Why successful people talk to themselves

I want to talk about the importance of self-communication. There are a lot of buzzwords surrounding the skill of communication. It’s something that we all promote that we have when we apply for a new job or attempt to make new friends. It’s a skill that we could not survive in this universe without. Communication is as essential as breathing, but what is often forgotten about is self-communication.

It sounds complex but the reality is simple

To some extent, self-communication is talking to yourself as if you were another person. It is strange to think about, as society often rejects the notion of talking to yourself as something that mentally unwell people do. But in truth self-communication is the process of the subconscious mind talking to the conscious mind.

I want to bring this to your attention, as a young lawyer, because I think it’s so important to understand yourself. A lot of lawyers work late hours, deal with traumatic or confronting situations and find themselves walking the line between morality and the law. These compromising situations are quickly repressed and ignored in the mind, leading to later issues.

Suppressing the complicated feelings that arise from facing such issues is unhealthy and such repression can lead to ignoring your subconscious thoughts. This is where I will raise the concept of self-communication.

What I mean by this term, is to talk to yourself as if you were talking to another person. For example, if you find yourself not focusing on a task that you know must be done, rather than getting angry you would initiate the self talk.

The conversation would begin with an investigation into why you were not focusing. Are you craving nutrients, sleep, comfort, warmth or are you in pain? These five things may appear obvious, but many people who are under stress or skilled at ignoring their body’s cues can often miss these essential human needs.

Skipping a meal can be very bad for
your focus - and your stomach!

It’s not uncommon for me to lose focus only to realize I forgot a meal time or have goosebumps. This most commonly happens during the period before exams when there is lots of work to be done and little time to do it. Forcing yourself to ask the question may seem childish or irrelevant, but it is important to draw your attention to these five pillars.

It refers back to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. For those who aren’t aware, Maslow is a philosopher who created a theory that humans cannot function unless they have certain requirements met first. The lowest tiers include basic necessities such as shelter, safety, food, sleep, and comfort. They are not privileges to be awarded once your work is done.

A stern reminder to all students and professionals, your job will never be complete. The longer that you withhold things from yourself that are required for your body and mind to function properly the worse your attention and focus will become. Often your mental health will suffer before your physical, and that is why critical indicators such as lack of interest or regression to unhealthy habits, like overeating, hair pulling or overwhelming negative thoughts must be paid attention to.

Negative self-talk is the most harmful consequence of failing to build your skill of self-communication. Those people who cannot understand their subconscious needs often find themselves lost in a mixture of confusion, negative habits, and low self-esteem. It is not an insignificant correlation that lack of self-communication results in poor habits and frustration.

If you do have low self-communication and you’re struggling to focus, I’d like to extend a challenge to you. In fact, even if you’re not facing an issue at work, but struggling to come to terms with a complex event in your life I’d like you to attempt my challenge.

Maybe treat yourself to a hot drink after
writing this letter, you deserve it!

My challenge is to write yourself a letter. Please don’t type it, use a physical piece of paper and pen.

The letter must have four components

a)    Tell yourself what’s going wrong

b)    Tell yourself why you have to do this task

c)    Explain to yourself what’s been happening in your day, week and month

d)    Answer the question; what would I rather be doing?

If, at any point during your letter you feel that you’re leaving the question or statement that I’ve asked you to write about don’t stop yourself. Often putting pen to paper is a calming physical motion that encourages you to feel safe due to the repetition of the movement. This calm can help you to feel safe and for any overriding emotional issues that you may not have dealt with to come to the surface. This is why I encourage you not to stop yourself from going on a tangent and writing about anything that your brain takes an interest in.

Sometimes it may be that you have watched or read something that was emotionally disturbing. I have been impacted by news articles or legal cases that were morally challenging, emotionally disturbing or similar to something that I have experienced in my own life. However as we all lead busy lives, it's hard to bring that disturbance to the surface, leaving it to fester and destroy your work ethic or mental clarity.

