If you have watched the drama Law School, you would know law school is tough. Classes involve Professors constantly drilling you about the law, students who would do whatever it takes to gain an upper leg academically, and the sheer volume of readings students have to do (they just never seem to stop coming). Despite all that, there were many good moments: new memories formed, new relationships formed, and most importantly- I learnt more about myself. Here are 5 life lessons I learnt as a freshman at law school.
No one really knows what they are doing
Coming into law school, I was incredibly nervous. Unlike many of my peers who came from the Art Steam (thereby had a firm grounding in the languages), I came from the science stream. I felt I was out of my depth in Law School, thinking that I would not be as articulate as my artsy peers. Sure enough, in the first week of law school I felt utterly lost. I did not know how I was going to get through the prescribed readings, legal writing felt like a complete mess, and I stammered a lot in class.
Yet I remember in my fourth week of law school, my prof made us read an article titled “No one really knows what they are doing”. The phrase stuck with me ever since. No matter how accomplished you are (think Elon Musk), no one has life figured out. Everyone is slowly learning by trial and error, failing many times before having a breakthrough.
Sure enough, as I tried and tried, I eventually figured some things out. Law was still tough- but I was finding my footing. That is why, no matter who you are, be confident in yourself and your abilities. Everyone has something to contribute, something we can learn from one another.
Growth is never linear
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most successful basketball teams in the world. Their philosophy is summed up in one quote which is plastered in their locker room:
“Look at a stone cutter 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 the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
Jacob August Riis
Society is impatient- there is strong pressure to achieve success at an early age. Yet, growth is never linear. Sometimes, we take one step forward, two steps back. Other times, there is no growth at all. There were countless times in law school where I felt I was going nowhere. Despite my best efforts at studying, my results were less than what I had expected. It is only through countless trial and error (and continually asking for feedback) that I eventually achieve a breakthrough.
Does that mean that my past efforts were for naught? Not at all. It is precisely because of my previous efforts (the repeated hammering of the rock) that led to the eventual breakthrough.
I always loved the term “late bloomer”. Just because you fail after working hard does not mean you lack the talent. Rather, you are simply a late bloomer- waiting for the perfect moment to spread your wings and take flight.
The “Fun” factor
In the midst of grade/credentials chasing, I realized that I had forgotten to have fun- to enjoy studying the law. Studying then became a chore- I hated it and procrastinated a lot. Forcing myself to study, while a viable solution in the short term, was exhausting and unsustainable in the long run.
I realized that those who spent hours pouring over books in the library have a strong passion for the subject. They enjoy what they are studying and this fuels their drive to read ahead. Rather than telling myself I should try harder, the question for me then is how best to structure my learning in a way that is fun and interesting for me. (if you want to read more on why systems not goals, click here)
One method I found particularly useful, is the idea of gamification (if you are interested in achieving optimal workflow do give Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi a read). After all, we play games not because we want to make money/achieve fame but rather it is fun. For instance, setting tasks and tracking your progress is akin to completing a quest in a game. Another example is doing the same task everyday to create and maintain a streak- missing out on the task for one day would cause the streak to be broken.
Just like every game, if you do not feel like doing a task, then don’t. Aside from critically important tasks, there is no need to force yourself to do something. Instead, start with a task that interests you, one that gets you excited. You would be amazed how much you get done.
Sleep first, think later
Let’s face it: as law students, we have a never-ending workload. I remember many times I would burn the midnight oil to finish my readings so I could come to class prepared. While I may have finished my readings, the next day I was miserable and exhausted.
Turns out, sleep is incredibly important- affecting all aspects of our physical, mental and emotional health. All lifeforms “sleep” in one form or another. From an evolutionary standpoint, it can be puzzling how sleep came to be. After all, being in an inanimate state exposes us to predators and other dangers. This simply brings home the point that sleep is so incredibly beneficial that the risks are worth it. If you wish to understand more about the importance of sleep and its effects, do give Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker a read.
Humans are supposed to sleep a good 8-9 hours a day. Yet, our night owl culture has left us incredibly sleep-deprived. While we might think our tiredness is normal, turns out humans are unable to estimate how sleep-deprived they are. And this “sleep debt” can never be paid off- it simply accumulates, leading to many mental and physical problems. (You might think caffeine, but taking caffeine creates other problems as well)
I have learnt that while my readings can wait, my sleep cannot. Given the numerous benefits sleeps does provide, despite the life problems we might face, we should simply sleep on it. It would change your life.
Create time for yourself
Last but not least, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of law school, I learnt that it is incredibly important to make time for myself. To write down my thoughts and feelings and reflect. Let it out. I have seen people who have allowed the stress and anxiety to accumulate and eventually consume them. Harvard psychologist Susan David has said that a key facet of emotional agility is to label your emotions and not letting the emotion define you. Rather than saying “I am angry”, it is perhaps better to state “I notice that I feel anger”.
I think a key mindset shift I had to make was putting myself first. We might think we are eternally busy with things, but really, we can always create time for ourselves. We are more than worthy of our time and nothing should take precedence over that.