Had a fantastic time earlier this week sharing some lessons from #HowILawyer interviews with over 120 lawyers with UNLV’s Virtual Lawyering Bootcamp
Here’s 6 takeaways (with thanks to @writedotlaw for the summary):
twitter.com/jonahperlin/status/1661922826125803523?s=46&t=F9Tqy7WkaNb5hZ_S9rbL6A
1️⃣We All Have a Story.
It's easy to forget that we all "have a story." We all have a path before our jobs, outside of our jobs—and those stories are often treated as tangential. But not so. Our stories are important. And we can learn a lot from every one.
2️⃣Take Small Bets & Mistakes Happen
You must "be willing to try and fail miserably." We all make mistakes. Even our mentors and our heroes and the fancy lawyers in the news. Making mistakes is normal. It's how you deal with them that matters: Own them, learn from them, move on.
3️⃣ Audacity is Worth It!
"Set audacious goals. Who cares if you only get 60% of the way there?" You'll still accomplish incredible things. I came up with the idea for the podcast during the pandemic as a way to have meaningful conversations with lawyers and learn from them.
It all started by taking a risk, tapping into my passion, and being willing to push himself into a new world I knew nothing about—with no guarantees. Totally worth it.
4️⃣Careers Make Sense in Reverse.
We don't need to have it all figured out. "We can't know what point might change our lives" and our professional trajectory. It's ok to be open to new opportunities and not have your entire career set in stone.
5️⃣ Well-being Matters!
Its all of our jobs to support one another as much as we can. If you see someone struggling "say something at the moment." The people that have it all figured out from the outside are often still struggling. Focus on your mental health and support others.
6️⃣ “Optimize for serendipity"—get experience, have a growth mindset, meet people. And "do not feel like you must take advice just because it was given to you."
Your choices are your own!
Thanks again for the summary (edited slightly here) @writedotlaw! I look forward to continue learning from lawyer stories and sharing these lessons with anyone who will listen.
Have a great weekend pocket friends!