If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that technical proficiency alone is not enough to make you a success as an attorney. It may come as a surprise to you, though, that technical proficiency plus top-notch business skills aren’t necessarily enough to ensure your success, either. You can be a great lawyer, plus be on the ball as far as: 

• Marketing 
• Accounting 
• Practice Management 
• Computer competence 
• Initial consultation success 
• Dynamic public speaking 
• Clear, concise writing 
• Employee management 

…and still not enjoy the dynamic and successful practice you dream of. Why? Because all the skills in the world won’t help you if you’re underlying “mapping” is working against you. 

If you have self-limiting beliefs that  you can’t do it or there’s something wrong; if you have a poor work ethic; if you don’t have the self-discipline necessary to what needs to be done to make your practice work, then all of your technical proficiency and skills will come to nothing.

No one starts out with all of these attributes. That’s why it’s also necessary to have a voracious appetite for learning and self-improvement. If you’re going to be truly successful, it helps to seek knowledge from all kinds of different sources; books, CD’s, seminars, the list goes on and on. 

Finally, it goes without saying that it’s essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle including a balanced diet and exercise. There’s no point in putting all of this effort into creating a powerful and successful practice unless you’re healthy enough to enjoy the process and vibrant enough to revel in the result. 

Robert Armstrong
President & Co-Founder
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
6050 Santo Road, Suite 240
San Diego, CA 92124
(800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com