<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>lawyerlife Archives - Braving Boundaries</title> <atom:link href="https://bravingboundaries.com/tag/lawyerlife/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://bravingboundaries.com/tag/lawyerlife/</link> <description>PROFESSIONAL LIFE COACHING & TRAINING</description> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:59:19 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-ZA</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <image> <url>https://bravingboundaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Asset-1.svg</url> <title>lawyerlife Archives - Braving Boundaries</title> <link>https://bravingboundaries.com/tag/lawyerlife/</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>The Mid-life Lawyer</title> <link>https://bravingboundaries.com/mid-life-lawyer/</link> <comments>https://bravingboundaries.com/mid-life-lawyer/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[friedaL2020]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 10:02:32 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Finding direction and purpose]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lawyer Life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-awareness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-reflection]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Stress & Anxiety]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Work life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[work-life balance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[attorney]]></category> <category><![CDATA[attorney life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[general counsel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[in-house counsel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[inhouse counsel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[law]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawlife]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawyer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawyer life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawyer lifestyle]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lawyerlife]]></category> <category><![CDATA[legal]]></category> <category><![CDATA[legal life]]></category> <category><![CDATA[legallife]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mid-life crisis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mid-life lawyer]]></category> <category><![CDATA[self-reflection]]></category> <category><![CDATA[senior lawyer]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://bravingboundaries.com/?p=5662</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The post <a href="https://bravingboundaries.com/mid-life-lawyer/">The Mid-life Lawyer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://bravingboundaries.com">Braving Boundaries</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="et_pb_section et_pb_section_0 et_section_regular" > <div class="et_pb_row et_pb_row_0"> <div class="et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column_0 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et-last-child"> <div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light"> <div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you hear the term “mid-life,” what images or thoughts come to mind? Perhaps it’s the clichéd “mid-life crisis” with visions of a middle-aged man who has just started balding – but he’s growing a ponytail anyway – sporting a “beer-belly” sitting at a table with a lackluster look on his face, scrolling through an online car website searching for a convertible. Something fast and racy. Something flashy – so, probably red. Something to make him feel young again. Or perhaps it’s something else?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mid-life might be better understood as a phase marked by escalating stress levels, heightened demands on your time, increased responsibilities that include caring for ageing parents and young children, managing debt, confronting the realities of ageing and dealing with more aches and pains while feeling increasingly fatigued. In essence, mid-life is a stage where you’re inundated from all directions, and self-care seems like a distant memory, with your weekly “cheat meal” becoming the week’s highlight. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now add being a lawyer into the mix which comes with its own set of stresses and strains: managing a team, developing your practice, adapting to changes in the legal climate, jostling partners and executives, meeting billing targets and getting to grips with legal tech in order to stay up to date and relevant! And there you have it: the “</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mid-Life Lawyer</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s no wonder that there are days when you want to skip town, hop on a plane and head for blue oceans where you can drink </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=if+you+like+pina+colada&sca_esv=563733001&biw=1536&bih=715&tbm=vid&sxsrf=AB5stBjr6QuOoGlnsJDbylQ-6iQGAECk3Q%3A1694182553096&ei=mSz7ZIq2Bbazi-gPpMCRoAs&oq=if+you+like+&gs_lp=Eg1nd3Mtd2l6LXZpZGVvIgxpZiB5b3UgbGlrZSAqAggAMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABEiWI1AAWMMTcAB4AJABAZgB3QOgAfUgqgEHMi01LjMuNLgBAcgBAPgBAcICBxAAGIoFGEPCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICCxAAGIoFGLEDGIMBwgIIEAAYigUYkQLCAggQABiABBixA4gGAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:1770cbe5,vid:TazHNpt6OTo,st:0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pina Coladas</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and pretend you’re on Spring break.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All in an effort to feel like you still matter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As if that was ever in question. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As if, in some way, mid-life has erased our fun times. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As if, somehow, we have given away our youth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s not surprising that you find yourself experiencing a somewhat </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=barbie+trailer+2023&sca_esv=563733001&biw=1536&bih=715&tbm=vid&sxsrf=AB5stBg3tJWltB-enE3bvpNnCqDEyZFXXw%3A1694182518976&ei=diz7ZNqRO-eMi-gPt7iAqA4&oq=barbie+trailer&gs_lp=Eg1nd3Mtd2l6LXZpZGVvIg5iYXJiaWUgdHJhaWxlcioCCAEyCBAAGIoFGJECMggQABiKBRiRAjIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAESLAkUO4DWJcLcAB4AJABApgB3QugAdkvqgELMy0xLjYtMS4zLjG4AQHIAQD4AQHCAgsQABiKBRixAxiRAogGAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-video#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0a31a67a,vid:Kb7jYOYXiVc,st:0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Barbie</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">-like existential crisis, asking yourself:</span></p></div> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_image et_pb_image_0"> <span class="et_pb_image_wrap "><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1500" src="https://bravingboundaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BB-Blog-images-Mid-life-lawyer-1.jpg" alt="" title="BB - Blog images - Mid life lawyer (1)" class="wp-image-5667" /></span> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_1 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light"> <div class="et_pb_text_inner"><ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Is this it? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Who am I? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What have I done with my life? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do I even like my job?</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Where am I going? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is life all about? </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I need to change. Everything. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">I need help. And quickly!</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sound familiar?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At this point, you might have contemplated hitting life’s reset button, if one existed. