Have you ever been in class, and you’ve done the reading, but for some reason you’re still TERRIFIED of being cold-called? Or, maybe you have something on your mind that you’d like to contribute in class or in a group, but you’re afraid of speaking up? 

You’re afraid of looking stupid. Of people finding out that you’re not that smart. Of them laughing at you behind your back. 

Let’s explore that worst case scenario. Let’s say people think your comment is stupid, ignorant, or offensive. They laugh at you and gossip behind your back. Then what? 

Maybe you cry. Maybe you feel ashamed. Maybe you learn something. Maybe you find out who your friends are. Maybe someone else avoids criticism. 

Does that sound manageable? 

Let’s reverse it. If you’re going to think about the worst case scenario, also consider the best case scenario, because it is EQUALLY POSSIBLE. 

Let’s say you make a comment,...

The most important thing you can do in law school is believe in yourself. 

That sounds cliché, I know. 

Believing in yourself is one of those stock pieces of advice we hear and give out to others, but probably have given little thought to what it means - much less what it means in the context of law school. 

It is not the same thing as having CONFIDENCE. You have confidence when you know, definitively, that you can do something. Usually, you have done it many times before, and you have heaps of evidence proving that you can do it.  

Believing in yourself, as the name implies, is an act of faith. It happens when you have no reason to believe that you can do something, yet you think you can anyway. It’s self-confidence. Trusting yourself not to give up until you’ve achieved your goal.   

Belief in yourself does not come from other people. It exists regardless of, and sometimes...