The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Day 50/90 – Hitting the Ground Running

    ·

    Ruth Carter

    Day 50 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I hit the ground running this week.

    This is the view from my desk. I'll be seeing it a lot this week.
    This is the view from my desk. I’ll be seeing it a lot this week.

    I knew I was going to have a busy week with client work – I mean really busy – even for me. If I didn’t have a spreadsheet of all my cases it would be hard to keep track of them all. By nine o’clock this morning I felt that if you weren’t on my to-do list this week, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get on it ‘til next week.

    I’m pleased so many people want my help. This may be one of those weeks where I have to keep my door closed, put my cell phone where I can’t see or hear it, and can only schedule phone calls and let all others go to voicemail. It might be the only way I can give each project the attention it needs and to avoid other distractions.

    I saw this awesome tweet today, inspired by the legendary Captain Jean-Luc Picard:

    That’s going to be my week – working through my to-do list, one thing at a time.

    I’ve also borrowed a tip from Jason Zook – I have a digital file of my daily to-dos that extends for weeks, but each day when I get to the office, I start by writing the list of what I want to accomplish before I leave for the day on a sticky note. (If I can’t fit my list on a sticky note, I’m trying to do too much.) There’s something about writing this list by hand that feels more organic and helps me find my focus to start the day.

    Just gotta keep putting one foot in front of other.

    In case you missed it: Day 49 of the 90 Days of Awesome – Simple Pleasures.

  • Day 39/90 – I Love My Clients

    ·

    Ruth Carter

    Day 39 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I feel satisfied with my work.

    I Hustled My Face Off Today (H/T to Gary Vaynerchuk for the slogan)
    I Hustled My Face Off Today (H/T to Gary Vaynerchuk for the slogan)

    Today was one of those days where I felt like I was doing client work almost nonstop. I’m working on a few custom contracts and I had to consultations today. During one of my consultations, I felt like I was going on mile a minute talking about intellectual property and social media legal issues. I paused and asked my client if you understood what I was saying, and he said, “Yes, this is exactly what we need.” I loved that. I love when I know what I do is making a difference in my clients’ lives.

    As an existentialist, it is imperative that what I do creates significant tangible differences on others or my surroundings, because if it doesn’t, then why am I here? (Yes, these are real issues and thoughts that I grapple with on a regular basis.)

    And can I say that my clients are freakin’ awesome? I love the how smart, creative, and diligent they are. The majority of them are in absolute joy to work for.

    In case you missed it: Day 38 of the 90 Days of Awesome – So Happy for my Friend who Got some Incredible News!

  • Day 23/90 – The Satisfaction of Helping People

    ·

    Ruth Carter

    Day 23 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to help people!

    Photo by Devon Christopher Adams - used with permission
    Pictures of me working at my desk are boring. Here’s an image that embodies how I feel about my work. (Photo by Devon Christopher Adams – used with permission)

    For those of you who don’t know, I’m an existentialist – a big one. An essential part of who I am is based on the idea that what I do matters. It’s not an ego thing, but rather a why-am-I-here thing.

    One of the things I love about being a lawyer is that I get help people in ways that they can’t help themselves. I love being able to tell clients, “We can fix that,” or “We can make that work.” I see my job as being an educator about the law as well as a problem solver because most people don’t know what their rights are, how to protect them, or their options for recourse are when there’s a problem.

    I work on preventing problems in solving problems in my work, and lately I’ve been putting in a lot more work on the problem-solving side. I spent a good chunk of today drafting and revising a demand letter for one of my clients, and it felt really good to know that this document may bring my client the resolution he’s seeking. I am both pleased and proud of the work I did today.

    One of the benefits and challenges of my work is that it’s not about me personally; it’s about using my skills and talents to achieve my clients’ desired results. So there are times that I have draft documents and negotiate on their behalf in ways that I don’t personally agree with, but are not legally wrong. On the flip side, it also means that it’s possible to have a cordial relationship with the opposing counsel when both sides are acting as zealous advocates for their clients without their egos getting in the way. Those tend to be the fastest and the easiest negotiations.

    Today was a good day.

    In case you missed it: Day 22 of the 90 Days of Awesome – I took my Fake British Accent to the Verizon Store!