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THE 5 D'S

When facing potential life changes or resolutions for personal improvement, it’s helpful to start with an inventory of all the things you have going on already and how you want to address them.  Once you do that, you can apply the “5 D’s” formula and more easily make the changes you want to make. They are: do it, delegate it or ditch it, decline it or defer it.

Do It
Since we’re talking about an inventory, on your list of involvements are all the plates spinning on poles that you’ve set up already. Are there just enough for you to be enjoying the experience? Or are you franticly running from pole to pole to keep them all spinning? This category includes all your commitments and things you already have to do. Then, the question is this: “is it yours to do?” Just because you’ve been doing it, doesn’t mean you have to continue.  On the other hand, is it something you absolutely love to do? In that case, it may be something you want to keep on your list and figure out how to continue with.  That may require that you adjust some other involvements.

Delegate It
The first way to make that adjustment is to determine if the activity must be undertaken by you. Most things don’t. We’re not as indispensable as we might imagine, so if it’s still an activity you want to be involved with but not something you absolutely love, it’s time to consider delegating it. To stay involved with it, who is the best person you can recruit to pick it up, take it over and run with it? Who would love it even more than you do? Who would do it even better than you? If you can’t find that person, then who would do it well and be fully accountable to you while working on it? Delegation is a three legged stool: you must find someone who will be responsible, give them enough authority to take on the task and do what is needed, and come up with a workable system to be sure they account to you while carrying it out. 
 
Ditch It
If the activity doesn’t need you to carry it out, and you don’t love it – or if you find that you’re really complete with the experience and are keeping it only because you think you “should,” then it’s time to let it go and get it off your list entirely. It’s time to figure out an exit plan. That may take a transition, but it’s time to let others know that as of a date certain you will no longer be able to be involved. It’s okay to let it go. Trust that there is someone who will love to take it on. Think of it this way: if you hang onto it, you may well be depriving someone else of something they truly desire.  Open up the possibility and the right person has the opportunity to appear.

Decline It
Once you’ve taken your inventory and cleaned up your to-do list, the final two D’s apply.  Once you’ve taken something on, you either need to do it, delegate it or let it go. But if it’s something new, refrain from saying yes before you’ve truly considered how it will fit with everything else you’ve got going on – both personally and professionally.  Ask the same questions you did above when considering if it was yours to do. If the answer is no, then respectfully decline. If it seems like something you’d really love, this won’t be your last chance, so it’s time to …

Defer It
New opportunities are rarely now or never.  When they come up and it’s not the right time for you, you can defer it to another time.  If you’re being asked to take on a position, it, or something like it will likely open up again. It may not be the same one, but it may be something better that comes along at a time that’s also better for you.  If it’s something you want to start, but it feels like too much or even just more than you truly want to be handling, there will be another opportunity.

See what happens when you apply the first three D’s to your current inventory, so that you can truly create the life and work you love now. Give thoughtful consideration to anything new, and be willing complete something before you take it on. Then apply the other two D's. When you do take on something new, be sure you love it as much or much more than what you’re currently doing.

You’ll grow and your life will grow richer. As it should be!

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INTEGRATIVE LAW - WITNESS LIFE'S WORK AS LEGACY

In addition to leaving a big pot of money in the form of a charitable trust or similar vehicle – or even without doing that – your legacy can, and will, include the body of work you accomplish during life. That may be building a tree fort for the neighborhood’s kids, writing a treatise on the benefits of a strong community, or your life’s work as a professional person. The main question is how consciously are you thinking about your work as a long term contribution as opposed to merely an income producing vehicle? 

I find the work of professionals in all arenas to be particularly exciting since they tend to be bright and well educated, caring people. If you consider yourself a professional in any field, including the business or vocational world, you are someone with the greatest capacity and resources to positively impact your communities of choice … in truly significant ways. Coupled with great emotional and heart intelligence, and the connections you develop along the way, with a conscious focus on the bigger picture, you are in amazing positions to change the world for the better.

