Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it earns it, he who doesn’t pays it.
Albert Einstein

Some of the choices we make as rezoomers can feel pointless. We network, we study and read, we ask for advice from mentors and champions.  We attend events and programs hoping to find a link to the niche that will lead us back into the law.  What if we looked at these choices as “compound choices?” What if we saw them as stepping-stones of differing sizes? Might they actually be small steps to great rewards?

Darren Hardy writes in his Darren Daily mentoring blog, “That The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping rewards from a series of small, smart choices.”  Applying his theory of compound choices to our journey may provide a better roadmap back to the practice of law. Hardy sees the small smart steps as making inroads to the desired outcome.  “The small changes offer little or no immediate result, no big win, no obvious I-told-you-so pay off,” Darren says. However, taken together over a significant period of time they create a shift of significance you can see and feel. Although the compound effect can be, “Tripped up by its simplicity,” quitting after only a few days of networking events, blog reading or writing and subject matter refreshing will cheat you out of the overall long-term benefit of these small steps. They create significant differences if only you take the time to be consistent and patient.

Looking back now I see all the insignificant (to me) steps I took that have provided great momentum on my rezooming journey. They provided more assistance toward my goal than most of the big steps I believed were significant.  They created a more lasting effect on my rezooming career.  An example of this is the fact that I am reading interesting blogs like Darren’s on compound choices. Thinking broadly enables me to see things from a different perspective.  These small steps have more value than the things I thought were significant.

Darren uses a brilliant metaphor to illustrate his “compound choices” theory and it’s being the “eighth wonder of the success world.” He talks about house mortgages. For the first 19 years of a 30-year mortgage you pay more interest than principal.  In years 29 and 30 all you pay is principal. You were patient, you waited and the gift of compound interest provided you with your fully paid home.

The same thing happens when we start rezooming. It seems for a very long time nothing is getting done to effectuate our reentry. We network; write articles, read articles, attend bar association meetings or local business meetings all in the hope of getting back in the game. What we fail to see is that we have, “Initiated the miracle process.” We have ignited the compound process whether we recognize it or not.  Sustaining the insignificant choices over time will reap important rewards.

The events we attend and the blogs we write or read are the interest we pay to get to the big payoff, our re-entry into the law.  We may not always feel as if what we are doing is significant on our journey.  If we think of the metaphor above and view it as compounding interest on a future reward, we may find even the most mundane steps important to the process of rezooming.

How might we use the theory of “compound choices” right now?

Darren has some easy to follow steps and suggestions:

1. Write down one big goal.
2. Write down six seemingly inconsequential actions you can take every day it will lead you to that goal.
3. Write down six seemingly insignificant actions that will lead you away from your goal.
4. Do the small insignificant positive steps.
5. Don’t do the small insignificant negative steps.

Darren then says repeat.

As you read this month’s rezooming article remember there are many ways to compound interest in your choices.

One of the best ways would be to learn how to Breathe, as Cindy Lee suggests in her Real Simple moment (Real Simple, July 2016, pg. 52).

Breathe
By Cyndi Lee

Instead of an afternoon coffee,
try a walking meditation: just walk slightly slower than your normal pace but not so slow that anyone would notice.
What makes it a meditation is that you’re paying attention to the experience. As you move along, really see what’s in front of you and noticed the sensation of your feet against the ground.
Whenever you realize that your mind has strayed,
in a friendly but firm way return it to the experience.
Integrating mind and body with a conscious walk lets you cultivate concentration, engage your muscles, bring fresh air into your lungs, and take your brain off your worries.

Remember you don’t have to walk super slow like a zombie.  
But take your time.
You’re not trying to go anywhere but inward.

As you compound your choices remember to do six inconsequential actions that will positively effect your rezooming the law and breathe. Now get out there and rezoom.