My wife once told me I needed to drink more alcohol. She said I was too uptight and needed to loosen up.
She wasn’t serious (about the alcohol part) but I had to admit she had a point. Attorneys can be pretty serious folks at times.
You and I know a lot of attorneys. As a group, what are they like? Most of the ones I know are intelligent, hard working, responsible, and professional. They have families and hobbies and a life outside of the office. They are successful and well-rounded.
At the same time, most of the attorneys I know are very analytical and a bit uptight.
Like me.
No matter what kind of law we practice, we are all in the people business. People hire (and employ) lawyers they like and if you’re not likable, you’re making things harder on yourself.
So, if you’re a stick in the mud, or have a stick where the sun doesn’t shine, if people don’t “get” you, if you are completely unable to win friends and influence people, you might want to work on that.
I use humor to overcome my natural tendencies. I like to make people laugh. It’s a great ice breaker and helps when I’m speaking to a group.
If you need to loosen up, consider doing something different:
- Acting classes
- Public speaking classes
- Stand up comedy
- Music/art
- Exercise
- Sky diving/race car driving/fire walking
- Personal development courses
- Therapy
If you want more people to like you, you don’t have to become the life of the party. You do need to have that stick removed.
