I know what you want. You want bigger cases, better clients, more money, more fulfilling work, a better life. The good news is that you can have all of these things, but only if you focus on the fundamentals.

First, you need to work on yourself every day. Work on your legal skills, your presentation and writing skills, and your marketing. More than anything else, work on your interpersonal skills because if you don’t, you might get the bigger cases and better clients but chase them away.

Second, you need quantity. You learn how to handle bigger cases by taking lots of small ones. You learn how to serve high-end clients by handling lots of regular folks. Quantity will lead to quality when you’re ready to handle it. (See number one above).

Third, you need to give it time. No matter how good you are or how hard you work, you can’t expect things to happen in a matter of months. Assume it will take years. You’re not cranking out widgets, here, you’re building a professional practice and that takes time.

Become the kind of lawyer (and person) who deserves and can handle the type of practice (and life) you desire. And let it happen when it happens.

Build your practice on a foundation of referrals

Gary Keller, of Keller-Williams Real Estate and co-author of The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, said, “The number one reason most people fail is because they are unwilling to endure the monotony of success.”

Starting a new project or initiative is exciting. A few weeks later, when you’ve settled into a routine, the excitement will wear off.

Not much is happening. You’re bored. Going through the motions. Easily distracted. Ready to quit.

You’re being tested. Will you continue? Will you endure the monotony? Will you have faith and stay the course?

Success doesn’t happen all at once. It happens incrementally, sequentially, little by little. As you do the activities over and over again, they start to compound. Before you know it, you’ve reached a milestone.

You need to know that this is how it works before you begin.

If you’ve chosen the right goals, and the right activities to reach those goals, you will eventually reach them. It might happen slowly. You might not see it happening. You might get discouraged.

How do you keep yourself from quitting?

First, think about your goal and what it will mean to you when you achieve it. Meditate on it. Drink in the feeling. Understand that it may be hard but it is worth it.

Then, think about what it will be like if you don’t achieve the goal. Imagine how you will feel knowing you gave up.

Thomas Edison famously said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Don’t let that be you.

Marketing legal services is easier when you know the formula

Lots of options. Lots of things you could in the coming year to reach your goals.

Which one should you choose?

Should you work on Project A or Project B? Should you overhaul your website or start a newsletter? Should you work on meeting new professional contacts or write a book? If you have more than one book idea which one should you choose?

You’ve only got so much time and so much energy. How do you decide?

Everything on your list is important and valuable. In making your list, you gave a lot of thought to these options and you want to do all of them.

“I have the entire year,” you say. “I will do them all.” Maybe. Remember last year at this time? All of your ideas and plans? How many did you accomplish? How many did you start?

So don’t count on anything. Don’t bit off more than you can chew.

Instead of planning to everything on your list, choose one thing and do that. When you complete it, you can decide what to do next.

Okay. Which one should you do?

The easiest?

The most challenging?

The one with the highest payoff?

Should you stop listening to me ramble, pick something, and get on with it?

No. Do this: relax, close your eyes, and imagine it is the middle of next year. Look back at the time that has passed and where you are at that time. Think about your list of projects. Which one would you be most disappointed about not completing?

Choose that one.

The possibility of regret for not doing something will bring everything into focus. Whatever you are contemplating–work projects, career choices, schools, partnerships, where to live, when to retire, or any other important decision, unless there is a compelling, logical reason to move something to the top of your list, let your subconscious mind choose for you.

Once you choose, start immediately and don’t second guess your choice. Your subconscious mind is never wrong.

Need to get serious about marketing? Let your website do most of the heavy lifting

You’re a lawyer. Being analytical is part of your job. But if you’re overly analytical, you may want to consider a different modus operandi.

Continually weighing the “what ifs” and “on the other hands,” re-doing your research “just to make sure,” and scrupulously avoiding any and all risks, can easily do you more harm than good.

While you’re figuring out what to do, opportunities are passing you by.

What if instead of analyzing everything to the nth degree before taking action, you take action first and then analyze?

You’ll make some mistakes. Suffer some losses and embarrassments. Have some sleepless nights. That’s the downside. The risk.

What would you gain in return?

Opportunities for big breakthroughs. Amazing profits. And some wild adventures.

By accepting some risks you open doors to life-changing gains.

Now, I’m not saying you should “shoot first” in every situation. You have to use common sense. Look at the facts before you jump in. Gather enough information to know if what you’re considering is possible.

Has anyone done this (or something like it) before? If so, why can’t you?

It may be difficult. The odds might be against you. But if you believe something is possible, or at least not impossible, go ahead and take a leap of faith.

If you stumble, get up and try again.

Success always requires action. Always. Thinking is important but you can’t accomplish anything until you do something.

Once you do it, even a little, you will learn something. You’ll either be empowered to do it again (and better) or you will know it’s not going to work and you can do something else.

But you won’t have to guess or agonize about being right or wrong, you’ll know.

Act, then analyze.

Your plan for building a successful practice