Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

By Patty Dietz-Selke

QUOTE:  "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity....It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."  ~Melodie Beattie  

I am grateful.  I try to give thanks every day for my many blessings.  I use the word ?try? here on purpose as my intentions and my actions are not in accord on many days.  In truth, I am an imperfect human being and I fall far short of my goal, but my intentions are nevertheless honorable and truthful.  All in all, it is important to my peace of mind and my sense of right with the world and my higher power that I give thanks on a daily basis.   I am thankful for my blessings.  I have many things and people to be most grateful for in my life.  I am blessed with material possessions that make my life comfortable and convenient.  However, my most prized treasures are those not measured in material wealth, but rather in love, friendship, support, loyalty, honesty, steadfastness, empathy, respect, admiration and consideration from and for my dear husband, my wonderful family, my valued friends, my esteemed co-workers and others most dear to me including my fellow Paralegals.   I am thankful for my ?attitude of gratitude.?  I have always been the type of person to hold a ?glass half-full? type of attitude rather than a ?glass half-empty? one.  Moreover, I truly believe that a positive attitude is a necessary ingredient in how I live my life.  However, I have recently discovered an ?attitude of gratitude? which is so much more.  It builds on the essence of positivism and elevates it to a whole new level of appreciation, harmony, significance and abundance.  An attitude of gratitude, gives thanks for ALL of life?s events whether they be beneficial or detrimental and sees the inherent value and message in each one.  It sees the silver lining in everyday problems, personal challenges, difficult people and even traumatic events.  

I am thankful for my challenges.  In looking back, I realize that the most difficult times in my life have also been the most meaningful and significant in regards to my personal and professional development. Through those difficult times, I have grown spiritually and mentally and have become a more mature and balanced individual.  Professionally, those difficult times have provided me the opportunities?..to take inventory, to chart a new course, to determine my priorities, to evaluate my goals, to seek clarity, to heed the call to action, etc.  I now see that my difficult co-worker gives me the opportunity to exercise my diplomacy skills, to learn to be more empathetic and understanding and to see situations from another?s viewpoint.  I also see that my husband?s job loss gave us the opportunity to reevaluate and cut back on our expenses, to learn to live below our means and to become financially independent.  So, I give thanks for all of the problems and difficulties in my life and seek to see the true blessings and lessons that those challenges and difficulties bestow upon me.

I am thankful to be a part of this profession.  This past year has been one of the most trying times for the legal industry that I have ever seen or experienced in my entire 16+ years as a Paralegal. Layoffs have affected all levels of staffing/employees in law firms including Attorneys at the Partner level.  Many fellow Paralegals with 5-10-20+ years of experience have lost their jobs and have been unsuccessful in finding any other type of employment. What is more, many of my prior Paralegal students have now joined the entry-level ranks and are fighting alongside these veteran Paralegals for those few available positions.  The loss of a job affects one?s life on multiple levels and the havoc it creates is entirely elevated if there is little chance of new employment on the horizon.  I thus highly admire my Paralegal friends who despite this situation keep the faith, stay positive, strive for improvement, hone their skills, stay committed, build their network, identify/set priorities and pursue their life?s interests.  Their courage and strength astounds me. 

These are truly challenging circumstances in which to feel happy or upbeat and around the holidays it seems to be even more devastating. We do not have any control over the situation, but we do have a choice as to how we react to these matters.  So, when we make a choice to focus on the positive?.when we choose an ?attitude of gratitude,? we preserve our independence and make a constructive impact on our mental and physical health.  In that effort, I wish for all of us a prosperous 2010 and an ?attitude of gratitude? to deal with life?s many blessings AND challenges.

Patty Dietz-Selke is an immigration Paralegal at Troutman Sanders in Atlanta, GA as well as a Lecturer/Speaker and Instructor for Paralegal Certificate Programs.  She may be reached via email at Patty@ParalegalGateway.org.