Importance of cultivating a positive mindset

We know from extensive research that lawyers tend to have higher levels of pessimism, introversion, depression, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse than many other professions.

There is so much research that indicates that IT IS POSSIBLE to become more positive. A positive mindset is linked to increased success and more happiness. Everyone wants that right?

Not everyone has the resources and support to get there. And that’s why The POSITIVE Lawyer? program, training, and resources have been brought together.

Committing to a Positive Mindset

It’s easy to say that you will try to be more positive, although many people don’t really understand what that means, and the word ‘try’ is the critical failure point in that commitment.

In the words of Yoda…”No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”

Some people are naturally more optimistic and more positive than others, it has to do with our brain chemistry. That’s NOT a reason to STOP! There is so much research in the field of Positive Psychology that points to the benefits of positive thought.

Everyone benefits from consciously putting effort into thinking and behaving in a more positive way. And when combined with a Growth Mindset…we can all learn and master better ways of thinking, living, and being!

Nurture versus Nature

My primary role model growing up is an incredibly negative person – always assuming the worst; unable to let go of the past; expecting bad outcomes; assuming they didn’t deserve good things; critical of anything unless it was perfect; unable to provide praise; self-absorbed; closed off from their emotions; unloving.

Those close to me often ask how I could turn out so different. Well, something changed for me when I was about 11 years old. I had a panic attack, and it was so unpleasant that I decided to never feel that way again. The sensation of being so out of control, unable to control my emotions, and being disassociated from my body was not okay. It has happened only one time since then when I was working for an incredibly unreasonable boss and also facing challenging family circumstances. Both times I made a plan to change my circumstances, reduce the impact of negative influences, and regain control of my life!

Principles for a Positive Life! Self-regulation is the key…

I’ve reflected and read extensively on concepts related to positivity and make it a daily habit to consciously consider how I can inject more positivity into my life. For me, this is the foundation for living a happy and fulfilled life.

As I was about to write about ‘the rules that I live by’, I realised that I find the concept of ‘rules’ to be inherently limiting and in some way negative. So, here are my ‘Principles for a Positive Life’…

1. Look for purpose and fulfillment - direction and meaning contributes to your sense of satisfaction and happiness and help you live longer

2. Develop a positive mindset and environment – be kind to yourself and turn that inner critic into your inner coach

3. Sleep well, eat well, move well, breathe well – quality sleep; good nutrition; exercise; positive mindset; purpose & meaning; work-life balance; knowledge & learning; disciplined processes; creativity; and connection

4. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude - developing and maintaining a gratitude practice is a great way to boost your positivity

5. Concentrate and remain mindful - learn from the past, plan for the future and live in the present

6. Manage emotions and develop your emotional intelligence – emotional intelligence is often more important when it comes to being happy and successful.

7. Be disciplined about your habits – tiny changes to your habits will make a BIG impact. If you get 1% better each day then you will be 37 times better at the end of a year.

8. Develop connections and relationships – depression soars in people who are lonely, isolated, or have very poor relationships.

9. There is no failure, only learning – all experiences in our lives can be seen as opportunities for growth, even the negative ones.

10. Have conversations not arguments – “A good listener is very nearly as attractive as a good talker. You cannot have a beautiful mind if you do not know how to listen.” Edward De Bono, How to Have a Beautiful Mind

11. Be curious, not judgmental – this is a quote from Walt Whitman (a poet, essayist, and journalist in the mid-1800s) and it instantly struck me both intellectually and emotionally. Suspend judgement and approach life with curiosity

12. Be a lifelong learner – learning can be fun and helps to fight boredom, it keeps your brain healthy and your mind sharp

13. Be brave – enough to seize opportunities and live a BIG life!

14. Be kind - showing kindness makes you feel good and boosts your mood – it has a multiplier effect

15. Have a beautiful life - LOVE is an infinite force. The more you give out, the more you receive

Read the FULL article for the Principles for a Positive Life

Growth Mindset – Getting ready for The POSITIVE Lawyer??

The next newsletter will cover the concepts of Growth Mindset and tap into the research of Carol Dweck, a key figure in the field of positive psychology. Without a Growth Mindset, I never would have been able to develop and deliver The POSITIVE Lawyer?.

I already had the expertise in transforming ways of working through legal project management and legal process improvement. I’ve never doubted my expertise in this area as I am one of Australia’s leading experts in project management with almost 40 years of delivery experience, combined with extensive academic experience in the Master of Project Management at Sydney University. I’ve also written a super practical textbook Project Management Essentials, Cengage 2014.

I’m also a global leader in legal project management and legal process improvement. I wrote one of the first books in the areas of Legal Project Management, LexisNexis, 2014, and I’ve trained thousands of lawyers. I established the Legal Project Management practice at Herbert Smith Freehills and developed the LPM framework behind Ashurst Advance.

I had also been coaching many lawyers in personal productivity, positive mindsets, and people leadership. Although I did fall into this rather accidentally when I started to realise that some of my clients benefitted from getting the foundation in order before they could adopt the new legal project management concepts and ways of working. I wanted to discover more techniques and concepts to support my coaching clients, so I completed my Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner qualifications and became a TimeLine? Therapist. These are great tools to identify and release limiting beliefs, and more importantly to adopt more empowering beliefs.

Then, one of my amazing clients invited me to run pilot programs for all their staff – both lawyers and other professionals. And The POSITIVE Lawyer? was born!

Find out more

I help experienced lawyers and legal professionals build flourishing legal careers, optimise performance, and live happier, more fulfilling lives!

I transform legal mindsets and ways of working!

Interested in more information, download a detailed brochure here .

Register your interest here OR book a discovery call with Therese Linton here .