I stayed as an attorney longer than I wanted to, in part because I wanted to make sure I got a return on my investment.
The investment I made in going to law school and becoming a lawyer.
I felt like I would be giving up if I left the law. I felt I would have wasted all this time if I left. I felt the tuition and debt I took on would have been all for naught.
I know that I spent money and time and effort and ego in becoming a lawyer, and you better believe that I wanted to make sure I got the most out of it that I could. I wanted to continue to practice until I saw this return.
Yet all the while, I did nothing, and I wasn’t happy as a practicing attorney.
It was then that I realized the truth … that it is very, very difficult to know with certainty when this return is or will be realized. Every week, attorneys with 20, 25, 30 years of practice write me to tell me how miserable they are. Isn’t that enough time to determine if the investment has panned out?
No agency or board or committee is going to send us a letter, saying that we’ve squeezed the most out of our time as a law student and lawyer, and (finally) our happiness can now vest.
We look at the cost of leaving the law as very high. But we are looking at it wrong. We need to look at the cost of doing nothing.
If you have always wanted to do something to leave, but never could muster the courage, I’ve created free and paid-for services that can help you transition out of the law. Schedule a free time to speak directly with me here and I can suggest some actionable next steps for you.