How about this for a depressing description of a career:
“There was comfort in filing divorces and personal bankruptcies and doing an occasional will or deed. Little in the way of fees, but he and most of the other lawyers in Clanton could eke out a living while avoiding almost all risk.”
Imagine it.
Boring.
Indistinguishable from your competitors.
Probably competing purely on price.
Thankfully the above is fictional. It’s a description of a character (Mack Stafford) in a John Grisham short story I just finished – “Fish Files“.
But in the real world it’s not uncommon.
Contrast Mack with Grisham himself – also a qualified attorney. In the mid 1980s Grisham spent 3 years writing “A Time To Kill” (my favourite of his) and then managed to get it published after being rejected by 28 publishers.
Attitude is fundamental. Having the right attitude is no guarantee of real success – but it sure is necessary.
So – Mack’s attitude or Grisham’s? Take your pick. It’s your choice.
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