Go From Stuck to Unstoppable

I have conversations with hundreds of lawyers, and I see this all the time: 

Badass women who have amazing dreams and big goals, but are stuck in the same unfulfilling job. 

Why? 

Because even though we’re ambitious, lawyers are super prone to getting stuck in the “how.” 

We’re not comfortable with “I don’t know,” because we live in a world where we're the experts. When clients come to us, they expect us to know all the answers. Saying, “I don't know” is just not okay.

So when we have big dreams, creative ideas, or businesses we want to start, we get caught up in the “how?” 

How would I even do that? Where would I even go? How would that even be possible? How, how, how, how?

Then we get stuck because we don’t know the answer. 

This leaves many lawyers trapped, unfulfilled, and unhappy. 

Eventually, we start losing ambition. I know this sounds crazy if you’re an overachieving lawyer, but it’s not. 

You tell yourself the story that you already have enough. 

I don't need any more. Things are just fine as they are. Who am I to complain? 

You stay stuck in your comfort zone and a job where you’re miserable. 

The first thing I tell my clients to do is change their perspective. Instead of getting so caught up in the “how,” start asking yourself: “who?” 

Who do you know that is doing what you want to do? Who do you know that can connect you with people who are doing what you want to do? What rooms do you need? 

Asking for help and seeking counsel from other attorneys doesn't make you weak. It makes you a freaking genius because instead of staying limited by what you don’t know, you ask somebody else for their advice.

Start asking who. 

Who do you need to talk to? 

What resources do you need?

What do you want more information about? 

When we stop thinking about the finish line and simply think about the next step, the “how” reveals itself. 

Don’t figure out how you're going to get all the way from A to Z. Figure out how to go from A to B first. Figure out the “who.”

My network and my connections are what have gotten me to where I am today. 

Being a smart, capable person will only get you so far. You have to put yourself in rooms with the right people. 

I will never forget this conversation I had with my coach:

When I started building my business, I asked her, “How am I going to find clients? Who are they? Where are they?” 

All the things were starting to spiral. 

She said:  

“Erin, who are your clients? They're lawyers. 

Where are they? They're at networking events in Dallas.”

I hadn't practiced law in several years. I wasn’t in the legal community anymore. I'd been home with my kids. 

If I was going to be a coach for lawyers, I had to put myself in rooms with lawyers.

So I got online, and I Googled “women's networking events in Dallas.” I found an event happening two nights later. I asked my husband to watch the kids so I could drive to Dallas. 

To this day, I don't even remember what the networking event was about, but I just felt a sense in my gut that I needed to go there, so I made it happen. 

I'll never forget the sweet group of attorneys I met that night. It set off a chain reaction of what 

would end up becoming Powerhouse Lawyers. 

That simple step introduced me to a woman who introduced me to somebody else who connected me to somebody else.

And that’s how you figure out the how: by taking one step at a time. 

So here’s the first question you need to ask yourself: 

How committed are you to achieving your goals? 

Whether it's spiritual, relational, or financial, how committed are you?

The second question is, “Who?” 

Who do you need to talk to? Who do you need to know? Who knows what you need to know?” 

You know a lot of people. Some of them are lawyers and some of them are not. They can all offer you counsel. 

Start asking yourself the question, what information do I need to know? And who do I know that knows it? 

Maybe you need to seek a mentor or hire a coach. Maybe you need to join a community.

That’s why I created the Powerhouse Lawyers Retreat. I wanted to put female lawyers in a room together so they could all figure out how to help each other get to their dreams.

It's not about the “how,” ever. It's about the “who,” always. 

There's a whole community of women waiting for you out there for you to find them. 

Who is the next person that you need to talk to to make your dreams come true?

Maybe that's me. Let's hop on a discovery call and see if coaching is a good fit for you. 

If nothing else, I hope you walk away from that conversation with some clarity of “who” it is that you need to go to next. 

Whatever you do, remember: It’s time to stop procrastinating on your dreams. 

You’re here to do wonderful, great, amazing things.

If what’s happening in your life right now doesn't fill your soul up, then you owe it to yourself to get out of the “how,” and to start asking “who”?

I’m here for you every step of the way.

Erin

PS If you want to hear more on this topic, check out my latest podcast: Go from Stuck to Unstoppable.