December 2002. Warren No Title.

Vermont Bar Journal

2002.

December 2002.

Warren No Title

SPECIAL FOCUS: TO LIVE A CONSCIOUS LIFE: USING MEDITATION PROCESSES TO ENHANCE THE PRACTICE OF LAW

Dennis M. Warren, Esq.

William James, the father of American psychology, believed that we have within us "unimaginable resources" that can enable us to be resilient in the face of life's demands. He believed we have the capacity to have a second, and a third, and a fourth wind. The type of renewal he was talking about is not just a burst of energy in the face of physical exhaustion. He envisioned a deep well of physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual reserves that could be called upon, and that would spontaneously come to our aid, when needed. James believed that these resources are waiting to be tapped by all of us, just below the surface of our "normal waking consciousness."

I used to think that James' comments must be metaphor or poetry. They sound too good to be true. But I do not feel that way anymore. My own experience after years of practice with relaxation, concentration, and meditation processes, and that of many with whom I have worked, has changed my attitude.

I have become convinced that we all have the resources within us to experience deeper levels of balance, peace, and happiness. It is possible to engage our professional lives in such a way as to be more productive, but at the same time, be more relaxed and experience greater satisfaction in our work. We can disentangle ourselves from the pressure, stress, and anxiety of intense professional demands and still per-form at a high level and do quality work. We are all familiar with the risks and punishing consequences to our bodies and health from cumulative stress. What I find much more interesting, and important, is the way stress influences our level of awareness, our intentions, and our states of mind. These are the components that determine how we experience our lives, how we relate to others, and how we make professional and personal decisions. If we can unlock the dilemma of dealing with stress-induced states of mind, the reservoir of resources James spoke of can become available to us and reshape our lives.

The real questions are: How can we mobilize these resources? How can we tap into these energies that are normally unavailable to us? Where do we start?

Understanding the Dilemma

Do any of the following sound familiar? During a recent telephone discussion, I asked one of my attorney friends how the morning was going. He responded, "I'll tell you what kind of morning I'm having. It's 10:30 a.m. and I already have a stiff neck."

Some mornings the constant pressure of telephone calls, client demands, deadlines, motions by opposing counsel, and overall workload just take their toll. The quality of our attention and the level of our concentration diminishes. Our level of energy drops. Our sense of resolve and purpose fades. We lose our focus. We may go on automatic pilot, not really being creatively present for our work. The impact of these stress-induced states of mind can ruin our morning, our day, and our performance.

Stress frequently leads to the stress-induced state of mind of personalizing events. Our experience changes from events just "happening" to events happening to me. The aggressive but ethical action by opposing counsel on behalf of their client is now experienced as a personal attack, or one designed to intention-ally disrupt our work schedule. Once this starts to happen, the mind personalizes almost everything. It becomes difficult, or impossible, to separate people from problems and to focus on objective issues, rather than finding fault and blame.

Stress also encourages the stress-induced state of mind of a loss of perspective and of tunnel vision. I have been fortunate to work with clients in Hawaii on a regular basis during the last decade. It is not uncommon for me to walk into the office of a client, another attorney, or friend, and be struck by the natural beauty right outside the window. When I comment on this, I frequently receive a distant and detached response: "Oh, yeah. It's something, isn't it?" The demands and pressures of daily work have resulted in the focus of awareness becoming so narrow that the beauty just outside the window, or in our lives, is no longer available to nourish and inspire.

These experiences are not unique to Hawaii. We have all had the experience of putting some special object on our desk, a piece of artwork or photo on the wall, or a special poem on our credenza, to remind us of a special relationship or accomplishment. We take these small acts to provide a source of future inspiration, something to remind us of the greater possibilities of our lives. And very shortly these objects we consider precious or inspirational disappear from our recognition. Our minds become so focused on the task at hand, and the demands of the day, we literally no longer see them.

If these stress-related states of mind continue throughout the day, we go home exhausted and dissatisfied. If they continue for months or years, something much more profound happens. They rob us of our connection to the purpose and the enjoyment of our work. Our understanding of who we are, and what we are capable of, narrows. Our personal and spiritual evolution slows down, becomes stunted, or stops altogether. Some of us wake up one morning at work and we are saddened to find our lives are less than we hoped for or planned. We may discover that we have secretly given up on the idea of things being better, but do not know when or how that decision was made.

Philosopher Alan Watts was fond of saying that each of us is "an aperture through which the universe sees and experiences itself." When stress-induced states of mind become habitual, this aperture becomes so small, the lens so clouded, that we lose touch with any greater sense of purpose in our careers and lives, and any connection to something larger than our-selves.

Many attorneys have allowed the pressures and demands of their careers, and stress-induced states of mind, to take over and smother their lives. Frequently this happens by default, unknowingly. A busy, professional life begins to gain its own momentum, pushing us forward...