I met with a mentor of mine this morning (we occasionally meet to talk about business and then somehow end up talking about life).
As we were about to sit down, he did not waste any time in asking me the following question: “How is your energy?”. I found the question to be odd and some what ambiguous, so I think my response may have sounded a bit hesitant with uncertainty when I presented him with a question of my own: “Are you referring to my energy in terms of my long work hours?”.
He smiled and said: “Yes, exactly. You know that a consistent 6:00 am to 8:00 pm work day not only drains a person of health but also of clarity of purpose.”
He then shifted gears on me and suddenly began to talk about his research results of what successful leaders do in order to get ahead in life and business—I listened intently as I sipped on my coffee.
He said that leaders do the following:
They remove themselves from all the noise and go to a place that allows them to regroup.
They are well in tune with their purpose and do not deviate from it.
They never stop learning.
They do not just check off tasks from their “things to do list”. Instead, they always search for new ways to achieve their goals.
They network more and surround themselves with people that know more than them.
The timing of this conversation could not have been better since I recently I had been feeling the draining effects of long work hours—I suddenly wondered if he was able to see that in my face or hear it in the tone of my voice, but I immediately dismissed the intrigue because after all he was a wise mentor.
Incidentally, I did recently take several days away from the office to think, read, and write. It was something that I really needed.
Upon returning to the office yesterday, I came back energized and with clarity of purpose.
Listening to my mentor’s wisdom this morning was immensely validating because it provided me with a guideline to follow in order to work harder in becoming a better person for my family, friends, and clients since these are the individuals that trust me with the handling of their legal, business, and life matters.
My law professor, another mentor, was 100% on the money when he said: "you are not only a counselor of law, but a counselor of all to your clients".