We are now a month or two into the academic year which makes this the perfect moment to pause, assess where you are, make adjustments, and take a few leaps. If you recently started law school, you are probably more comfortable with your surroundings and with how you manage the workload than you were in August. You have a familiar routine. You have a favorite place to study and a spot to unwind between classes. You know where to grab food when you are short on time. You are friendly with the people who sit next to you and you may even have a study group. You are also starting to learn what each professor looks for, whether that is crisp issue-spotting, careful use of the facts, or an expectation to argue both sides.
Think about where you were on day one and where you are now. On the first day, everything was new: the building, the vocabulary, the cold calls, and the reading load that seemed impossible. Today, much of that feels routine. That is growth and it deserves recognition.
Comfort is valuable but it can also become a hiding place. Now that you have your footing, it is time to be brave. Make a list of the things that scare you and then face them one at a time. Write the practice essay you avoided. Visit office hours for the professor who intimidates you. Ask an upper classmate for help with outlining, exam strategy, or anything else you have been too nervous to bring up. Volunteer an answer in class before you are called on. Each of these steps feels risky in the moment but each one gives you information you cannot get any other way.
Merriam-Webster defines “mistake” in several ways: “to make a wrong judgment of the character or ability of,” “to identify wrongly: confuse with another,” “to be wrong,” and “something that is not correct; a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgment, inadequate knowledge, or inattention.”
Faulty judgment, inadequate knowledge, inattention: these are exactly the reasons to do the hard things now. Early in the semester, a mistake is a lesson, not a grade. If you misapply a rule in a practice essay, misread a case, or misjudge how much time an assignment will take, you can correct course while the stakes are low. The alternative is discovering those same gaps on a final exam or in a document you must submit, when there is no room left to fix them. Every mistake you make now is one you are less likely to make when it counts.
As an ASP/Bar professional, the same principle applies if you started a new position this academic year. By now, you have a good sense of the lay of the land. You understand a bit of the culture, you know who to ask for what, and you are figuring out how things get done. This is the moment to stop observing and start contributing. Propose that program idea. Draft the material you have been thinking about. Share your perspective in meetings. Your colleagues expect a learning curve from someone new, so this is the window in which experimenting is not only acceptable but welcome.
As the saying goes, perfection is the enemy of progress. Waiting until you feel completely ready often means waiting forever. The only way to move forward is to take steps, even imperfect ones. Growth requires vulnerability: the willingness to be seen trying, stumbling, and trying again.
So take stock of how far you have come, then choose one thing that scares you and do it this week. It is time to show what you are about.
(Goldie Pritchard)
