If you’ve built a successful firm but still feel the pull for more, you’re not alone. There’s a particular kind of tension that high-achieving attorneys feel—but rarely discuss:

I’m grateful for all I’ve built… so why do I still want more?

That quiet discomfort—the feeling that something’s missing even though everything “looks” right—is what I call The Gratitude Gap. It’s the internal conflict between contentment and desire, presence and progress, fulfillment and ambition. And if you don’t learn how to reconcile that tension, it doesn’t go away. It compounds.

The problem isn’t your calendar. The problem is how you’re relating to the commitments you make to yourself. The paradox is this: when you start keeping promises to yourself, you not only build internal integrity—you elevate your external influence. When you consistently keep promises to yourself, four things happen…

Every client I work with undergoes an Energy Leadership Index (ELI) Assessment at the beginning and end of our coaching relationship. The ELI not only evaluates the current state of a client’s energy but also establishes a shared language for discussing mindset under various stressors, such as leadership challenges, performance pressure, and workload management. 

Evaluate whether you’re settling in your life. If you don’t take the time to evaluate, you’ll not be able to improve.