Those lawyers and law students who intend to do 2020 differently than 2019, a must-do is what is known as a Failure Resume. Yeah, screwing up has been hot since the time Steve Jobs had been kicked out of Apple.
January 31st is the last day to put that chronicle of failures together.
Why it's a must-do is that it identifies patterns that have been obstacles in the past. That awareness can help prevent them in the future.
In addition, there can be a lifting of resentment against people, places, and things humans tend to blame for their setbacks. The Failure Resume gives the opportunity to take ownership of what part you yourself played in the disappointment.
In her career-guide best-seller "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20" Tina Seelig presents excerpts from her own failures in resume form. She focuses on three categories of failure: professional, academic, and personal.
You could add to or delete from that list.
There is no one template. A simple version for professional failures could cover:
- What seemed like a sure thing but didn't pan out
- My direct role in the setback
- Lessons learned.
Sometimes it's useful to seek out input from others in creating the sections of the resume. Too often we simply can't see ourselves and how our mindsets and behaviors were destructive.
In 12-step programs that's how the Fifth Step goes. The human beings determined to free themselves of the wreckage of the past discuss their "character defects" with a person they trust. Essentially the attitude is: Here is what I think I figured out, but, is that the way it really went down?
The good news in all this comes from Seeig. She observes:
" ... if you aren't failing sometimes, then you aren't taking enough risks."
The parents of baby boomers and even the older members of Generation X took few or no risks. Their model had been the job-for-life. It was irrelevant back then if they thrived on that path or not. No surprise, they eagerly embraced retirement.
In contrast, the new status symbol is becoming who is able to hold on working the longest.
So, lawyers over-65 should have plenty of motivation to reflect this New Year's Eve on what had gone very wrong.
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