I just got back from paternity leave, and while I got to spend some amazing time with my daughter, it was not the leisurely vacation I naively dreamt it to be. I did, however, get the chance to read one book which has profound lessons valuable to any attorney who is interested in the lateral market, now or in the future.
The book is called Build for Tomorrow by Jason Feifer. It is a book about change and how to prepare for and deal with change. As someone whose job is to usher attorneys through one of the biggest, most stressful changes in life, a job change, you can understand why I was particularly interested in it.
There are two lines related to the paralysis of choosing a path when we are faced with change that really stuck with me:
“If I made [a] decision and six months from now I’m regretting it, why might it be? What’s the thing I’ll look back on and go “gee, I wish I had not missed that.”
“There will always be more reasons not to do something than to do something.”
Inertia is immensely powerful. I talk with tons of unhappy attorneys who know their situations would be better elsewhere, but just can’t muster the energy to do embark on a job search. It is the “frog in a boiling pot” analogy. In some ways, we are all frogs slowly boiling without the push to jump out of the water.
The next time you’re contemplating a big decision, think about these two quotes and really imagine all the possibilities that lie ahead. Don’t let your current circumstances, in any part of your life, become just a mirage of contentment because of the fear of the unknown.
And if your big decision is that it’s time to talk with a recruiter, make sure you work with someone you can trust to look out for your interests. AJW prides itself on being extremely candidate-centric and working with attorneys to find their perfect fit.
To all our tomorrows!
Ian
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