I hope the letter that you write to yourself becomes a useful tool that you re-use to develop stronger self-communication skills. Sometimes initially writing the letter won’t bring you an immediate understanding of what is going on. Don’t assume that this means nothing is wrong. Our bodies and minds are more intelligent than we give them credit for and often they tell us more than we know. If it so happens that you read your letter back after writing it and actually believe that there is nothing behind it, that is okay, but if there is something unusual about your behavior I’d recommend leaving it for an hour or so.

You can do it!

After the time, away from your letter re-read it and consider any reoccurring themes. Sometimes you may realize that there was an unusual focus on losing an item, having a bad day or wanting something. These simple circumstances can indicate many different things, usually though they will reflect back on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and suggest that you are missing one of the lower tier requirements. Missing one of these requirements does prevent you from focusing your brain and having a productive work session.



Good luck on building your self-communication skills and I hope you will all promote this challenge to your friends and please tag me on #theunderagelawyer if you found my task helpful.

No Way Bob Day!

[[TRANSCRIPT]]

 Bob Day’s barrister, Peter King, received a warning from Chief Justice French on the third of may against making speeches with politically charged references in front of the high court. He was responsible for presenting, the cross-bencher, Bob Day’s constitutional challenge about electoral change for the upcoming election process to the High Court.

Mr. King is helping Senator Day launch a constitutional case against the Australian Parliament contesting the electoral reforms designed to prevent independents running for a position in the Senate who don’t represent the Australian general public from receiving a seat. Day complains that the new system would unfairly skew the thousands of votes for minor parties as the votes would quickly be thrown away under the new regime. His fears are that it would only grow Australia’s two-party government issues.

Policy discussions - best reserved
for university lecture halls?

King’s scolding arose when he compared the laws, as equal to dissuading signs out the front of polling places. Chief Justice French rose to action warning King to “go to the nitty gritty rather than have speeches that are best made outside of this place.”

 Legal challenges are very serious and formal affairs. In the entirety of Australia’s history, there have been less than one hundred constitutional challenges. Since the high court opened in 1903, the number of cases the court has seen are incredibly small averaging sixty a year since commencement. Again, the number of constitutional challenges are even lower, meaning they are marked down in Australia’s history for special consideration. The minuscule amount of challenges only leaves more room for humiliation as it is certain that Mr. King’s scolding in front of the high court won’t be quickly forgotten.

The policy reform, which is the subject of the legal challenge, is trying to prevent small senators from creating preference deals with other parties to win the seat in Parliament through the preferential voting system. This voting system works so that political groups can show voters how to choose senators that best support this policy in descending order. The plan was put forward after it was debated in Parliament for forty hours, revealing just how contentious this decision is.

The challenge in the high court has prevented the South Australian electoral officer and federal government from issuing the next round of ballot papers needed for the Senate election, which was scheduled to be held on July 2.

In detail, the new policy intends to eradicate the process requiring below the line voters to place their preference for each listed and instead choose their top twelve favorites for the seat. Party logos would also be included in the paper simplifying the process for less politicized individuals. It was seen in a previous election that taglines printed on group voting papers can be very misleading, this will be eradicated by printing logos onto the ballot paper.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has argued that the new legislation was good for democracy as it will encourage voters to vote for at least six senators above the line individually. But if their preferred candidates are unsuccessful then their votes will be entirely unsuccessful.

If anything the new policy makes
brilliant brunch conversation!

As beneficial as the changes may appear senators are warning that these changes violate the principle of representative government. Day body proclaims that voter’s rights were taken away and today no one is a step closer to restoring those rights. This bold claim adds a frightening spin to the turn of events but in reality, Commonwealth solicitor-general Justin Gleeson has criticized the senator for speaking out and dismissed his arguments as having a considerable weakness.

Gleeson has pointed out that if Day’s case is accepted that it would invalidate all voting since 1984. Following that train of logic then Australia would not have had voted in a valid Senate since the last election before 1984. This would put Australia’s legal and political system in serious jeopardy as it would invalidate all legislation.

According to the Constitution, no law can be passed except on agreement by both houses – therefore is the Senate is eradicated so is all of the laws that have been passed in the last thirty years!

