Time is short. The path of the remainder of your life lies before you. The goal is not to get to the end but how you live out the adventure of your life during its entirety. Joseph Campbell and nearly every storyteller would say that this is your heroic journey, whatever that means for you. I encourage you to meet it with bravery and wisdom. What is the poem of your life?

Law school teaches fear. You learn the worst-case scenarios so that you can advise clients on the possible pitfalls of their actions. We rarely learn about probabilities; the likelihood (or not) that some particular thing will happen. In a recent issue of “Washington Lawyer” – the publication of the D.C. Bar – there were two articles on this learned fear and how to use it as a tool for managing difficult situations. In some ways, fear should not be feared but be used to focus our attention. This is okay, it is a good thing to realize how to utilize and adapt to what life presents to us as the the road carries us along. Each journey will be different.

Since January, I have heard from people almost daily about their fears for the United States. Those fears are about the rule of law, jobs, finances, etc. I suppose I hear from them because I am an attorney who was a former senior government official. There is only so much I can offer, if I am to remain truthful.

Each of us, however, gets to decide how we will think about and respond to any given situation. That is the superpower that each of us possesses. These are opportunities to learn who we really are. Sometimes non-action can be as important as action (don’t just do something, stand there!). Sometimes, the right response might seem counter-intuitive. That is when we can listen to that still small voice. We may never know what role we may ultimately play in one life or the lives of many. We may not even know this for ourselves, yet we still can have the courage to follow our heart.

Be not afraid. You were born for such a time as this.

Be brave. You will not regret it.