Some of us enjoy the status quo in our lives and careers, and some of us are in a constant chasing mantra. Some of us do chase things in life, for the sake of chasing, and some of us are looking to make a difference.
Those who choose the status quo think that this choice will bring them more peace, long-term security, as if there is such a thing, and maybe some kind of comfort or some of them think that the acceptance of the status quo is a sign of maturity.
In this article, I am going to speak to those who consider the possibility of settling for the status quo, but leave some room for change. I am going to speak to those who realized already that "the only stable and secure thing in life is change"; to those that feel the fear, but do it anyway.
It is true that reinventing an industry that is quite young or in transition may be much easier. Think of a child that can be taught how to hold a spoon in many different ways as opposed to an adult that is trying to change a small pattern. Think of yourself... How many times have you promised yourself to quit on eating ice cream starting with next Monday? How much success did you have with that?
It was well proven that unlearning a pattern is much harder than learning a new one and we learn faster and easier at a young age because our lives have been lighter in terms of the baggage each and every one of us carries along.
The legal industry has been famous, among others, for its roots, tradition, the "know how". There is a lot of history that stays in the way of breaking the old patterns and beliefs. The first step towards transformation starts with us; accepting that the ways things were done in the past are no longer authentic today. The good old days no longer serve anyone; that holding to the old patterns and beliefs only affect us and our growth. Acceptance is the first step towards growth, but what will it take for us to accept the fact that what we do today is no longer working; is it humility, is it acknowledging how damaging the good and old ways can be, or simply by being honest with ourselves?
Sometimes we are resistant to change because we are afraid that we will destroy the good old ways without having new ways in place. But how can one see the middle of the ocean without departing from the shore? In order to embrace the new, we need to accept and give up the old.
It is true that change and transformation may be painful, that a lot of people, systems and institutions may be turned upside down. Yes, oftentimes we are afraid of change because it is a journey that would take us into the unknown, that will push us to grow. No industry can be reinvented or transformed without having its people transformed first. Are you ready for that kind of change?