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But pause for a moment and take a deep breath. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Surprisingly, there isn’t much that differentiates “mid-life” from the stereotypical “mid-life crisis.” Psychologists worldwide acknowledge that we all experience “crises” at various stages in our lives. These crises serve as catalysts for essential changes when aspects of our lives no longer align with our internal compass.</span></p></div> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_2 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light"> <div class="et_pb_text_inner"><h2><strong>Is mid-life really that bad?</strong></h2> <p> </p> <p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey Doc, am I gonna live? </span></i></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a mid-life lawyer you will understand that you just have more going on in your life – you have reached a stage in both life and in your career where you have moved through the ranks, you are most likely quite established by now and will – again most likely – have a family, be in a long-term relationship or confidently single. You have more work, more responsibilities both at the office and at home. So much so that you feel like you should be cloned. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s no wonder you ask yourself “</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">is this it?”. </span></i></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It makes perfect sense that at some point in your life and in your legal career, you are going to get to a point where you are challenged. Where you start to have questions rattling around in your brain – </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">do I still want to be a lawyer? Or do I just want to change my focus area? </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">And those are good things because it means you are engaging, you are thinking, you are assessing the things that work for you and those that don’t. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It doesn’t mean that you are going to kick in your legal career bucket. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, at this juncture at least, it’s perfectly acceptable if you need to take a moment to look around yourself. If you need to ask yourself some pertinent questions like </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">do I want to carry on with my legal caree</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">r? Or </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Do I just need to learn a new thing or two? </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">It sometimes takes putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations so that we can address what’s going on around us. And sometimes all we need to do is acknowledge our nagging feelings of “lost youth” and address them head on. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dealing with your mid-life means recognising that you have a very full life, understanding what your priorities are and acknowledging that mid-life comes with many challenges. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mid-life </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">isn’t</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about falling prey to overwhelm, but about making the changes necessary for you to live a happy, fulfilled life. It </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">is</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about taking our mid-life by the reigns and riding off into the sunset.</span></p></div> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_3 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light"> <div class="et_pb_text_inner"><h2><strong>The mid-life lawyer event</strong></h2></div> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_image et_pb_image_1"> <span class="et_pb_image_wrap "><img decoding="async" width="2000" height="1500" src="https://bravingboundaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BB-Blog-images-Mid-life-lawyer.jpg" alt="" title="BB - Blog images - Mid life lawyer" class="wp-image-5668" /></span> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_4 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light"> <div class="et_pb_text_inner"><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><b>“The Mid-life Lawyer” event </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">is for all the lawyers out there who find themselves questioning their relevance, their direction, their priorities, and their goals. It’s for all the lawyers who are looking for more balance in the second half of their careers without feeling like they are </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">giving up </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">their careers. It’s for all those lawyers who have questions but no answers – yet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The events will be held in </span><b>Cape Town</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on </span><b>Thursday 21</b><b>st</b><b> September</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and in </span><b>Johannesburg</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on </span><b>Thursday</b> <b>28</b><b>th</b><b> September</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hosted by Frieda Levyky of Braving Boundaries and Rob Green, the CEO of GRM, it’s sure to be interesting, invoking thought and reflection whilst also being fun. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The event it all about – </span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reassessing how you are living your life and where you are focusing the majority of your time;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">understanding why work has such a tight grip over you;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">growing and developing your practice and adapting to the new legal world in which we find ourselves;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reassessing your relationship with work;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">helping you remember why you became a lawyer in the first place, and</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">acknowledging what is important in your life and whether or not that is being truly honoured. </span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s a lot to take in but Frieda and Rob promise you will leave the event with a lot to think about – in only the best kind of way.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If this article has resonated with you and your legal career or perhaps you’re a little at odds with your mid-life, then this event is for you! </span></p> <p><strong>To book tickets to the event, click <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.howler.co.za/events/the-mid-life-lawyer-1801?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=join_us_for_the_mid_life_lawyer_event&utm_term=2023-08-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></span> for Cape Town and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.howler.co.za/events/the-midlife-lawyer-3c60?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=join_us_for_the_mid_life_lawyer_event&utm_term=2023-08-22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></span> for Joburg.</strong></p></div> </div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_image et_pb_image_2"> <a href="https://bravingboundaries.com/?page_id=5643"><span class="et_pb_image_wrap "><img decoding="async" width="1200" height="628" src="https://bravingboundaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BB-Facebook-Ad-Graphics-HORIZONTAL.png" alt="" title="BB - Facebook Ad Graphics - HORIZONTAL" class="wp-image-5666" /></span></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>The post <a href="https://bravingboundaries.com/mid-life-lawyer/">The Mid-life Lawyer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://bravingboundaries.com">Braving Boundaries</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://bravingboundaries.com/mid-life-lawyer/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>