Happy Monday, and thank you to the veterans out there for your service.
My adopted Monday mantra is: one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Some days need more changing than others; this is one of those days for me. Here’s the quote:
“If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person. It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.”
— Bill Clinton
When I was younger, I used to get annoyed when people would talk about life experience. About me not knowing as much as I thought I did. I was convinced I could understand everything (every teacher I ever had in high school is collectively nodding along right now).
But you know what? This quote really nails it. As you live, you just have more experiences. They are different than thoughts, or lessons, or even opinions. And they can only come with time and living.
When I first graduated law school, it was somewhat similar. The attorneys out there know that you take something called the MPRE – the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. And it determines whether or not you are of a fit character to practice law. To my law student mind (a product of Catholic grade school, no less), it seemed very simple. Just pick “do the right thing” every time. But here is the thing about that. The MPRE presents these scenarios where there are conflicting duties and obligations. The “right thing” isn’t always glaringly obvious. Do I protect my client’s confidences or disclose the information to the court? Do I represent a client when their motives or track record are questionable? Do I do the right thing for my client, or for the court, or for myself? The MPRE, like the practice of law, is complex. Nuanced. And difficult to navigate sometimes.
In that way, it’s a lot like life.
New situations are going to come up. You are going to have to make decisions and judgment calls based on the information available to you at the time. And occasionally, you are going to get one wrong.
When that happens, your response will be a true measure of who you are. If you say “I tried,” and then give up, then the adversity has proven too much for you. If you cannot stand up and admit a mistake, and fix it, and try to move forward, then you cannot succeed. You have to deal with the adversity, and not let it affect you.
The end of the quote is what is really significant. After a mistake, it can be tempting to stop. To walk away from it, and not try to rebuild, or remedy, or rectify the situation. But then you are just allowing that mistake to be even bigger than it was. You are giving in. The problem is, that situation will inevitably present itself again. Even if you run and hide from that mistake, there will be another one for you to confront on down the line. So eventually you will either have to go through it, or just stop altogether. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to quit.
So this week I’m challenging myself to confront those mistakes that I have made. I am preparing to make them right and own up to them. And above all, I am planning to keep moving forward, and never quit. Feel free to join me.
And have a great week everybody.