"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before."
- Jacob Riis,
"The Stonecutter Parable"
With the NBA Finals in full swing, and with my love of basketball, I decided to use this as my inspiration for this week's column.
If you follow NBA basketball you are familiar with the San Antonio Spurs, a world-class organization that has won five championships in the last 20 years. Although, the Spurs have had Hall of Fame players, they are particularly impressive because they've maintained consistent success without players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. How do they do it?
It's because they Pound the rock! In other words, the Spurs are consistent in their actions, undeterred by what does or does not come their way. In fact, the Stonecutter Parable hangs in their facility and the message has become embedded in the organization's culture.
Lawyers pound the rock too
Being an attorney is hard, demanding, and at times all-consuming. For most, success is anything but immediate and victories never "fall off of trees."
Most attorneys I know start their careers by getting thrown into the deep end without a life preserver. I have come to realize that the path to a successful legal career is rarely linear. Rather, it involves making many mistakes, feeling uncertainty, and sometimes being downright uncomfortable.
But for those who employ the Pound the Rock mentality, with that determination and consistency, they begin to accumulate wins: a victory in court, a draft approved by the partner with minimal corrections, a client acquisition.
As attorneys, we strive for success and many of us place enormous pressure on ourselves to get there. With hard work and perseverance an attorney can look back and feel proud of what they've accomplished and be proud that they "pounded their rock!"
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Attorney Kyle Zwiren works with Financial Architects Inc., an independently-owned company located in Farmington Hills. Kyle and his team serve attorneys and other professionals to help them design financial plans in line with their goals and based on optimal efficiency. Kyle practiced law prior to becoming a Financial Architect and left the practice to follow his passion. To talk to Zwiren about other topics featured in The Economic Blueprint, email him at kzwiren@financialarch.com or call him at 248-482-3622.
Published: Fri, Jun 07, 2019
