As I tour around the country, traveling to dozens of cities, giving talks, having one-on-one meetings with lawyers, and engaging in honest dialogue about life as a lawyer, one common theme I see is this: too many of us are living a dream that wasn’t meant for us.
Here are some answers to common questions and concerns lawyers have about meditation.
Ready to give meditation a try? Here are some instructions.
A few years ago, I went to an all-day meditation retreat for women at Green Gulch. Most of the day was spent in silence, in meditation, in reflection, practicing mindfulness. When you take away the ability to talk, I find that all of my other senses come alive. I look, I listen, and I feel more attentive.
I watched a lot of Law & Order growing up. My family immigrated to the U.S. in 1988 (the same year that Korea last hosted the Olympics). I was 10 years old and didn’t speak a word of English. Neither did anyone else in my family.
Mindfulness practice is hugely important and beneficial for learning to be comfortable with uncertainty. By definition, being mindful means being in the present moment and catching ourselves when playing the 1,001 ways in which this thing can go wrong game.
The one theme I see that comes up repeatedly with lawyers is unhappiness and discontentment. I often hear lawyers say, “I'm so unhappy at my job but I can't afford to quit. I'm working constantly so I don't have time [...]
That yearning for something different whether you choose to act on it or not deserves to be heard. It deserves a place in your heart and mind. It deserves a place in your psyche.
Not checking my Inbox first thing in the morning allows me to set my priorities, rather than allowing others to set the agenda for the day.
Contrary to popular beliefs, lawyers aren’t robots. We’re humans with feelings, emotions, and limitations. (I know. This may be shocking to some of you.)