Last year, one of the floors of our building was in the midst of a new fitout when disaster struck. A tradie had accidentally knocked the top off a fire sprinkler and flooded the whole building, shutting off the lifts for the rest of the week.
Our office is on level 9 and I had 3 coffee meetings out of the office that day.
I was pretty happy with how quickly I managed to climb the stairs back to my office the first time.
By the third time, I was starting to struggle. I spent the trek up those 18 flights of stairs cursing my slowed momentum, calculating how much time I lost in getting up to the office now that I wasn’t able to catch the lift.
Still, I got there in the end – bit later than expected and a bit less patient, but where I wanted to be, nonetheless.
I’m the sort of person who worries about not moving or achieving fast enough. Those stairs are a reminder to me that even when disaster strikes, I have to keep moving. And one way or another I’ll get there in the end.
With the current impact of Covid19, I’ve been reflecting on the slowed momentum of the careers of lawyers. Right now, you may be cursing your bad luck. You may be worried that it will take longer to achieve your promotion to Senior Associate or Partner, or to see that pay increase you wanted.
Covid19 may have slowed you down but if you keep moving, you’ll find an alternative way to achieve your goals. And along the way you may discover that you’re more resilient than you knew.