Additionally, the case outlines that the policy interferes with section seven of the Australian constitution that claims senators shall be composed of senators for each state chosen directly by the people of the state and that this means that every person’s vote must directly go towards selecting one candidate.

Constitutional law experts from the University of New South Wales have applied legal reasoning and have clarified that governments are allowed to use a range of electoral systems to satisfy direct election. Day’s loss is that the constitution is ambiguous about by what means the voting has to be direct. As a consequence, he cannot claim that one form of voting is more direct than the other as long as they’re both direct.

To be honest, I think we should all
just have a calming cup of tea.

Overall, it seems that King has set himself up for an uphill battle as he failed to present an outline of his argument to the High Court before his presentation.

The courts are still examining the case as we speak, and I look forward to hearing more about this constitutional challenge…as unlikely as Senator Day’s success may be. 

Five tips to make your next 'oh no!' situation an 'oh yes!'

Hi, I’m sure you’ve all figured out by now that a lot of my blog posts come from my experiences, and there's one experience I haven’t yet explained.

The business cards I designed
for the event

To be plain, today I went to a job fair thinking that I was going to pick up some internship flyers, shake some hands, smile nicely and go home proud of myself.

Unfortunately for me, this was not the reality.

Normally I’d deny any awkwardness about turningup to an event that was entirely unintended for my age group. But I’ll admit, when I realized that I wasn’t doing what I’d expected I was going to do I wanted to turn around, walk out and deny I was ever there.

Because it was horrible. I thought I’d doomed myself to the awkward admittance of, ‘nope; I’m not qualified in the slightest. But yes, I did just waste your time on me.’

Nothing gets rid of bad thoughts
like a good cup of coffee!

As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now. I didn’t walk out. Instead, I did five things that turned the tables around in my favor.

1.    Change your mindset

I talk a lot about positive thoughts and headspace on this blog. But with lawyers quickly becoming synonymous with depressed people in suits I can’t stop reiterating this message ‘your thoughts change what you see.’

When I first entered the show room, I panicked. Everything I thought was negative, ‘I’m not qualified.’ ‘I’m wasting their time’ ‘I should go.’

The reality was, I wasn’t wasting their time. Yes, I have most definitely learned to read properly the information flyer before deciding to rock up to things. But one of the greatest things about being in a situation where you can 100% not compare to the rest of the people surrounding you is that you get approach what they’re for in an entirely unexpected fashion.

2.    Think out of the box

Staying on the concept of changing your thoughts, one of the companies I was interested in actually had a requirement to have at least seven years work experience. The fun thing you might not have

A bit of color can get those creative
thought processes going!

picked up on if you hadn’t been desperately grasping at straws to make your pitch sound half decent is that it doesn’t matter if this experience occurred concurrently.

A few minutes of counting and scrolling through my linked in later and I was armed with seven years and four months’ worth of experience.

You’d be surprised how much you are qualified. I’ve worked in various capacities on government boards, youth groups, retail agencies, charities and law firms, but I’d never thought to count the time I spent doing them. Once I did it was clear I could compete with the post grads – at least on some level.

3.    Focus on making your weakness your strength

If you do as I often do and jump into a situation without really thinking about you’ll be familiar with the gut-wrenching realization that your biggest flaw is staring you down. In today’s experience, my biggest weakness was that I don’t have a degree.

I’ve studied courses but never actually graduated. This made me the most unqualified person in the room. Again it’s almost like you have to flip your brain into reverse. Look at what you can offer from a different angle.

Rather than hiding the fact that I didn’t have a degree it was celebrated. I went from looking for

It's a shame drinking coffee
can't be listed as a strength!

internships to work experience – a minor detail, but it gave me a chance to work with the representatives there and get to know the companies better.

4.    Figure out what your original objective was

A lot of networking events are entirely focused on gathering contacts and putting them in your address book. That’s not what I mean about your objective.

If you’re going to a networking event, then you’re going for a reason. For example, you might be attempting to gather information about the individuals within the industry you intend to work in. Or you might be attending the event to discover your potential in a new pathway.

