How Giving Thanks Can Improve Your Law Practice
Did you know that appreciating what we often take for granted can improve our well-being? Giving thanks for the things we often overlook leads to better mental health and more success in your personal and professional life.
For lawyers, practicing gratitude is extremely valuable. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, stressed, and exhausted from the hard work we put in each and every day. Therefore, it’s even easier to forget the things we should be grateful for.
Making a habit of intentionally giving thanks can improve your law practice. Yes, you read that right. But how could this be? How can simply reciting what you are thankful for each day lead to more success and enjoyment as a lawyer?
This blog from Carpenter & Czelusta discusses the benefits of routinely giving thanks in such a hectic and stressful profession. Continue reading to learn how practicing gratitude can help you thrive as a lawyer.
What Does Giving Thanks Have to Do with Practicing Law?
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It’s the time of year when we join our loved ones and feast on homemade dishes and traditional desserts. More importantly, it’s time to reflect on our lives and give thanks for the things we quickly take for granted.
Practicing gratitude has many benefits on a personal and professional level. For any individual, regularly giving thanks has been shown to reduce stress, boost the immune system, decrease the risk of heart disease, and lessen symptoms of anxiety and depression. Practicing gratitude has even proven to improve relationships.
Unfortunately, research has shown that lawyers have high rates of depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout. That’s why regularly practicing gratitude as a lawyer can be so beneficial. And what better time is there to start a routine of daily giving thanks than right around the Thanksgiving holiday?
You can actually improve your law practice by making a habit of giving thanks. With reduced stress and less burnout, you can enjoy your job more and have more chances of success.
Where do you even start? Well, practicing gratitude may be a lot easier than you think.
Practice Gratitude Every Morning
It’s no mystery that law students and attorneys are extremely busy. In fact, a hectic schedule with few breaks is one of the main contributors to depression, burnout, and anxiety. Adding one more thing to your day may sound impossible. However, you’ll quickly realize how just a few minutes of practicing gratitude each morning will yield enormous benefits.
One of the easiest ways you can start a routine of daily giving thanks is to say out loud what you are thankful for. Every morning, before picking up your phone to check your email and voicemails, take a moment to reflect quietly. Sit on the edge of your bed or find a cozy spot to be still. Then, say out loud about five things you are grateful for. For example, you may be thankful for your pet, your family, or the delicious dinner you had the night before. You could be grateful for the nice weather that day or even simply waking up alive and well.
If sitting for a moment seems impossible, that’s no problem. You can get creative with your time and practice gratitude while scarfing down your morning breakfast or taking your shower. You can even give thanks while driving to work.
The key is to say it out loud. Hearing your own voice announce what you are thankful for each day will help you better recognize these things while going about your typical routine. Furthermore, practicing gratitude first thing in the morning will set you up for a more optimistic and cheerful mood throughout the day.
What Should Lawyers Be Thankful For?
As a lawyer, there is much to give thanks for. The daily grind and overwhelming stress can often mask such a profession’s benefits. To improve your law practice, make a habit of recognizing what you are grateful for. Practicing gratitude will help you to appreciate your value as an individual and the world around you.
Below are some examples of what lawyers should be thankful for, from the often-missed details of life to the traits and skills practicing law gives you.
The Little Things
Sometimes, it’s easier to start with the little things. Especially when your mind is cluttered with stress, it can be challenging to dig deep and think of the bigger things in life that you are grateful for. So, when starting this practice, or on the tough days, just look around you, and you’re sure to find the little things you are thankful for. Here are some examples:
- The hot cup of coffee in your hands
- A warm bed to sleep in
- Your favorite pen to write with
- Food in the refrigerator
- A car to get you to and from work
- Your family and pets
Your Profession
Practicing law can be stressful. But there is a reason you chose this profession in the first place. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget why you took this route. When work gets chaotic, it’s a good idea to take a moment and express what you are thankful for in your profession.
For instance, lawyers should regularly recognize that they have achieved a certain social status. People respect the knowledge, bravery, and skill of lawyers. Everyone knows it’s a tough road to take. So, it’s important to recognize that people value your work and respect you for it.
Your Purpose
Being a lawyer is meaningful. Beyond the social advantages practicing law has, you have a greater purpose in the world. For example, lawyers play a distinct role in the framework of society to uphold justice and ultimately do good.
In fact, lawyers have the opportunity and responsibility to make necessary societal changes. Few professionals have the same power to truly make a difference. As a lawyer, you have the chance to give a voice to those who are otherwise voiceless or help a cause that is essentially powerless on its own.
Personal Growth
Practicing law also gives a unique opportunity for personal growth. Beyond perfecting your craft, as a lawyer, you have the chance to grow with the following:
- Patience
- Self-control
- Attention to detail
- Time management and organization
- Verbal and written communication
- Teamwork
- Independence
- Creative problem solving
- Thriving under pressure
- Resilience
- Self-confidence
Not all professions can claim such a valuable list of skills and personal traits. So, when practicing gratitude, remember to give thanks for what your job has taught you and for the personal growth you have experienced.
Carpenter & Czelusta Are Giving Thanks for You
Every day, the team at Carpenter & Czelusta is reminded of all we are thankful for. As we make our way into the season of Thanksgiving, we continue to recognize all the big and little things we must appreciate in our profession.
We are grateful to play an important role in our clients’ lives and take this responsibility very seriously. If you or a loved one has been wronged, please reach out to the passionate and skilled team at Carpenter & Czelusta. We’d be happy to fight for you and get you the results you deserve.
