My law firm, Mary Schultz Law P.S., has been in Spokane since 1987. I was born in Seattle to East Coast/upper Canadian medical professionals who met in Chicago, raised in Montana, educated in Texas and educated here as a lawyer. I’ve trained in karate in Okinawa, sunned on beaches in Mallorca, ridden motorcycles into the mountains of Guatemala and climbed Mount Olympus in Greece in shorts, tennis shoes and a really bad haircut, among other things. But the people I’ve found here have brought the color to my life, and I’ve stayed.

My role in life now is to get up, polish my shield and go out into the world in search of dragons. I live in an often-rough world of trial work, and I try and bring principles to life for the people I serve. It’s complex, intense, challenging and meaningful. And this is what works for me:

Purpose

If you know who you are, and have some sense of why you’re on this earth, you can weather any storm, whether professional or personal. Not doing it isn’t an option. Get out of bed, and get it done. This is your purpose. Approach that purpose and its obligations with respect.

Passion

Passion surely has its ups and downs. But it’s divine energy. The key, and the lifelong journey, is in learning how to discipline it.

Confidence

Just take the next step. And then the next. See, you really can do it. And it’s prettier from up here, isn’t it? You can do whatever you want. So just want it.

Empathy

Listen to what’s said, feel what’s left unsaid and wonder why. It’s the bigger picture.

Resignation

No matter how rational you think you sound, and how hard you try and convince someone of that, some folks just are who they are. You’re not going to change them. Forget about it. Move on. Life is good.

Focus

Good work is pure mediation. Forget the small talk, and shut off the e-mail. I have a bird that chatters all the time, and he has yet to say anything profound (although he may have been whistling some Mozart the other day). Be a racehorse in blinders.

Support

Positive energy around you is a must. Slaying dragons requires a lot of energy. One person in the colony with a Machiavellian view of your world can damage morale, including yours, for years to come. Find people that don’t have agendas. Identify the naysayers early, and give everyone in the place a break—including you.

Forgive others/Forgive yourself. Stop ruminating. Discipline your mind. Yes, you could have done it better. You did the best you can, on this day, in this moment. Do it better next time. Be gentle with yourself, and you’ll be more gentle with others. Give yourself an hour a week to ruminate freely, break down, howl at the moon and fire off letters into your garbage can. Work it out. Then go fishing. Remember that passion thing. Life is good, wherever it goes.

Mary Schultz’s work can be seen in more detail at www.MarySchultzLaw.com. Her office is located at the top of the Davenport Tower in downtown Spokane.

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