Your objective is vital to making a success of the day. Because at the end of all this the last thing you want to do is leave. It’s important to young people that we understand ever opportunity has a cost. This cost can be beneficial or detrimental. And let me say it straight out, meeting people in the industry you’re interested in is never detrimental.

You might never see them again, but still you will have had a conversation and gathered more information about what your future career might be like. The only loss you could make by walking into a room where you feel out of your depth is by walking in and then walking straight out.

Having a clear understanding of what your objective is will help you to navigate your way through the event and pitch conversations away from whatever it is that’s making you feel uncomfortable and towards a more productive result.

5.    Identify and analyze

When you realize that there’s something in the room that wasn’t what you expected you need to identify and analyze.

First of all identify the issue. Is it something that is going to prevent you from achieving your original objective? For example, if you’re under qualified – is that going to stop you from making contact with potential future employers?

And look! It was successful day
after all.

The answer, whatever you may think is no, if you are on track to getting that qualification, then in all seriousness it’s just as important for you to be meeting these groups now then later.

Secondly, you need to analyze what the rest of the room is doing. Do they look prepared or casual? When you’re already feeling ostracized by something, it’s best to try and find a common factor between you and the rest of the room’s population.

Those are my five simple actions that you can do to take control of a situation that feels out of control. I know it’s hard to cope with being under qualified or having some other factor that makes the entire event seem daunting. But the reality is that no professional can ever have all the qualifications and all the preferred characteristics.

The modern professional knows three things to get over those first little hurdles on the way to getting an internship; innovate, adapt and when in doubt – redirect!

Why I chose to become the underaged lawyer

Oh my goodness look! I can post gifs on here!

My blog title often amuses the many people I meet. They associate being underaged with youth and innocence. I too do not separate these qualities from youth. Childhood and young adulthood feature the growth of curiosity

I believe one of the many characteristics of today’s children is that they suffer no fools. Many children state it out how they see it – I’m sure you’ve all heard ‘that’s dumb.’ Or ‘Why not just tell them no?’. The simplicity of youth is something I wish never to forget as a lawyer. 

Also, I chose underaged because being underage means that the law of the world cannot restrain me. No, I don’t mean unconstrained in the strict sense of law. I mean unconstrained in that the formalities of the world seem as flexible as a piece of string.

 If I don’t agree with it – why not say it? If there is a war- why not tell them to stop fighting?

 The older an individual gets, the more constrained they appear by the realities of the world in which they live.

Just because a lawyer's work isn't fun
doesn't mean I cant have a flower to make it better!

The role of a lawyer is always to dodge these realities. I see no human rights lawyer that looks at the world and thinks ‘well that’s the way it is, and that is the way it always will be’. I like to think of lawyers like a relay team. We all acknowledge that it should be one way and set about in a relay race to make it happen. Think back to the history of law – how did it develop? Because one day one person said hey – we should have a way to fix things when they were unfair!

And it took a long, long time to get close to what we have today – and even now there are still issues – yet we started as a group on a venture that appeared impossible. The judges that started the law were effectively holding onto the spirit of youth. An undaunted challenge to the future to improve things in the way that they morally should be. 

It is impossible to propose that a happy young person would not aim for a better tomorrow but it is not unprecedented that the contented mature person will merely seek to keep the peace for the present. I am now studying law and global policy, and often I find myself pulling back on proposing theories of change merely because I see troubles with current political sensitivities. However, I have determined to stop holding back. Present day sensitivities should be mere passing thoughts to proposals for future benefit. 

It is a selfish proposition that any change must occur within my lifespan. Rather I must consider myself a simple member of a relay team for a change. If I wish to see the globe operating with a democratic government, I must prepare myself to see turmoil and for the future youth of the world to see the success. 

Although Lord Denning never let go of that
underaged mindset - question all assumptions!

It is only in the mind frame of someone who is free from the constraints of the academic and political world that propositions for change can occur. It is undoubted that in present times they must be altered to minimize the conflicts which are faced, but they should never be modified during the future to cater to the conflicts of the present.

