Are you setting goals for your career? I hope so.

How can you make your goals most meaningful and effective? I have written about it here before. Great Lawyers Don’t Just Settle for Realistic Goals. Lawyers who I have met who say they want their goals to be realistic, rarely stretch themselves.

But, on the other hand goals should not be impossible. I read a Seth Godin blog recently Do-able. He writes:

Aiming too high is just as fearful a tactic as aiming too low. Before you promise to change the world, it makes sense to do the hard work of changing your neighborhood.

Do what you say, then do it again, even better.

These thoughts are supported by Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson in her book: Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals. I recommend the book to lawyers I coach.

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Near the beginning Dr. Halvorson states:

Think back to the achievements in your own life—the ones you are most proud of. I’ll bet you needed to work hard, persist despite difficulty, and stay focused, when it would have been much easier for you to just relax and not bother.

How does this apply to practicing law and client development? Work on becoming valuable to one client at a time. When you land one, make sure and serve that client well and go after the next one.

If you have a couple of more minutes, here is another blog post you will find valuable: 7 Critical Keys to Goal Setting Success. When I was practicing law, I had not read this blog, but I actually did the 7 critical keys.