Do The Work

If Solo Practice Is A Balancing Act, How Are You Doing?

Being able to maintain equilibrium in an ever-changing world is key to a satisfying professional life.

balancing stoolAs solos, we are always hearing those who go solo do so to achieve “balance” in their lives.  Yet, what is balance really? Is it being able to work a full satisfying day, come home to your children, make them a great dinner you share with your partner/spouse, or stop for happy hour then go to the gym, or be able to see your parents on a regular schedule and take those vacations? It’s very personal.

Some describe it more generally as a different percentage distribution between personal fulfillment and work fulfillment than one gets while working for another as if somehow when we work for another we are not permitted to give our family or personal relationships priority like we think we do when we work for ourselves.  But balance is a concept which is both slippery and elusive and ever-changing, and I think we need to get out of the work/life balance conundrum and go back to nature to understand what balance really is.  Only then can we hope to achieve it.

Here’s a piece from Pick the Brain I think states the concept of balance very well:

Life really is one thing after another. The physical environment we each live in is in constant streaming flux. Physically when it’s cold we shiver to bring our body temperature up. When it’s hot we sweat to bring our body temperature down. As living organisms we live in a constantly changing environment. Our bodies are well adapted to this state of affairs and respond appropriately when conditions deviate from their optimal state. This ability of an organism to maintain equilibrium (balance) by adjusting appropriately to the external environment is known as homeostasis.

And therein lies the key to understanding balance. Balance is the taking of appropriate action when circumstances dictate so as to maintain equilibrium. It is said that the great achievement of the sages of old was the achievement of great balance as human beings. How did they achieve great balance? In the present moment, when things would come up, they would respond accordingly.

“There is no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves.” – Frank Herbert

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Finding a sense of balance and harmony at some point in any aspect of life will soon turn to disharmony and loss of balance if you try to hold on and freeze that moment forever. Such action is futile……

Being able to maintain equilibrium in an ever-changing world is key to a satisfying professional life.  For the solo, it is a necessity because of the nature of solo practice which has tremendous ups and downs due to constantly juggling schedules, work responsibilities, client needs, and personal needs.  Your ability to maintain your balance through these ups and downs is critical.  And your ability to do so allows you to maintain “balance” between your personal and professional life, too… that which you originally were trying to achieve by going solo.

If you’re able to do this, adjust for the ebb and flow, account for the waves, then you are on track.


Susan Cartier Liebel is the Founder and CEO of Solo Practice University®, an online educational and professional networking community for lawyers and law students who want to create and grow their solo/small firm practices. She is a coach and consultant for solos, an entrepreneur mentor for LawWithoutWalls.org, a member of the advisory board for the innovative Suffolk School of Law – Institute on Law Practice Technology and Innovation, an attorney who started her own practice right out of law school, an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law for eight years teaching law students how to open their own practices, a frequent speaker, and a columnist for LawyersUSA Weekly, The Connecticut Law Tribune, The Complete Lawyer, and Law.com. She has contributed to numerous legal publications and books offering both practical knowledge and inspiration. You can follow her on FacebookTwitterLinkedIn, and Google+, and you can email her at Scl@solopracticeuniversity.com.

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