Studying for the LSAT? ….at what age did you say?

The figurine from my late father-in-law’s miniature menagerie…

This brass elephant just lives in our barrister’s bookcase minding its own business.

But almost weekly, I take a moment to stop and admire it in my foyer.

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SOOOO – HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?

[drumroll, please.]

One bite at a time.

You remember this universal question as a Kid?  Right?

Sure, you do.

Perhaps your teacher or parent asked you this question right before you tackled a monumental task.

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Well, this is my mantra for 2017.

I can eat that elephant.

My elephant’s name is:  LSAT.

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As I have recently written, I am sharing my New Year’s ‘resolutional’ journey on:

(1) Living Large on Less – and loving it. (Maybe on some days? Definitely not digging the budget today!)

(2) Living a Healthy Lifestyle – without joining a club or buying meals-in-the-mail.

(3) Living out a Career Dream – in the Second Act of my life….whether it’s law school or a dream job!

Like so many Americans, I’ve made resolutions involving money, health, and career.

Only difference.  I’m sharing everything with YOU.

Don’t get me wrong.

I definitely do not think my life is all that interesting and unique.

But I do want to give you a heads-up on what has worked well in my life….and confess my failures to save you time and trouble.

That’s all.

And I truly love to SHARE….and love to WRITE…so this is a WIN-WIN for us both.

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 Call me crazy.

But I am studying for the LSAT.

“There isn’t one good reason – in the whole wide world – why a person your age should go to law school”...says the little red devil sitting on my shoulder.

On the other hand, the angels in my life (my husband & 2 sons) say this….

“Go for it!  You got this!  I’m happy for you! We’re so proud!”

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For the past month, I have asked myself this simple question,

“When are you just too old?”

As with everything in my life, I over-research and over-analyze.

I started reading every article I could find on law school admissions demographics.

Guess what age is considered old for acceptance?

40.

Yep.  If accepted, I would be considered….not an ‘old’ student….but a mummified one.

But that’s fine by me.

Every reputable law school needs at least 1 mummy to be totally diversified.

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Here’s my Game Plan to eat The Elephant.

So if you’re embarking on the GRE, MCAT, GMAT, or the LSAT during 2017 –

I’d like to share some of my ideas.

Before investing bigtime to a high-dollar course or program – buy a book.

A workbook with hundreds of – recently posted – excellent reader reviews!

…if there are only 5 positive comments – assume 3 are related to the author!

Commit a few months of disciplined and intensive self-study.

I block out 3 hours per day – 5 days a week.

At the completion of the workbook and after decent results on practice tests in 3 months, I plan to enroll in a formal prep program and sit for the test in June.

Is this a secret sauce?  Nope….just a way to dive into the deep-end without busting the budget.

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Will I score high enough to gain admittance?

Will I be totally embarrassed by my LSAT score after dedicating 5 months of studying?

Will my family be disappointed if I fail to gain acceptance to ANY school?

No one, including me, can answer any of those questions right now.

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I hope as you pursue your Second Act career – those negative notions do not fill the space between your ears.

This is what I think about when my persistent friend, “Doubt”, pays me a visit.

I’d like to share a story as I end our chat today.

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 True Story.

(tainted by my middle-aged memory)

Let’s call the main character – Sally.

Sally is a super sharp and smart middled-aged mom who decided to become a physician.

For years, anyone in Sally’s social circle lived every single detail of her dream.

In fact, every conversation with Sally was about the prerequisite courses she was taking at a local college and her grueling MCAT prep work.

Sally recounted her travels to various states for campus tours.

To be quite honest, it was getting to be a bit much.

Sally began to slip in medical terminology even during casual conversations.

But her family and friends knew what to expect.

It was all about medical school.

Then one day without warning, there was NO talk about being a doctor.

When asked, Sally just didn’t answer any questions about her pursuit of med school.

She looked puzzled and acted like she didn’t know what the heck anyone was talking about.

I heard through a reliable source that Sally applied to 5 schools and was not accepted to any.

 Decades later, there still remains a deep denial of it all.

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So why share this story with you?

Because I sincerely believe that Sally allowed herself to stop living until she reached Nirvana (a.k.a. Med School).

Her acceptance became a Zero-Sum Game.

Acceptance versus Rejection.

Winning versus Failure.

Sally was living in a binary world.

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So here’s my advice to you….and especially me.

I have to remind myself that acceptance to law school would be a notable accomplishment.

Well Done.

But it isn’t everything in my life.

And multiple rejections in the fall…. will not make me less than who I am in January.

Whether your 2017 dream destination is law school, vet school, med school, or a doctoral program….

Take heart that we (You and Me) the Obsessive-Compulsive….

the Type -(Triple) A….

the Alpha Female (or Male)…

…We can not and will not allow the pursuit of our Second Act Career to define who we really are.

It won’t make us or break us.

If law school doesn’t work out, I will be mightily disappointment, but certainly not devastated.

In fact, I am still searching for that Dream Job in my hometown!

I am open to ALL exceptional opportunities…even if it’s not law school.

Simply stated, I refuse to live my life as Sally did.