Each week, I search for a week’s worth of posts — 7 in all — to inspire a solo to engage in a little out-of-the-box thinking.

And, with each post, I provide some suggestions about “entry points” for the posts in question — questions to think about, concepts that might be “between the lines,” a “jumping-off point” for each post that will hopefully trigger your own inspired thinking.

Without further ado, here are this week’s contenders, built around a theme of “Mad Skillz: How to Get ‘em and Use ‘em”:

• Life Coaches Blog – “What It Means to Be a Warrior” from a “Ninja Ex-Marine Captain.” While lawyers are often obsessed with the adversarial system, can you envision yourself less as a fighter and more as a “holy warrior” for a cause worth fighting for? What would that mean to you, or to your clients? How does what you do improve life for those people lucky enough to be your clients?
• LifeDev — “How to Make Every Workday Feel Like Saturday” shows us how to tap into the blissful vibe of the weekend and harness that sweetness for the workday. How much of your stress is actually imposed by things that are really within your control? Could taking an approach such as this “soften the edges” of your own environment and thus, maybe, lessen the stress?
• Lifehacker — “Improve Concentration with Mind Exercises” offers an excerpt from another post, “Exercises for Better Focus and Concentration” from Ego Development. How can you improve your work experience with these sorts of mind-body activities? If you already do some of this — meditation, perhaps, or yoga or tai chi — is there a way you can begin to take those experiences “off the mat,” so to speak, and into the office or courtroom? What would that look like and feel like?
• The Happiness Project – “17 Tips for Conquering Stage Fright” made me instantly think of my acting days. I never had stage fright as an actor — not once. But when I argued before the state’s Supreme Court in our law school moot court competition, I was a nervous wreck before arguing. Using other people’s words was easy — my own? Not so much. If you get an attack of nerves before public speaking or court appearances, consider this: what’s going on there? Is it a manifestation of being unprepared? Or of lacking confidence?
• Dumb Little Man Tips for Life — “The 10 Steps to Being a Better Listener” ought to be required reading for every solo. One complaint I hear routinely from people who consult lawyers is that “They make me feel like they’re doing ME a favor…” Contrast that with the attitude discussed in this blog post: “Whatever problem you had, became their problem.” Which do you think will get more positive response? Can you improve your listening skills? And if so, what’s behind the failure to really listen for you? Are you thinking about what you’re going to say next? How to convince the person talking that you can help them? Are you judging the speaker?
• Marketing & Fundraising Ideas — “Powerful Yet Reasonable Goals” discusses the importance of having goals that you can reach and goals that inspire at the same time. If you don’t have goals as a solo lawyer, or as one who wants to be soon, then think about setting some for yourself that are big enough to excite you, but practical enough to actually be in reach — with a good stretch, of course.
• The Blog of Tim Ferriss – “Escaping the Entrepreneurial Seizure” is an interview with Michael Gerber, the “EMyth Evangelist.” Building on the previous inspirational post, Michael writes in his new book that the reason most new businesses fail is not because their goals are too big, but that they’re too small. Michael also is a big proponent of systems utilized to make business scalable and efficient. Is there some aspect of your life as a business owner that could be more efficient, perhaps with the adoption of systematic procedures to streamline work?

That’s it for this week! Enjoy your inspiration and make some of your own.