Significant Career Lesson From An Attorney At Fisher Phillips

A lesson I've learned, and this is big for me, is about self-doubt, which some professionals call imposter syndrome. Others don't like that name.

When you're in a new situation or facing an opportunity and realize you have a lot to learn, you might look around and think, "I'm the only black person in this room." You might wonder if people think you shouldn't be there or if you don't qualify.

Perhaps it's not even about race. You might ask yourself, "Am I up for this? Can I do this work? Am I capable? Am I smart enough?" These are the kinds of questions you'll ask yourself.

These situations won't stop. When you become a brand new attorney, learning the work won't be easy. You'll have to try hard and overcome personal adversity. You'll deal with the frustration of not being good at first.

Then you learn the ropes and become competent. Suddenly, you're promoted to the next level. You experience that self-doubt all over again: "Can I do this? I haven't done this before. Am I capable?"

You have to understand that this is an opportunity for growth. It's a chance to lean on your mentors and ask for help. Humble yourself, learn, and do better. Receive critical feedback and use it to improve.

Continue to get better and climb the mountain. When you reach the top and look down, you'll see all the climbing and hard work you did. You'll be proud. Then you can celebrate, and you'll be onto the next mountain, and it will happen all over again.

So, life is about collecting your mountains. You get to choose your mountain, though sometimes they choose you or adversity chooses you. For the most part, you select your mountains. Be intentional about the mountains you choose, climb them, and then pick another, even higher one, to climb too.