It is common knowledge that wars end. Whether the political sensitivities remain are purely up to the generation of today. I can see that as our world become interconnected and we suddenly have friends in every country across the globe political conflicts cannot remain. What person would hold a grudge against the country in which their beloved aunt lives? Or where a favourite actor spends the majority of their time? Our current views of states and borders are rendered irrelevant by transnational communications leading to the only conclusion – we must ignore the realities of today to develop a functional future.

I am currently writing an essay about creating a global government. I will admit that I have been torturing myself by attempting iron out exactly how differing cultures and ideologies could mix until I realized that was simply my perspective. 

I may view some cultures as roadblocks to change – but I do not see their population as road blocks. As communication and personal expression take the reins of country control so must these ideological setbacks fall away. Young people of today have seen the devastation of war and the crippling effects of food shortage, of racism, land loss and the importance of human dignity. 

Each of them represents a generation that has never considered a postcode or border when communicating with someone else. The conflict of the future will not lie with countries, and it is critical that as lawyers, businessmen and people of the world, we make plans to deal with a generation that does not understand there is a separation between countries. 

Is it sad to admit I've never actually used a
post code except in online forms?

After all, for my generation, where is the separation? I can see my friends in Italy, follow my auntie in England and enjoy the acting ventures of Benedict Cumberbatch all from one place. I have no understanding of the borders between countries – I’ll admit it took me time to understand why we had to draw lines. Yes, there is a great conflict in many countries, and not all people will view others in equal stead to themselves. But I propose the vast majority do and as time goes by the majority can reach out to the minority to develop the ability for the world to grow as a single community free from conflict and turmoil in order work entirely for the global benefit of all members.

 As overly confident as the proposition may appear I’d like to invite you to consider what it means to be a young person today. Think about having no understanding of having to wait to communicate; there ’s no need for physical contact in a fight – most ‘brawls’ between youth happens online. It’s purely verbal. In the future, the value of physical contest will not compare to the value of the written word. Global governance will become our centerpiece for the new war – taking form in the diplomatic art of discussion.

And since we're at the end of the post we can talk about fun things ^^^
meet my plant family; marcus the chilli and george the italian basil.

The major flaw in a young legal mind

This piece is available in audio form - can you believe it!? 

Listen here!

Recently I found myself questioning what it is that I love about law. For years, I've boldly claimed that I love everything about it, the good sides, the boring sides, the dull sides, the corrupt sides and the mind-blowingly complex sides.

However, I've discovered that I don't.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still in love with the law, I'm just coming to realise I don't love it all. Some may claim that this is the natural reaction of maturity. A realisation that law is as diverse as it is complex. No one area can be called the same for each were created to deal with a different issue.

Each field has its appeal much like various types of burgers. Vegetarian burgers offer healthy choices, but meat always seems more satisfying. Just like property law provides clear legal intrigue – but we all know human rights law holds the complexity that can only be described as the way your mouth waters when you see the juice run off a steak.

Some parts of law seem to sizzle with excitement and something in my brain can't help but choose it over other options. What's interesting is that I have never before considered I would choose one area over another.

And why not choose property law?

Who can deny the thrill of sending a caveat request or delving deep into native title to discover a real and continuous connection to the land?

What is not to love about intense contractual negotiation? Surely there is no lawyer that can't feel that warm-belly satisfaction of having both the best deal and a happy client. It's a rare combination but the drive to achieve it lives in the heart of every property lawyer.

So then why do lawyers find themselves not enjoying it – or any other branch of law?

I could give hundreds of analogies for where the enjoyment and deep-set love for each branch and denomination of law come from but it wouldn't explain what I mean.

It is not merely a branch of law I have questioned my love for, it is the traditional study of it.

In some senses, the study of law is not the law itself. The study of law often misses the raw truth about the foundations of our society.

For the study of it misses the fact that the law is merely concrete.

I am speaking in metaphor, where concrete refers to the dark grey, rough-edged and unattractive foundations upon which a house is built. The house is society and it is because of concrete that it can stand firm. Just like the law the concrete we know remains partly unfinished because there's always a chance of extending the house; somewhat unsightly, because there's no way to ever completely make it polished and mostly it does not carry the flourish and beauty of the house above it.

