rogue fighter

Motivation is a funny thing. It comes and goes. It can push you with such force that you feel out of control, or it can slip away into the deepest regions of your brain and hibernate for what feels like forever. And the most intriguing thing about motivation...it's completely subjective. It's such a personal thing. What motivates one person likely won't make an ounce of difference in another person's world.

At a law firm, there are any number of different motivations directing the different characters down varying paths. The senior partners are motivated by the desire to secure their future, and build a comfy pile of change upon which they can retire. Oh, and don't forget the prestige. Most have been striving for that the duration of their careers. Some senior partners are motivated by greed, and power. Some simply get their kicks from the simple knowledge that when they show up to work, they make associates tremble. Fear is a powerful thing.

Then you've got the junior partners. Freshly promoted from the rank of associate, these partners are motivated more by the desire to make a name for themselves than anything else. What kind of name is a different story. There are those who strive to be like the senior partners, and become feared by those below them on the totem pole. They take every opportunity to remind the associates that they are partners. Overcompensation at its best. Then there are those wish to remain part of the associate social group while professionally trying to earn their stripes in the eyes of the senior partners (a group that they will inevitably never impress and become more and more jaded by every attempt). The sad part about junior partners is that while they are now drawing income from the lawfirm, they are usually worked just as hard and treated just as poorly as the lowly associates from whom they try so desparately to distinguish themselves.

Which brings us to the associates. There is certainly a difference between the motivation of a senior associate and a junior associate, but the bottom line always comes down to fear. The associate's primary goal and strongest motivation for showing up at work is to make their yearly billable hours. They try to stay low, keep clear of any scandals, and bill, bill, bill. You see, while great victories and hard work certainly make momentary impressions on the partners who decide the fate of young associates, they don't mean shit if you don't make your hours. Billables, the imperfect method law firms have chosen by which to measure the worth of their young attorneys. The associate comes in early and stays late. Fear is the strongest motivation of all. It will make you endure things you never thought possible. However, there are those who rise above it.

So what happens when you rise above the fear? You become one of those rogue fighters in a battle of your own. You see, if you have no fear of the partners, you don't approach situations in quite the same way. You peacefully get your work done, while shutting out the anxiety that weighs down the rest of your colleagues. You are able to see the big picture and realize that there is more to life than billables. That happiness and health should always outrank professional ambition. The problem is that in order to rise above the fear, you almost certainly have to make a drastic change. And we're not talking hair color or style here. Those who rise above the fear and defy the partners' attempts at intimidation are those who leave.

It's really as simple as that. When you see past the bullshit, you no longer have the driving motivation to bust your ass for some indeterminate length of time. You seek something better.

What that something is depends on what kind of motivation has slipped in to occupy you in the meantime.