Contemplating leaving your legal career leads to a big decision. Should you stay or should you go?
Although this blog focuses on lawyers wanting to change careers, the content applies to everyone with a decision to make.
Do you have a specific decision-making style? Perhaps you’re analytical, listing the pros and cons. Maybe you’re intuitive, led by your gut feeling. Do you rely on the advice or opinions of others? Are you adventurous, choosing something unknown because it’s exciting? Perhaps you’re fearful, deciding to stick with what you know. Or do you avoid making a decision altogether for fear of getting it wrong?
Lawyers are used to being analytical in their work, but it may not be your natural style and your approach to decisions in your personal life could be very different. Often people wondering whether to leave their legal career go round in circles, not reaching a concrete decision which by default means that their decision is to stay. However they still don’t like their job so time and again they find themselves back in the same thought spiral.
There are a number of different techniques you can use to reach a decision. Before considering them, it’s important to know that however and whatever you decide, the result won’t be wrong. It’s simply a step on your life journey. If it turns out that you don’t like the path you chose, you can always course-correct.
Think of the decision process as like following a sat nav to reach your destination. The sat nav might suggest 3 different routes and you have to select the one you’re going to follow. Sometimes, once you’re driving along, you change your mind and choose one of the other routes. You’ll still reach your destination, but via a different route, perhaps with a few detours. Life is exactly like that. There’s no straight line from birth to death; we all have varied journeys along the way and that’s where the fun comes in. A straight line path would be boring!
So how can you actually reach a decision? If you find it difficult to do alone and you’d like some objective help, book a free call to see whether you’d like to work with me:
https://calendly.com/yournewdawn/30min
If you’re happy to go it alone, here are a few methods you can try:
1 – List the pros and cons and decide based on which list is longer. Be warned however that often people end up going with their gut directly in opposition to what the analysis is telling them!
2 – If you have a strong feeling in your gut as to which way to go, then follow that. It’s usually your intuition speaking in that situation.
3 – Do a body test. Find some quiet time without distractions, take a few deep breaths to settle yourself then ask yourself the question that you’re deciding about, eg “should I leave law?” Then pay attention to how your body feels immediately in response to to that question.
If you’re feeling excited, then your answer to the question is yes. If your body feels contracted, then the answer is no. It’s important that you pay attention to the first response your body makes, not what your brain tells you because your brain will soon start to come up with all sorts of fear-based counter-arguments.
4 – Toss a coin. This might sound flippant for a big decision but it works similarly to the body test. Decide whether a “yes” answer to your question is heads or tails, then toss the coin to see how the answer lands. Then pay attention to how you feel in your body as soon as you see the coin’s answer. If you feel contracted, that tells you that your inner self really chooses the answer represented by the other side of the coin – and of course, you can then follow that.
5 – Walking the 8. This is a method used by shamans, which I was first taught by Karen Thomas of Golden Oak Therapies. I’ve found that it brings amazing clarity.
You’ll need 2 stones or crystals of any size. Place them on the floor opposite each other about 1 metre apart. Imagine that there’s a figure of 8 shape drawn around the stones, with the crossover point in the middle. Set a timer for a minimum of 3 minutes.
Stand in the middle of the stones, set the intention that you’re going to find the answer to your question, and start your timer. Now start walking around the stones, crossing over at the mid-point between them as if you’re walking a figure of 8. Keep walking the figure of 8, holding your intention, until your timer lets you know it’s time to finish.
You’ll find that the simple action of walking the figure of 8 quietens your mind and brings you into your body and the present moment. Calming down the chatter in your mind creates space for clarity. If an answer to your question doesn’t pop up during your walk, do it again the next day, and watch out for the answer arriving soon.
Some of these methods might resonate with you more than others. Try what speaks to you and see what happens. You always have a choice whether to follow the guidance you receive.
If you’re struggling with making a decision or putting it into action and you’d like my help, book a free 30-minute call and let’s talk:
