Tough Love Thursday: Are Those Scars or Self-Inflicted Wounds?

Trial lawyers are notorious for wearing exhaustion and physical decline like badges of honor in the pursuit of justice. But are those really battle scars? Or are they self-inflicted wounds?

Whew, shots fired this Tough Love Thursday. Let's knuckle up, burnout culture. I'm coming for you.

Here's the real question: who are we really serving when we add health issues like depression, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease to our already overloaded professional plates? Are we better at our jobs--serving our clients best--when we have to grit our teeth and down three energy drinks just to make it through the day and still feel like hell?

I've been there, and I know it's not our fault.

It's not your fault. Read that again.

I'm not casting blame. I'm shining a light and showing you that there's a different way, and hope for all of us. There's a world in which we can accomplish that AND be even better lawyers for our clients.

It's been the culture we were taught and trained into for as long as I think any of us can remember: trial lawyers sacrifice our own lives and health to serve our clients to the best of our ability. The problem is that it's just false.

Science, sports psychology, and neuroscience all tell us that the opposite is actually true. When we take care of our own physical (and mental) health, it's not just that our bodies are stronger and we're better able to weather the stresses and emotional storms of trial law. It's that we have the physical and mental strength and endurance to perform better, think more clearly and faster, and are far more resilient and better able to win for our clients.

And we can keep doing it for the long haul of our careers without burning out. We win not just the battles, but the war.

Here's how you can do it: all it takes is making the decision to embrace the science (if improving your health wasn't enough of an inducement on its own).

It takes you making the decision--and keeping the promise to yourself--that developing and maintaining your physical capacity is a non-negotiable for you.

It's not a luxury. It's not frivolous or new age woo-woo mumbo jumbo. It is proven science, and you ignore it at your and your clients' peril.

Remember, what we're not changing, we're choosing.

And I am hoping that you decide to choose yourself, your loved ones, and your clients. I'm hoping that you decide to choose something different now as the elite trial lawyer you are.

There is a path forward, and if you want help finding it, I am so here for you.

If you want more details on the scientific data, and the neuroscience backing all of this up, tune in to tomorrow's The Legal Athlete Podcast: Why Elite Trial Lawyers Need to Train Like a MMA Champion!