Simone Biles’ withdrawal from Olympic competition provides important lessons for lawyers and hard-charging professionals. We need to stop and notice – and change the narrative around mental health in the law, and business.
Her statement that “… I realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before” applies to everyone. All you need to do is replace the word “gymnastics” with your profession.
The competitive nature of high-achievers can lead us to the false belief that we are our accomplishments and that our professional identity is who we are as humans.
Add in the legal profession’s programming to associate mental health with professional competence and to exploit any perceived weakness and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
I see this all the time with my private coaching clients.
On the outside, everything appears to be great. But a look behind the curtain reveals the cost of the outward success. The prolonged stress, the pressure of living up to everyone’s expectations – including their own. The need to continually do more and more, faster and faster. It’s overwhelming and lonely.
Successful lawyers come to me for coaching on productivity and growing a profitable practice. At the start, they are not thinking that we’re also going to dive into foundational practices, like self-care – including mental and emotional health. Then they see how it’s all connected and they appreciate having a thinking partner as a guide to cut through the clutter and achieve their goals.
Key reminders for me – and maybe for you:
Mental health is at least as important as physical health.
High achieving professionals are not immune to mental health challenges.
Your community and support network has a huge impact on mental health.
You are much more than your accomplishments and your profession.
If you’d like to know more about busting mental healthy myths then check out my podcast guest appearance on Steve Lawlor’s Legal Wolf Podcast.