One of the most difficult decisions for lawyers to make is when to get out of the practice of law. We tell ourselves “I’ll get out when it’s no longer fun.” We claim “I just need to settle one more big case, then I’m outta here.” We think “I’m too young to retire, but too old to try something new.” All of these statements have one thing in common…they are a path to burnout.
Avoiding burnout seems to be a no-brainer. But too many of us choose the path of least resistance. We are comfortable doing our work, but no longer stimulated by it. We like the pay we receive, but long for something more rewarding than just monetary gain. We wonder where our passion went, and lie to ourselves that “it’s just part of getting older.” One of the strongest questions that a coach asks in this situation is:
“What are you pretending not to know?”
You know that you are lying to yourself. You know that you need to make plans to exit, or change your practice. Yet you choose to remain on the path to burn out. Why is that? Every one has a different answer, but the answers all boil down to “I’m scared.”
Change is a scary proposition. You are giving up the known for the unknown. Yet your “known” situation is dragging you away from the life you want to live. You spend more time at the office, but get less done. You become frustrated with your co-workers, and even worse, with your clients. You know changes need to be made, but you pretend everything will be OK. However, it will only be OK once you have made the decision to work towards change.
Deciding to make a change.
It is at this point that a coach can help you. Not only by asking the hard questions that you don’t want to ask yourself, but also by working with you to come up with answers to those hard questions.Once those answers are reached, a plan can be developed to avoid burnout. Finally, a coach will hold you accountable to sticking with the plan.
Contact me for complimentary 30 minute session to explore whether you are close to burning out!
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