created.

Are you on track? Is the work that’s consuming you right now advancing you towards realizing that vision? Or did you stray somewhere along the way? Can you figure out where you got off track? Can you get back? Do you even want to? Or is time to reevaluate true north and pick a new vision?

These are all great questions, and they’re essential ones to answer if we want to stay inspired. But first, you have to make that conscious decision — and create the time — to align the work with the higher purpose, and make sure we’re still pointed at our true north.

Technorati Tags:
planning for solo lawyers, constructive rest, lawyer productivity tips