How to become “Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good”
“In my comedy, my aim is to make the big events small and the small events big.”
When I saw Larry David interviewed by Jeff Garland at the Chicago Theater recently, Larry shared his philosophy of comedy. You can see it played out in both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. David makes small events prominent while lampooning the more serious, larger events of life.
This comment got me thinking... how do these same principles apply in other areas, like courtroom advocacy?
Let me start big. Many lawyers put too much pressure on themselves to succeed in whatever: trials, hearings, depositions, etc. I’ve written about the fear of failure before. It's just your ego jabbering away at you. Don’t flatter yourself. Regardless of the pressure you place on yourself, you rarely control the outcome.
Instead, place your focus on the minor daily tasks that contribute toward success. Superstar coach Nick Saban employed this principle while coaching his many winning teams. Saban focused on what he called “The Process,” which emphasized showing up every day, focusing on small details rather than big outcomes.
When Saban coached Alabama, he told his team, “Don’t think about winning the SEC Championship. Don’t think about the national championship. Think about what you needed to do in this drill, on this play, in this moment. That’s the process: Let’s think about what we can do today, the task at hand.”
Ironically, by focusing on the small, the big things take care of themselves. Its all about the process. Focus, preparation, and showing up every day are more important than the ultimate prize. This is what makes a champion, whether it be in football, comedy writing, or the courtroom.
What can I do today to achieve a better result?
