The Breakdown

I had a breakdown last week. Drained and frustrated, I considered giving it all up. Walking away from a legal career that I’ve built over ten years. 

It’s hard to consistently feel dismissed. To feel that your ideas have no merit and that your ideal workplace is impractical. You’ve likely all been there - making suggestions to your managers and employers only to be ignored and to see no change. The status quo is rarely altered. 


The problem we face in business is a sincere resistance to doing things different. Old school thought processes prevail. There is a scarcity mindset. That if you diverge too far from how you’ve always done things, you will not see the same level of success. Or if you do something a different way, you may fail altogether. 


To be a big thinker in a narrow-minded field is to be shut down on the regular. It requires thick skin and a bigger outlook. You have to find the places that you can make an impact and move toward them. That can mean a new job, a new location, or even a different industry. Changemakers can only be stifled for so long before they break out of the restraints and move towards places that appreciate new, diverse thoughts. 


The beauty of the breakdown is the resulting breakthrough. Leaders grow from failure. They treat breakdowns as a call to action. It is an opportunity to create something different. It’s a challenge to your core. Will you buckle in the face of doubt or will you rise to something greater? 


From my breakdown comes firm conviction in my skill set. I know who I am, my mission, and my strengths. I know that I can create a modern business that provides top-notch service to clients and is a fulfilling place for me to work. I know that I can use my knowledge in law and intuition when working with people, to have my own business that does it all. A business that handles nuanced legal issues, coordinates mediations, and also coaches peers to the best version of themselves. 


Who says you have to fit into a cooker cutter mold and do things the same as they’ve always been done? Grow from that breakdown. Be the employer or manager you wish you could work for. Move through that breakthrough, live your life, and create work around it. 


If you need help, you know where to find me.


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