Realtors are under tremendous stress to produce results for their clients, maintain their seat in their brokerage, and to put food on the table. The challenges of the current market and over saturation of the real estate field make for a tough go of it for most Realtors.

Lawyers & Realtors

Attorneys are not unlike Realtors in the challenges they face to win business, perform for their clients, and put food on the table. The stress of trial and the stakes of contingency arrangements, can lead to heightened pressure.

The following article provides 6 Keys to Peak Performance for Lawyers but it completely fits the challenges Realtors face everyday. It was written by our client and friend Gary Gwilliam. Gary is a nationally recognized plaintiff attorney and principle in the Oakland, California lawfirm of Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli, & Brewer. Gary has been featured on ABC Nightline, in major newspapers and magazines, and he is a columnist for Plaintiff magazine in Northern California. Please welcome Gary!

• I have been a trial lawyer for over 40 years. My entire career has involved nothing but litigation, first as a prosecutor for several years and then as a plaintiff’s lawyer since 1966. I have tried over 180 jury trials to verdict. I learned how to try cases the hard way; through trial and error. I had very little mentoring or teaching about trial techniques. I learned them on my own and through the trial lawyer seminars. These days, there is much more information available to lawyers, yet we still learn the most from other trial lawyers who have been there before us. In that vein, I hope you can benefit from my experience.

6 Keys to Peak Performance

1. Good energy
2. Mental alertness
3. Strong concentration abilities
4. A good memory
5. Knowing how to speak articulately
6. Top-notch listening skills

What Holds Us Back?

These should be the goals of every lawyer. Why is it that we can’t always be at our best? What holds us back? The literature is full of good articles and books on the negative effects of stress, yet so many of us seem to ignore the symptoms of overwork and overstress. Instead, we work even harder, get more tired, overstressed and irritable. We act as if the well-known effect of not taking care of ourselves doesn’t apply to us because we have a law degree. We think we can get away with ignoring these symptoms.

The Simple Truth: We Don’t Take Care of Ourselves

The truth is if we don’t take care of ourselves physically, our mental abilities suffer. The same is true of taking care of our emotional selves. Negative emotions can cause a drain in our energy. They make it difficult to concentrate and be at our best. My goal is to share what I have discovered as critical to performing at peak levels.