You invested years of your life and vast sums of money to earn the right to work as a lawyer. You are a professional in the practice of law.

But . . . are you a Professional You in the practice of life?

I learned something very powerful from the interview of an extremely successful woman. When asked the secret to her success, she simply said this:

“You must become a Professional You. Know what you can and cannot do. Know what you will and will not do.”

I just LOVE that, don’t you?

There are 3 simple ways you can become a Professional You.

1. BECOME YOUR OWN YOUR BEST ADVOCATE

You advise clients to protect and defend against situations that could potentially cause them harm. You counsel them to successfully navigate upturns and downturns, good times and bad times.

When your client comes to you full of fear and doubt, you reassure them everything they worked so hard to build is enough to prevail against any challenge to their best interests. You will powerfully advocate for them, sparing no resource or effort on their behalf. You will ensure they have the best possible representation you are capable of providing. Their needs become are your priority.

As a Professional You, do the same for yourself.

2. MAKE SELF-KNOWLEDGE YOUR SUPERPOWER

Your legal education and knowledge of the law allows you to be a practicing professional in the legal field. Your expert knowledge of the law, facts and case authority allows you to win complex litigation matters. Your deep knowledge of the parties on all sides is your superpower.

Self-knowledge is at the core of becoming a Professional You. It truly is a superpower. The most successful people have always clearly known who they were and what they were truly capable of, even when no one else saw it or acknowledged it.

Think about this again for a moment. Know what you can and cannot do. Know what you will and will not do. This simple, basic self-knowledge will allow you to live a life by design instead of a life by default.

For example, many women lawyers find themselves tolerating less than they deserve in work and love. They said “yes” to things they should have said “no” to.

They may be in a role beneath their intellect, skill level or salary requirements or in a ‘relationship’ with a man who does not love them the way they wish to be loved. This creates a life by default.

The default outcomes include:

  • A knowledge growth gap and stifled professional progress, because they lack opportunities to learn from lead attorneys or work with top-tier clients;
  • Money stress because they don’t earn enough; or
  • Settling for someone they lower their standards to be with, over and over again

Conversely, a life by design means establishing a set of personal and professional standards and sticking to them. Holding yourself accountable to yourself for deviating from what you know is something you really should not do because it does not serve your best interests.

3. UNDERSTAND HOW TRULY SPECIAL YOU ARE

YOU are a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. YOU are so very special! There is no other person on this planet that will ever be you.

Stand powerfully, beautifully and brilliantly in the power of knowing what you can and cannot do and what you will and will not do. No one can ever be a better you than you.  So make it your mission to become a Professional You.

Want to learn more? Life School for Lawyers LIVE! + Retreat 2017 will be an amazing, life transforming day of inspiration exclusively for women lawyers featuring Keynote Speaker Liz Wendling, author of The RainMaker Mindest for Attorneys and Special Guest Panelists, Mei Tsang, Esq., Monica Hartsock, Esq., and Corey Minor Smith, Esq.  Want to join us? Register here.

___________________________________________________

ABOUT LAKESHIA EKEIGWE

I help women lawyers who feel a bit lost and confused about what they want next in their life to eliminate mental and emotional clutter, silence fear and self-doubt and gain rapid clarity around what they really, really want in their life. I coach women lawyers to create lives they LOVE.

If you would like to know how I coach and support women lawyers just like you, message me on LinkedIn or email me lakeshia@coachingattorneys.com.