Being Like Kelp

Kelp goes with the flow. It’s soft and pliable, offers no resistance to ever-shifting currents, and bends effortlessly in whichever direction the water is flowing at any particular moment. Like kelp, Zen Buddhism is about going with the flow. Its focus is on being “in the moment” and present at all times, and accepting whatever is- without resistance and in a nonjudgmental way.  After all, if you can’t control it, why not simply go with the flow? 

Life in general can be as stressful as you want it to be- depending on your mindset.  Whenever I was confronted with any kind of adversity in my professional life, Zen proved to me that it’s better to go with the flow, accept things beyond my control, and redirect negative energy- instead of resisting it and wasting the present moment trying to fight it. Instead of letting it in to my body and psyche, I prefer to let it roll off of me like water off of a duck, as they say in Tai Chi. 

Being like kelp is a perfect mindset for litigation- an environment that’s adversarial in nature and can be extremely stressful. Stress comes from all directions- opposing counsel, judges, clients, and your firm. Although you can’t necessarily control many of these things, you always have the ability to control your reaction- and choose reasoned, disciplined responses instead of knee-jerk, ego-fueled impulsive ones that can lead to very different outcomes. Not surprisingly, I’ve found that more experienced lawyers get used to the litigation environment over time, while younger ones learn by throwing themselves (or being thrown) into the action to see how they weather the storm. Sadly, too many lawyers (both young and old) end up hating what they do- and that negativity can easily rub off on their peers and colleagues, or perhaps show up later as a heart attack or some other life-shortening medical condition. 

It’s important for all lawyers to learn from the experiences (and mistakes) of their predecessors- to plant the seeds for a happy, successful career. Being like Kelp made me a more flexible communicator and a better trial lawyer.  Perhaps that‘s why I loved practicing law and trying cases. I found great joy in helping clients solve their problems. And although it took some practice (and adversity training) to get to that point, it was well worth the effort. It shouldn’t have to take years or even decades for lawyers to be like kelp, and I’ve had great success instilling this way of thinking in lawyers I’ve worked with over the years.