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From Chapter Five: THE Mindful Practice Actio sequitur esse: Action follows being.
Here are some of the things that Florida plaintiff's attorney Warren Anderson tries to be mindful of while he's working on a case:
But his mindfulness doesn't stop there. He tries to be wholly present to whatever he is doing, thinking, and feeling. That is the essence of mindfulness, as it has been practiced--mostly in the East--for thousands of years. Realizing that he, like the rest of us, habitually gets lost in thoughts, expectations, and automatic emotional reactions, Anderson acknowledges that the practice is a challenge. "It's a couple-step process. I often catch myself not doing it, and then I try to do it. The thing is, we're trained not to do it and to just represent clients zealously at the expense of everything else. But it's a practice that helps me remember that I have a responsibility to more than just that--to the court, to justice, to ethics." _______ What makes the practice of mindfulness so valuable for lawyers is that it requires no special equipment and can be done anywhere, at any time. In other words, it is a practice for developing the inner life that can be done while you practice law. And it has tremendous practical benefits. When you are mindful of the moment in a nonjudgmental and open way, you can suddenly see things you never noticed before; new choices become possible. You can see stressful situations with greater clarity and calm; this gives you a chance not to lose your balance, and to face the situations creatively and with confidence. No longer on autopilot, you can really look at what is important to you and realize that, although much of what happens to you is beyond your control, you have enormous power over how you respond to, and deal with, whatever comes your way. _______ Stacey is a Colorado lawyer who does mostly bankruptcy work. She's had a bit of training in mindfulness and does a fair amount of reading on the subject. When she is mindful, she says, she feels as if she has a whole new palette of options available to her every minute of her day. Suddenly she realizes that this amazing spectrum of choices has been there all along; she had only to turn on the light of awareness to notice it. When Stacey is practicing mindfully and a colleague or opponent flies off the handle, she tries to simply notice the feelings that come up for her without responding reflexively. Instead, she waits until she's ready. Oftentimes she chooses to look more deeply, to consider what might be behind the outburst. Maybe there's an illness in the person's family, or perhaps someone just told him off. In the past, when an interview with a client was getting off track, Stacey became self-critical; internal voices told her she really didn't know what she was doing and even questioned her choice of work. Now when that happens, she just watches it happening, often noticing that her stomach is knotting up. She lets herself be aware of it all without having to get attached to it. She doesn't fight the voices or the physical sensations, so they have no real power over her. Suddenly she becomes aware that she can choose to work with the client in a different way. She stops, takes a mindful breath, and thinks about how she might connect with the person in her office in a way that helps them both find their way. ________ In mindfulness practice, the primary tool for cutting through the fog in the mind and finding your place in the present moment is awareness of your breath. As a focus for attention, it is unsurpassed. It's always there with you, and it is intimately tied to your presence here on earth, so paying attention to it is an excellent way to remind yourself that you are, in fact, here. Now. . . . .Carlton is a public defender in the Northwest. When he's in trial and it's time to start his cross-examination, he makes a point of connecting with his breath. Inevitably that brings with it a realization that he is in the courtroom representing another human being, not off in his mind somewhere. Then all sorts of things can happen. It's almost as if he can see spaces between moments, enabling him to use each one consciously. If he is in command of all his materials, if he knows the case inside out, the added sense of self-awareness makes everything flow smoothly and he feels absolutely in control, like a real maestro. (Chapter 5 includes mindfulness exercises)
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