Rolling with the Punches

    “Alyson, you need to learn to roll with the punches. This is the nature of the beast.” In other words, law is not always straight forward and perfectly planned. The head paralegal at the office I intern at was very clear about this fact, and her little nugget of wisdom could not have come at a more appropriate time. I should probably make it clear, she was not chastising me, but she was simply explaining to me, and my control freak ways, that I cannot control life, as she’s been struggling to comprehend.

     We have six weeks left in the semester, I’m prepping for my second go at the LSATs (Aren’t you jealous of my life right now?), prepping for finals (Because the day of the LSAT’s is the first day of finals. Once again, aren’t you jealous?), working approximately 25 hours per week, and helping to raise my god son, all while going to school full time. Basically, I’m lucky to get four hours of sleep per night.

     Basically, my life is a shit show. Throw in unforeseeable events (hello, broken washing machine). Yet, I’m learning to roll with the punches. I feel like this is good practice, not only for my career in law, but just to keep some semblance of sanity. I cannot control everything, and I certainly cannot foresee everything. However, I can control how I react to situations that are thrown at me. I can either get angry and give up (big no-no in law); or I can stay calm, think about how I can get my stuff done, and finish like a boss.

     So, to finish like a boss I will continue doing what I need to get done, do the best I can, and deal with the outcome of things I cannot control. I suggest you do the same, especially if you’re planning on a career in law. Chaos is natural and normal in the office, ‘cause unexpected stuff happens all the time, and it happens on an even larger scale in the life of a lawyer or paralegal.

     Don’t stress, roll with the punches, and kick some ass. 

     By the way, if you guy's get offered free professional photos to be taken, don't turn it down. I feel pretty accomplished.