Feeling Blah About Law? Take 8 Steps To Rekindle Your Passion #sponsored

If you find your passion for your work slipping, chances are burnout is creeping in. No matter how hard you try to forge ahead and ignore it, it will gradually suck the joy out of your work and your life.

To help you keep burnout at bay, we spoke with Stella Grizont, international positive psychology expert and speaker, and executive coach to Fortune 500 leaders. She shared eight of her best tips to rekindle your love of practicing law:

1. Complain less.

Grizont explains that complaining exacerbates what she calls “negativity bias.” This is the brain’s predisposition to focus on what’s wrong.

“We’re so alert to the negative stuff already, complaining just shoots us further into a downward spiral of feeling dissatisfied with our work,” she explains. “The more you focus on negativity, the more you want to escape it.”

Instead, train your mind, much like you would train your muscles at the gym, to focus on the positive. Grizont advises achieving this with gratitude. Begin by:

• Doing your best not to complain for 24 hours.
• Writing down at least three things you’re grateful for every day.  

2. Pay attention to what energizes you.

“This is for anyone who can’t remember the last time they were excited about their work,” says Grizont. “So take note of anything that energizes you and see what implications you can draw to shift how you feel about your practice.”

She recommends that anytime you notice that you feel the slightest bit of excitement or inspiration, write down the details including who, what, where, when and why. Don’t analyze anything until you’ve recorded 30 instances. 

3. Play to your strengths.

Grizont said that studies have shown that when we use our strengths in new ways, it can actually reverse depression. So make the effort to understand your top strengths, she advises.

“If you love to learn, you may consider taking a workshop to brush up on a topic you’re curious about,” she points out. 

4. Go with the flow.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term “flow” to describe the state of mind when you are so engrossed in a task that you lose track of time.

Grizont says it’s easy to lose your passion when you’re outside of your flow, when there’s either too little or too much challenge.

She says that when you’re in the state of optimal flow, you:

• Are super focused, present and hyper-engaged
• Not worrying about what anyone thinks
• Are free of self-judgment
• Perfectly challenged

5. Have purpose.

“Purpose is what drives us, even through the most grueling and tedious situations, like law school,” says Grizont. “But to have purpose you don’t have to ditch your practice and volunteer in a third-world country, you can just wholeheartedly serve those around you.”

To enhance your sense of purpose, she advises thinking about how you might better serve clients, be present with loved ones, and show kindness to strangers.

6. Seek appreciation.

“You may not realize what kind of impact you’re making,” notes Stella. “So ask your friends and colleagues how you’ve helped.”

She advises writing five to 10 clients, colleagues, family members or friends. Explain that you’re doing career development. Ask them to share a story when they’ve witnessed you at your best or have been of service.

Every time you receive appreciation, record it in a file and make a point of reading it regularly.

7. Take a break.

When we’re tired, it’s impossible not to burn out. And even though you may have pushed yourself for years, it may be time to give yourself a break, notes Grizont. It doesn’t have to be a sabbatical. Just 15 minutes a day could make a difference.

“Consider enhancing the quality of your breaks so they’re truly restorative,” she advises. “Don’t use them to procrastinate, surf the web or run for coffee. Turn off your devices and go for a walk around the block, take a quick nap, or even meditate.”

8. Connect with those you love.

“Relationships are the number one predictor of happiness, beyond money or success,” says Grizont.

She recommends thinking about how you can grow and enhance the relationships in your life.  “Reconnect with friends. Reach out to colleagues you enjoy and make it a point to schedule a monthly or quarterly touch base,” she says.

Most importantly, remember that burnout isn’t a character flaw, says Grizont. It can happen to anyone, no matter how much they love their work. She says it’s because careers are like long-term relationships, “even if you found ‘the one,’ you still have to invest time and energy in keeping the passion alive,” she insists.

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Amy Larson is a Director in Small Law Firm Customer Marketing and Firm Central at Thomson Reuters. She has over 17 years of experience in technology marketing with extensive focus on learning how technology can meet the needs of attorneys. Amy has been involved in numerous product launches throughout her tenure, public relations efforts, interviewing customers and telling their stories, and often writes and distributes information on legal practice management.

Feeling Blah About Law? Take 8 Steps To Rekindle Your Passion #sponsored curated from Above the Law