I have been a lawyer for over twenty years, working for law firms in London, Singapore and Amsterdam. I was a partner at an international law firm and then worked for one of my clients in London before becoming general counsel for a corporate.
I loved being a lawyer, but mostly for the people side of the job – getting to work with brilliant colleagues and clients; getting to build really great teams; mentoring, connecting and coaching people and generally operating in a buzzy environment. When I was having a hard time, I would get up from my desk and attempt to make someone smile - I was not always successful - or organise (what I considered to be) a fun event for the office. Human interaction always lifts my mood.
I particularly enjoyed feeling like I was helping others in the office – if I could improve someone's situation or explain a concept to them which had hitherto eluded them or make someone laugh, it made my day better.
Now I am working on my own, I have to seek out opportunities to see people and recharge my social batteries. Although, now my work is not as hard and to the extent there are difficult times, they are very different from my previous life. So, I don't need to manufacture as many adrenaline or dopamine hits as I used to. Which is helpful, because a lot of those came from buying clothes and shoes and I don't have the money or space for any more, nor do I have the occasions to wear them....