Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE
Ever stop to consider the inward and outward motivation it takes to run a law firm? Tyson shares his insights on the importance of enjoying the journey and not just the destination, which helped him become successful in owning a law firm.
It is important to shift the perspective towards achieving pleasure from the effort you put into your work, especially living in a world that focuses on rewards. Sometimes these external rewards (like money) can take the joy out of an activity.
In the legal field, the effort you put into the work - whether it be the research or crafting the argument is just as valuable as winning the case. Ultimately, you want to grow in your career and unlock your full potential.
Look beyond rewards and embrace the joy because life is all about balance!
Definitely a must listen!
🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube here.
Speaker 1 (00:00:01) - Run your law firm the right way. The right way. This is the maximum lawyer podcast. Maximum lawyer podcast. Your hosts, Jim Hacking and Tyson Metrics. Let's partner up and maximize your firm. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:00:25) - Hey, it's Tyson. And in today's quick episode, we're exploring the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which I actually think is a crucial topic that is absolutely essential to understanding how we approach our work as law firm owners. Before I get into this topic, just as a reminder, if you have something you want me to cover on the Saturday show, just shoot me a text and I'll try to cover it. Just text me at (314) 501-9260. We had a lot of great suggestions after last week's show, and if I can get to all of them, I certainly will. But just the other day, Mark Carlin, he's an attorney in California. He's in the Guild, and he made a post in the guild that essentially said, you know, owning a law firm is hard.
Speaker 2 (00:01:10) - And it is so true. We have so many things on our plate, especially the attorneys that are not just managing the firm, but also practicing law at the same time. It can be extremely difficult. And if it's just you running the firm, then that's also really, really hard. It's very, very stressful. You have a lot of mouths to feed. But I was reminded of this when listening to Inner Human. He's a neuroscientist at Stanford University who said, You can tell yourself the effort part is the good part. And he emphasized that deriving pleasure from the effort is a powerful aspect of dopamine. And conversely, though, working hard at something solely for a reward can make the effort more challenging, which I found to be very, very interesting. How and where such a reward based system that it was sort of a really surprising thing. But the topic of finding pleasure and effort over external rewards, it's not a new topic. You know, psychologists have studied this for several years and how external rewards can sometimes diminish our intrinsic joy.
Speaker 2 (00:02:23) - And there's this study where they took children and they had them do these drawings and then they started to reward these children's for drawing. And what they found was, is that they found less intrinsic pleasure from doing the drawings, from doing this activity after they were being rewarded. And they gave them things like a star or things like that or a piece of candy to have them draw. And it's really interesting thing. It's a good lesson for me in parenting where you don't want to reward your children for doing certain things like they like to do, just let them do it because they enjoy to do it. But the lesson here is that external rewards can sometimes overshadow that innate joy of doing the task. So what is it that we can learn from this in the legal field? Well, if we solely focus on the outcomes like winning a case and trust me, we all see these other firms, sometimes they have these great successes and comparing ourselves to others. Another thing that we shouldn't do, but but by focusing just on, you know, getting these great outcomes, we actually may miss the pleasure in the journey, you know, the intellectual challenges that you have, the collaboration that you have, the growth that you have, and, you know, the growth mindset that Jim and I encourage quite often that growth mindset, which is that it's a term coined by Carol Dweck, this encourages us to find satisfaction in the actual effort, not just in the achievement.
Speaker 2 (00:03:50) - And by focusing on this continuous improvement, we can actually enhance performance and enjoy the process. And I try this sometimes where if I'm doing something difficult, I just say I enjoy doing this. Even if I may not, I'll tell myself and it does change my mindset on it. And for those of you that are David Goggins fans as an example, his dedication to finding this fulfillment and challenges it really does illustrate how effort itself can be a reward. He talks about it on a regular basis. So really, what's the takeaway here? Well, focus on the activity itself. Enjoy the research, enjoy the crafting of the arguments, enjoy the late nights, enjoy the teamwork that you have. This shift in the perspective can lead to personal growth, firm growth, and really just a more fulfilling legal career and a life, you know, as lawyers, as law firm owners or really anyone in the legal field. I think changing the way we view things can really change the work that we do. And by embracing the intrinsic joys of our profession, we can really unlock our true potential.
Speaker 2 (00:04:57) - And that's really the challenge that we face. We need to challenge ourselves to look beyond these external rewards and find that joy in the process, the pleasure and the effort and approach our work with really renewed purpose. So but that's all I have for us today. Just as a reminder, I want you to check out next week's episode. Text me if you have any other topics you want me to cover. Next week I'm going to talk about mastering the top three How to set and execute your most Impactful. For goals. Until then, remember, imperfect action will always be perfect in action. Take care.
Speaker 3 (00:05:31) - Are you ready to unlock your full growth potential, both professionally and personally? The Guild Maximum Lawyers Exclusive Community of Legal Entrepreneurs invites you to our upcoming in-person mastermind event in Miami, Florida. There's something truly extraordinary about the breakthroughs that occur when you're physically present, working through your business and mindset challenges in real time. By attending our Mastermind, you'll engage in deep discussions, share experiences, and receive expert guidance from our coaches and fellow law firm owners who understand the unique challenges and opportunities within the legal industry.
Speaker 3 (00:06:05) - This collaborative atmosphere fuels creativity, accelerates problem solving, and stimulates innovative thinking. Investing in your personal and professional development through attending an in-person mastermind is an investment in yourself and in your future. The breakthroughs, knowledge and strategies you'll acquire are priceless assets that can transform your practice and propel you towards your goals. Visit max law events today to join the Guild, reserve your spot and secure your ticket at the best possible price.
Speaker 1 (00:06:35) - Thanks for listening to the Maximum Lawyer podcast. Podcast. Stay in contact with your hosts and to access more content. Go to maximum lawyer.com. Have a great week and catch you next time.
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