I should have called this "Working 7 AM to 9 PM Six Days Each Week Since 2007 Without Much Financial Compensation" but that is far from a catchy title. It does, however, sum up my working life since the fall of 2007, when the real estate transactions in the pipeline through my office stopped gushing and barely trickled. I am working hard, very hard, but the only things more over-used than my energy to try and maintain my real estate law practice are the "transfer to checking" and "withdraw now" icons on the screen as all my savings went towards living.
There's no heavy lifting in my career, and I sit in a very comfortable chair most of the day. However, the wear and tear of being industrious but unproductive after almost a quarter-century of building a reputation and a viable business has dented my shoulders and sapped my strength (without the better biceps that might result if I moved anything heavier than a book). I heed the words of business gurus and stay in contact with all my existing clients, reminding them of services I am able to provide or sharing timely tips to protect their interests. I teach seminars in the evenings for continuing education programs and libraries for little or no compensation, hoping attendees will employ my services in the future. I lecture before my local Bar Association in exchange for continuing education credits, keeping my professional ears tuned to cases and trends while boosting my credentials. I speak to reporters and send out press releases so potential clients will see my name in print. And I blog daily about the ways the debilitated real estate market has impacted the world, the country, my region, and myself.
Yet the phone barely rings and the e-mails rarely offer more than opportunities to grow larger/smaller/richer/hairier/angrier. I know my business has potential and my services are in demand, as I have plenty of open files for sellers who want to retain me but instead just killing time waiting for their doorbells or phones to ring with viable offers from buyers. And probable purchasers have contacted me, though they make no bones about how tepidly they stick their toes in the homeownership waters and how quickly they pull them back out, contentedly waiting for the next price reduction or round of layoffs to occur.
All my working life, I've taken note of the advice to have three, or six, or nine month's worth of savings in case my income takes a hit. But what happens when your business comes to a standstill for 15 months, though you bust your professional posterior and have clients clamoring to hire you? You engage in a form of professional stillness in motion, actively earning nothing while you frantically decide how much longer you can afford to wait.