A builder, as a lawyer, will see the beauty in concrete – but I am beginning to question if the study of law can create people that appreciate such imperfection. Too often I have been taught to ask why there is a hole in the law.

Should it not be assumed that if there is such issue, it is open to interpretation? Do I honestly need another academic to tell me this?

As a young student of the law, I'd like to propose that the study of law is failing to build the legal mind. The legal mind must learn that law is not a solid block of polished marble which is the feature of a house. Rather it is the unpolished and unfinished block of concrete that holds up the house.

So what is it that I have fallen out of love with?

Arguably it is not a side of the law. Perhaps it is more a theology of law – I wish more academics openly embraced the imperfection and omissions of law. If we had such comprehensive documents not only would governments become overwrought with predicting, protecting and presuming but courts would lose their flexibility.

Is it not the beauty of the common law system, that it advocates for adaptability? Is not a national pride that our judges have an acute awareness of the need for interpretation when providing modern justice.

Is it not obvious that this openness to interpretation has provided justice in times of hopelessness. While easily overridden, statutes should not be a comprehensive source of law, rather they are a mere crutch upon which the courts rest interpretation.

I am no legal theologian but the more I study independently and work with professionals it dawns me that I have held the law to be perfectly created. Studies of law propose old law is overwritten with new law. But the truth is, there is no such thing as new law. Instead we merely refine and add to an old, imperfect foundation.

Students and lawyers all must realize the aim for perfection is not futile in law, but perfection in law will not come from what is recorded. Rather each lawyer must act as the mouth piece through which justified interpretation can occur. I have fallen out of love with calling law perfect – rather, it is imperfectly providing the lectern from which lawyers provide justice.

Lulu Hensman

Working Families; An issue kept well hidden

I'm sure those of you who follow me on social media are aware that I spent the last two months overseas, two weeks of which I was privileged to spend with a charity called working families.

My desk at working families :)

Working families is a charity aimed specifically individuals who are either caring for children or other sick individuals. Their bases currently only exist in Scotland and England but their work has been monumental to climbing over the wall of difficulties that both men and women face in the work place. It is steadily becoming a symbol of workplace flexibility which multiple studies have proven increases productivity [http://www.forbes.com/sites/ccl/2011/06/29/flexibility-can-boost-employee-productivity/#75eaa5b25d04]

My initial thoughts about the charity were that they would provide legal advice to all those who called on their hotline [0300 012 0312 ] however I quickly discovered their efforts were far greater and more diverse. Within the two weeks that I spent there I helped organize networking events, think tanks, policy presentations and research compositions. It was a massive variety and I can only say that the members within the office of working families had an adept ability to switch from paper work to practical work. I found my self constantly amazed by their empathy, communication and legal knowledge. Continuously the members were grounded, practical and realistic as they dealt with the problems of the modern workplace.

Some of the general issues included:

• Helping with employer/employee relations
• Explaining rights to leave, sick leave and other benefits
• Analyzing potential discrimination cases
• Assisting individuals in continuing work place progression
• Decoding some of the work-related benefits

Those who live in any country where benefit schemes are enforced will know their complex nature. Yet Working Families manages to decode some of the broader issues of the new welfare policy Universal Credit [http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/869/]. At a policy presentation Working Families stood for the ability of low income families to have access not only to jobs but to quality child care.

Too often hard working employees are forced to turn down jobs that offer them more responsibility and pay because the jobs have less flexibility and mean that individuals lose out on benefits. This benefit loss can have the consequence of costing more than they are earning. Unfortunately research [http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35475350] shows the startling truth that Universal Credit is dropping off key benefits and losing that practical aspect of welfare.

Key reasons that families lose money is because;

• Child care is too expensive
• They lose flexibility increasing the need for extra care
• Often gain expenses like eating out and more travel

Additionally without support families may face;

• increased levels of stress
• decreased time together
• Higher levels of anxiety
• relationship/life dissatisfaction

Interestingly one of the conferences I attended with Working Families highlighted that money was not the only factor influencing a families' ability to progress up a career ladder. After several focus groups the culmination of the responses revealed that families are craving more family time. Money is no longer a driving force of work. Yes it's a relevant factor but the study revealed that if more money sacrificed time with each other- progression in terms of pay increase loses out.

A policy conference with Working Families 

This need to spend time with family should not be looked upon as a factor of 'laziness'. Families, particularly those in financial hardship, often pull close together and form strong bonds. These relationships are vital for children to build strong foundations as they move into the future and for the healing of sick relatives. Some families are also facing the potential loss of sick relatives, meaning that money is not as valuable as time.

In this modern world we are seeing an increased value upon time, particularly time that can be spent with those we love. Working Families is striving to work with both employers and employees asa vital middle man that can strike up the right balance between the two.

The universal credit scheme was invented to produce a welfare scheme that did not punish individuals for being out of work. It attempts to understand the new value of family time and the issues face the 'sandwich' generation, where families are both caring for children and sick or elderly relatives. While it attempts to ensure that nobody will live off welfare for longer than necessary it supports the often tiresome and difficult transition between welfare and work. This is beneficial because;

• Provides families with some respite when in financial trouble
• Allows families to care without bringing in external help which can be expensive
• Prevents individuals from being exploited while searching for a job
• Provides people with dignity and pride
• Allows for families to save while progressing through below minimum wage jobs and support themselves in an emergency rather than falling back to where they were

On welfare it is difficult to save money therefore giving people the opportunity to earn a little more as their welfare slowly decreases allows individuals to save some money. Savings provide financial security and comfort – which has been proven in the past to make people feel more comfortable and to stress less.

Multiple times I have discussed the impact of stress on the body. It not only causes many expansive physiological issues such as adrenal, heart and liver failure. These issues can tax already over worked families, causing child carers, sick carers or vulnerable individuals greater issues.

Stress has also been linked to psychological issues and outbursts. Anxiety, clinical depression and disorders such as schizophrenia or bi-polar are frequently connected to high stress levels. It is clear that stress can be minimized when fiscal stability is present. Although it is not the only factor in these issues.

The use of fiscal stability refers to the presence of these factors

• Ability to pay bills as and when they fall due
• The ability to afford food that is of reasonable quality
• The ability to pay for some extra curricular costs such as eat-out food, entertainment or luxury service (massage, facial)*
• To be comfortable with financial ability to prepare or repair any necessity equipment such as laundry machine, dish washing machine or light bulbs
• Some ability to save (eg. To save 10% of earning) and still pay bills

* For families with children this is especially important because young children often like to participate in extra curricular classes such as dance, basketball, surfing or martial arts. These classes can tax financially strained families, sometimes causing social awkwardness for young children. While it is understandable that there must be some cuts to extracurricular activities it's reasonable to allow every person the opportunity to relax through one non-necessity service.

It is undoubted that if England wishes to encourage progression they must inspire financial stability. Financial stability is the way to encourage individuals to aspire. Unless the general populace feels that by accepting a job with higher levels of responsibility and better pay they will not lose out but gain valuable experience and satisfaction there will never be any progression. Other countries have also witnessed higher levels of productivity when minimum wage is at a 'living' level.

The steadtler pens in the top left corner actually
became very popular around the office

I will note here that organizations have raised the alert that minimum wage is the 'average' cost of living for the entire nation. It is important to know that a single person family will be able to live of the minimum wage comfortably while a family with two children will struggle. As lawyers it's important we don't pre-judge other families expecting that they can support themselves on minimum wage. Depending on circumstances it may not always be viable.

I would encourage young aspiring lawyers and current legal professionals to explore the website [http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/] and consider becoming a Change Maker or registered donor today. The charity is constantly expanding the areas in which it works – working as a empathetic policy union that promotes for the well being of employees and employers rather than higher pay and lesser hours. It's difficult to summarize the exact issues that Working Families deals with because they are so dynamic and do respond quickly to the changing issues within the work place.

