Has your mood felt a bit low lately? The New Year isn’t kicking off quite as well as you had hoped? Well, I’ve got news for you – you’re not the only one!
I was reading one of my favorite blogs this a.m. by Kimberly Snyder and she mentioned that it turns out this coming Monday, January 26th is “Blue Monday”. Blue Monday is purported to be the most depressing day of the year. The concept was first publicized as part of a 2005 Cliff Arnall, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, a Further Education center attached to Cardiff University, press release which claimed to have calculated the date using an equation of this milestone represents “the least happy day of the year.”
The formula; W=weather, D=debt, d=monthly salary, T=time since the holidays, Q=time since failing our new year’s resolutions, M=low motivational levels, and Na=the feeling of a need to take action.
- W= Weather. It’s still dark out. Although we’re moving further and further away from the shortest days of the year, our daylight hours haven’t yet extended to the point where most people can enjoy them after leaving the office at the end of the work day. Feels like Ground Hog Day.
- D= Debt. Our holiday bills are due. Holiday gifts, trips and time off seemed like a good idea when you were filled up with holiday spirit, but the end of January means credit card statements are rolling in, and the financial reckoning is upon us.
- d= Monthly Salary. Not Meeting Monthly Goal and its Tax time. The New Year is already looming with 11 months behind and its looming time to pay the tax man.
- T= Time since Holidays. The parties are over. The family and friend gatherings have stopped. January is a month where Americans go into hibernation mode and we are spending more time alone that ever. And if our business calendars are empty and no strategic plan to change that around on the horizon, it feels a bit like solitary confinement.
- Q= Time since failing our New Year’s resolutionsOur New Year’s Resolutions are failing. January 17th is the most common date to give up on your resolutions; it’s marked by Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day. Unfortunately, only a fraction of those who make resolutions will achieve their goals, and those that don’t begin losing hope and resorting back to “It is what it is” mindset around this time.
- M= Low Motivation Levels. And nothing to look forward to until Spring Break or sadly possibly a summer vacation. There is no accountability in place and no one holding your feet to your dreams. No signs of “help is on the way.”
- Na=The feeling of need to take action. “I know I must do something differently but I don’t have the time, money or energy to power down and make the investment in finding my way” is what I have been hearing from attorneys this month calling with a sense of terror. Some have been calling me for over two years with this exact statement. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Basically, we’re stuck inside, we’re further in debt than ever and we’re confronted with the reality that a “Goal” alone isn’t enough to create the practice we have been wishing for. Appears to be much like the fact pattern of this time last year for many firms I speak with looking to hear more about LWP.
Here is what I know to be true for a cure for the common law Practice: 4 days. Invest in 4 days to get in the room; “90% of success starts with taking the leap of faith and getting in the room.” Mark your calendar now for The Practice with Purpose and Practice Enhancement Retreat February 3-6 in Charlotte, NC.
Don’t let “I don’t have the time, money or energy to power down and make the investment to find the solution” be the default motto for 2015. Now is the time.
Molly Hall, Director Of National Enrollment, Lawyers With Purpose
This blog was great. I will be getting with Roz and you in NC to overcome the formula you have presented. Blue Monday is upon us but the cure can be found in this formula – LWP + FDS = $$.