I’m a recovering attorney.
I took the LSATs, spent 3 years in law school, passed the bar exam, started working as an attorney, then quit 2 years later. It was the best decision of my life.
I wouldn’t have made the leap without the following skills.
1️⃣ Self-Awareness
This is the most important skill of all.
We oftentimes wear a metaphorical cloak that’s representative of the person we think we should be. This leads us to follow motivations and goals that we THINK we should have. Self-awareness is ditching that cloak and revealing exactly who we are.
It’s the key to living a fulfilled life.
2️⃣ Not Letting Other People’s Opinions Affect My Decision Making
It’s impossible to not care what other people think.
We’re human after all. If people we love give us their opinion, it’s natural to have an emotional reaction. The key here is to not let those opinions affect the decisions we make.
We should value our own opinions over all else.
When I was considering quitting law, I was obsessed with what other people would think. Especially since I wanted to pursue the creative arts. I was worried that people might think I was crazy for making such a dramatic life change.
But because I had developed a strong sense of self-awareness, my own opinion was clear. And that was the opinion I valued over all else.
It was the catalyst for making the best decision of my life.
3️⃣ Trusting My Gut
I’m convinced we all have an internal compass.
Our nervous system tells us if we’re making the right decision. The discomfort I felt in my body when I was a lawyer was my gut telling me I needed to make a change. It took me several years, but I finally trusted it.
And I haven’t looked back since.
Brendan Bald 