by Julie S. Rivers

As lawyers we think a lot. I call it “Rubik’s cubing”. Our thoughts can be our refuge in many ways. Our clients rely on our brain power. Are we really aware of the power that we have, though?

Every day we get to choose how to navigate our lives.  The movie, What the Bleep Do We Know?, addresses that we get to create intentionally how we want our day to be, every day. We get to craft it by virtue of how we think. Our thoughts produce our feelings and the two combined produce our attitude.

For example, close your eyes. Think about your favorite song in high school. Really play it in your mind, journey there. Your mind probably wandered to something that happened during that time. You’ll think about the first dance, the break-up, something going on in your life at that time. In lightening speed, your emotion will change to conform to the thoughts you are having about that event. Pretty powerful, huh?

This bit of information can transform how we approach our lives. Sure, there are nay-sayers. But try it. For a week. See if it works. Nothing to lose, but everything to gain. After all, if we know what drives the bus in our brains, then the real destructor, such as depression (a real threat to many lawyers), can be staved off.

After all, balancing what happens in our lives and our work really starts with the most powerful and fundamental tool we have: our brains.

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