For my non-legal eagles, a federal clerkship is one of the most prestigious and competitive opportunities you can snag after graduating from law school.
If you land one of these coveted roles, you gain a unique opportunity to essentially ghost write for a judge appointed by the President of the United States.
Acting a proxy for your federal judge, you wield tremendous power, not only in helping to resolve cases before the federal courts, but also in shaping legal jurisprudence for years to come.
So yeah, kind of a big deal.
In fact, so much of a big deal that my alma mater, Berkeley Law School, wrote an article about me and whatnot, and I got the obligatory “your parents must be so proud of you” responses from many (as if my immigrant parents knew what a clerkship was).
Little Ruky Had Big Dreams….
But I digress…
The not so distant memory of almost getting fired came back up during a recent Linkedin Live I had with my friend and colleague Don Macaulay, aformer Corporate Law attorney and the Founder of Barbri Law Preview, a program that helps pre-law students learn the substantive skills they need to succeed in law school.
My judge, instead of firing me on the spot, gave me a few days to decide if I wanted to remain a federal law clerk.
While she put the decision squarely in my hands, she noted if I was going to stay, I needed to step up my game and become the person she believed me to be.
Well, during a recent interview with Don, he recounted that before he CRUSHED law school, he was at risk of failing college.
As with Don, past failures do not have to predict your future in your business building journey.
Okay, so you’re recommitted.
But what does the meandering and sometimes arduous road from failure to fortuitous success look like?
In this post, we’re going to talk about just how you “bounce back” from failure - a learnable skill that’s needed to navigate the rollercoaster that is entrepreneurship.
Dive into the exciting world of creating revenue generating social impact through trademark and copyright license agreements.
In this upcoming session, we’re going to delve into the realm of IP, discuss its relevance to organizational impact, and explore methods to maximize your IP’s potential.
Through real-life examples of powerful, high-revenue generating brands in the social impact space, you’ll be inspired to dream big and consider innovative ways to leverage their own trademarks and other forms of IP.
Whether you’re an established social entrepreneur or just getting started, this session will provide invaluable insights to transform your approach to IP management.
When I recommitted to my federal clerkship, I recommitted to late nights and early mornings in an effort to get back on track.
For several weekends during my clerkship, I woke up bright and early to review legal documents and to break down legal argument structures in an effort to train my brain to quickly identify and craft similarly strong arguments.
In the end it paid off, I honed my skills and became a better lawyer and writer.
Perhaps you’re in a similar space; now that your trusted advisor or coach showed you the preliminary stages, it’s time for you to dig deep.
Becoming a master of your craft is going to take some deep work.
Don’t be afraid to dig deep in order to stand out.
When I shared my own story of bouncing back from failure, one of the questions I was recently asked was whether I thought I was losing myself.
“Yes," I answered.
But I was also gaining so much more.
You see, I was becoming the version of myself I prayed for, and to be that person, I had to learn to get comfortable with seeing a new “me” that looked different than who I was before.
As I’ve learned on this journey to purpose, you’re going to inevitably change when you seek to become a better version of yourself.
You’ll become more disciplined in circumstances that, in the past, would’ve thrown you for a loop.
You’ll become more grounded in your vision when, in the past, you would’ve questioned your place in the industry you’re navigating.
You’ll gain a level of experience in space that, in the past, you were barely a novice in.
Sometimes, reintroducing yourself to yourself is the way to fulfilling your God-given purpose.
