Mindfulness as a Path to Career Success

Lawyers have a lot of stress. There are demanding clients, tight deadlines, the pressure to continually think of all the things that can go wrong, adversarial relationships, office and law firm politics, a restricted job market that's experienced huge layoffs and an oversupply of lawyers, high rates of job dissatisfaction and underemployment... the list goes on. There's a lot on our minds! And a big need to relieve some of that stress in healthy ways--like mindfulness. It's easy to dismiss mindfulness as "kooky New Age mumbo jumbo." But here's the thing: it works. Anna Stolley Persky jumped into the issue in "Keep Calm and Practice Law: Mindfulness in the Legal Profession."

Whether you find your mindfulness in meditation and yoga, in jogging and exercise, or in some other form, mindfulness can help you reduce stress and be a better lawyer. Todd Daubert, a partner in Dentons' Washington, D.C. office, walks about 75 miles per week at his treadmill desk, which he says “improves his concentration and focus” and helps him be a better lawyer.

Have you found a path toward mindfulness that suits your personality and lifestyle? What would you recommend to other attorneys?