Witness what has happened in medicine, learning, psychotherapy, biology, neuroscience and criminology with integration of practices and methods of alternative perspectives and ways to approach the craft. Numerous pioneers in the legal profession have likewise begun to emerge.  They’ve been creating a movement called Integrative Law. It includes approaches for delivery of legal services in new models including:

• collaborative law,
• restorative justice,
• restorative mediation,
• transformative mediation, integrative mediation, collaborative neutrality, and other forms of mediation focused on the relationship (rather than evaluative settlement negotiations),
• creative problem-solving in law,
• contemplative lawyering,
• mindful lawyering,
• spiritual lawyering,
• lawyers as peacemakers,
• lawyers as healers (law as a healing profession),
• lawyer-coaches,
• lawyers as counselors at law,
• conflict coaching,
• sharing law,
• preventive law,
• community lawyering,
• problem-solving and collaborative courts, including drug courts, veteran’s courts, and mental health courts;
  

And through policy initiatives including:

• therapeutic jurisprudence,
• integrating spirituality, law and politics,
• legal renewal
• earth jurisprudence,
• deliberative democracy dialogue and civic engagement.
  

I applaud all these developments in the law, and all professional fields. As a lawyer (albeit no longer practicing directly), I embodied many new ideas when I was providing legal services - and frankly often felt like a fish out of water. Trailblazers and scouts often feel that way; for me it was like exploring out in front of the wagon train, sometimes returning to the circle of wagons to remove the arrows from my hat (some shots coming from behind me!) I still utilize many of the principles in approaching my current work, and truly enjoy supporting practitioners who are bringing them into mainstream professional practice ... since I know you, too, feel like you have arrows in your hat.

The development of such new professional models represent a form of ‘legacy as life’s work.’ And many newer lawyers are gravitating toward these different areas of practice. So are lawyers who’ve been in traditional forms of practice and are looking for something more inclusive and encompassing of people’s lives and the impact the law has on them.

These current practitioners are also pioneers – developing meaningful practices and figuring out how to deliver their services in a way that’s focused on people not just cases, legal issues and precedents. When these purposeful activities can also be delivered profitably, true win-win social enterprises develop. When those enterprises can be made sustainable, so their great work continues in the world long after the pioneers, founders, creators and practitioners step away, what results are true legacies derived from your life’s work.

Want support in designing the practice of your dreams, so you can profitably bring great new services to the world that people need and want in a way you find personally and purposefully satisfying? I'd love to help you build it into the sustainable contribution it can be.  Let's chat via a complimentary Discovery Session … schedule one for yourself now and begin to make that shift as the new year unfolds!

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 LEGACY PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DESIGN IN A DAY!

• Ready to dream and scheme and design a professional practice you feel really great about?
• Want to engage in the business development planning needed to bring your ideas to life?
• Need a strategic marketing plan to get the word out about your great work?
  
• Ready to put your plan into place and get started with it ... in only one day?
  

My Private VIP Day program is designed to help you do just that. Accelerate your results. Flesh out your big idea and big vision to work profitably, enjoy your life and make a difference. Spend a day working to define your vision, clarify your mission, and design your services delivery packages, plans and payment terms. Determine the systems you need to carry things out and the best people to help leverage your efforts. Develop the framework for your strategic marketing plan, so you can attract your ideal clients, by communicating the benefits you provide so they clearly understand the higher value proposition represented by your services.  Get the direction and support you need for wherever you  are now and where you want to go.

Ongoing assistance and support during the implementation phase is available, too.  But in a single day, you can craft a development plan you can build on ... knowing clearly steps you need to take. More than learning what you need to know, this is about designing the plan to make it happen.

Interested? Let's start simply with a complimentary Legacy Professional Practice Design Discovery Session and we can talk about what your custom VIP Day program would include and how it works.  Check the calendar for openings here and get on the schedule

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The next Master U Academy series of presentations and encourage you to check them out. Brainchild of the amazing Jerry and Jessica Conti, beginning January 15, 2012, MasterUAcademy will launch its new 2012 training series. Featuring the world's top experts, the Academy is the virtual training program of The SCENE - the Socially Conscious Education Network for Entrepreneurs. Check out all their programs, and ...

JOIN ME on January 26th, for my presentation entitled:

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