Did your mom ever tell you about the “two kinds of people in this world”? Mine did. I think she was trying to make some point about behavior, morals, or maybe it was just a subtle innuendo about people she didn’t like. I don’t know for sure, but I remember her telling me about them.
Here are two kinds of people: doctors and lawyers. Both are important, both are smart, neither are cheap, but they have a very different way of approaching the world. Let’s start with the lawyer.
Lawyer Up
A lawyer begins at the end. A lawyer begins with a desired outcome. A lawyer begins at the end and works back to the beginning. They collect information, talk to witnesses, and investigate the scene of the crime all in service of one objective: the desired outcome.
To some this may seem debaucherously deceptive, but it’s totally legal. It happens everyday in America. If you’re in a legal pickle, you probably want the lawyer to do the very thing a lawyer is trained and paid to do: begin at the end.
Call a Doctor
A doctor approaches a situation different than a lawyer. A doctor is in the “diagnose first, prescribe second” business. A doctor begins at the beginning. A doctor has no dog in the fight about outcome. At least they shouldn’t.
When you go to the doctor, they don’t say, “in the next 15 minutes I’m going to prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt why you’re sick and how much it’s going to cost you to get better”. Of course not. A doctor asks questions, pokes and prods, maybe takes a picture or two, and then says, “Ok, here’s the deal…” .
If your body is in a pickle, you probably want the doctor to do the very thing a doctor is trained and paid to do: diagnose first, prescribe second.
The Point
The point of this little parable is to help you wake up. To wake up so you can be more mindful in your dealings with others. So you can be a lawyer when you need to be, or a doctor if the situation calls for it.
“Hey mom…I’m not a doctor or a lawyer…I’m both.”
Good luck and have a good week.
Joe Still
2023.10.29
Cite
“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”