The biggest obstacle most of us think we face in leaving the law is overcoming our fear of lack of money.
I just worked on this in detail with a client last week:
- She is afraid she won’t make enough money to support her family if she leaves the law.
- She is afraid she will lower her future earning potential if she leaves the law.
- She is afraid she won’t be able to live her current lifestyle if she leaves the law.
So let’s use this as a moment to take a step back and revisit what money really is.
A long time ago, before we had money, we traded.
I grow apples. My apples have within them the energy from the sun and the energy from my pruning and farming and tending and nurturing.
You’re a carpenter who makes tables. Your table also has the energy the sun emitted to the tree, as well as your energy in crafting and shaping and sanding the wood into a table form.
I need a table on which to now eat my apples with my family. You need apples to feed your family. So when I trade you the apples I grew for a table you have made, we find an equitable exchange of energy. A certain bushels of apples for one big table.
We traded energy. The energy stored in my fruit for the energy stored in your table. The energy of your table helps me eat. The energy in my fruit helps fill your stomach.
When gold and silver coins came into the picture, the energy didn’t change. Gold and silver are just symbolic representations of this energy required to make these things … to make this apple, to make this table.
The same exists today. When you receive your (ACH digitally deposited) paycheck from your firm or a client, this is a representation of the exchange of your energy (reading, writing, arguing, advising) for the income they pay you, which is the energy you use to pay your bills, pay down your debt, and support your family.
Money is a currency.
Money is energy.
I learned a good tip: Whenever I’m about to say a sentence about money, I replace “money” with the word “energy”.
So when you say “I think I don’t have a enough money to leave the law”, what you’re really saying is “I think I don’t have enough energy to leave the law”.
When you say “I think I won’t be able to make enough money if I were to leave the law” what you’re really saying is “I think I won’t be able to attract enough energy to me if I were to leave the law”.
Really? You can’t attract enough energy to get done what you need to get done?
I don’t believe that. You took the LSAT, you graduated law school, you took and passed the bar, and you have now grown as a lawyer. You have plenty of energy.
What you don’t have is a guide to show you the way to leave the law.
That’s what I’ve been working on for the past thirteen years since I left the law, and writing about on this blog for the past eight.
If you’re ready to make this life change, I’m ready to help you each step of the way. 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 and learn more about the services we offer here.