life and business lessons on resilience from a young point guard
My seven-year-old son started playing in our town’s youth basketball league this year. I’m one of his coaches. Now, as any truthful observer of this kind of squad will admit, playing is a loose term. As the kids do their best to pass (we have a three-pass minimum), shoot and defend, there are lots of arms flailing and bodies colliding. Inevitably, someone gets hurt.
The other day, that someone was my son. Playing in the point guard spot, he took a hard hit to the mouth. I could tell it really hurt. He ran over to me, tears streaming. But, instead of breaking down, he grabbed the ball and wanted to continue playing. No, this is not a “that’s my macho kid” brag. He’s actually a very sensitive soul and routinely emotes with the best of them. But, when I later asked him how he held it together, he said: “I was playing the game and my team needed me. I had to keep on going even though it hurt.”
Since then, I’ve thought a lot about his attitude. Kids can be resilient, for sure. One moment they’re down on the ground crying their eyes out and the next they’re happily jumping in the mud. I don’t think we lose that resilience on the way to adulthood. We just lose sight of it.
In his recent address to Congress, Presidents Obama recognized our own and the country’s resilience. I found his words inspiring and challenging. One look at the law firm layoff list and (even the most upbeat of) reports on the U.S. economy, makes it very clear that lawyers are facing some serious and seriously disconcerting work and life challenges.
New York Times columnist Tara Parker-Pope shares that the economy is making people sicker. According to Reuters, Americans are increasingly insecure about retirement. With all this to cope with, how do we claim – or reclaim – our resilience?
If you’ve lost your job or are just starting out as a lawyer in this difficult market, career counselor Steve Langerud offers some sage job search pointers. First, he advises us to be flexible and realistic about our skills and qualifications. He also says that it’s a time to be “bold and valiant” in the search process and to ask people to help us identify professional opportunities. Echoing this last point is a great piece from The Glass Hammer on building a personal board of directors. You might also find some wisdom in a recent Fast Company article by Po Bronson titled What Should I do with My Life, Now?
Congrats Professor Herz. Nice to see that Solos are getting another resource.
Al Nye