Uniquely the charity is also recognizing the growing paternal expectations for young fathers. Some closely related organizations that Working Families has connected with researched the growth in child-minding fathers. It was found that while women are still predominantly the primary carers, males were taking a larger interest in the primary care role for children. Currently men are limited in their ability to take over this role as prejudice is beginning to turn away from women and back towards men. Although males were noted to spend more time doing 'fun' things with children while women completed more domestic tasks.

In a study by [https://aifs.gov.au/publications/family-matters/issue-37/achieving-family-supportive-workplace-and-community] it was discovered that women felt more able to disrupt their working day to tend to a sick child then men. After further investigation it was concluded that often the work place culture was the leading factor in this feeling. While corporations may present a face of gender equality the reality for many males is that when they disrupt work for a child they often feel that their work is at risk.

Working Families is still trying to explore the extent of this cultural phenomenon. I hope soon I will be able to revisit the topic and provide a more comprehensive analysis of the new work-place prejudice. Although perhaps soon with support of Working Families the picture will present more equality and less gender bias for in this day and age woman are no longer primary carers, they are merely one of the two primary carers.

Lulu Hensman

The ultimate senior school/high school guide

Study Tips

a) Online Stuff

If you're a bit nervous about online things, then there are three websites you should try. They were essential to me getting through senior school. - Please do yourself a favor and just try them out.

Facebook

We've spoken a bit about this before, but I thought I'd explain to you how most senior students communicate and why it's best to build a Facebook profile before you start your senior years.

In my final year, we had a year 12 Facebook group, and it was how the girls set up planning meetings, practices, and organized parties. It was the easiest way for other members of my year group who I might not see every day let me know that I had to bring in something or lead a part of a meeting.

Even if you only go on it for school purposes and have minimal information about you, it's a good way to keep yourself in contact. Also, if you're ever unsure about what the homework is or need to get someone's notes, it's the fastest method to ask around the class.

Tumblr

Tumblr is different to Facebook. It is completely anonymous, so there is no need to put up a picture or name that's connected to you. The reason I'm suggesting it is because I learned a lot of valuable information from the stubyblr community.

#studyblr on tumblr screenshot

On Tumblr, everything is organized through hashtags '#'. Under the hashtag '#study', '#studyblr' or#studyspo you can find a wealth of information about websites and techniques that can help you to complete your studies.

On the image, you can see the end of a study post where the poster is giving tips on how to give a good presentation in front of the class. There's also a post where another member is showing the homework they've completed. I found this motivating especially when I felt that I was the only person in the world studying, or just wanted a reminder that my hard work would be worth it.

Screenshot of Kahn Academy homepage

Kahn Academy

Through this website, you can sign up with Facebook or manually through a form. It's an online site which stores educational quizzes, games, and videos. It has interactive and non-interactive components that allow you to learn from other teachers/experts without having to go and ask for help from your school.

The materials on this site can also teach you different methods that your school might not teach you. Various methods can be useful if you're struggling to reach the same answers as the other students.

You can see in the image all the classes I'm currently doing. You can log in and see all the classes that are available. I enjoyed the crash course history – but there are hundreds of courses and videos to try!

b) Homework

The senior school won't have as much homework as you're expecting. Unlike middle school, senior school teachers aren't interested in checking off a list of homework completed and uncompleted.

However, it's crucial that you do keep up with your assigned tasks. These tasks are paramount to building an understanding of what's going on in class and broadening your knowledge.

In senior school there are a lot of things that your teacher won't talk about in class – however knowing about those little extra bits of information can help to enhance your grades from a 'b' to an 'a.'

Tips (a quick list!)

• Listen to instrumental music not lyrical. Otherwise, you'll get distracted
• Write a list of /everything/ you want to get done, not just what you'd have to get done from school
• Designate a study area and set it up with everything you might need
• Skim read the related textbook chapter. Often the teachers will use the end of chapter questions in your tests- because no one ever reads them
• Set a study time and a nonstudy time – be hesitant to break these times, because it's vital for your ability to balance work and study
• Develop an opinion on everything that you do. Not only will this develop your communications skills but it will ensure that you look at every aspect of the subject to develop a proper opinion.
• Don't ignore any comments that teachers make. Keep a notepad or word doc up in class and write down anything that is important. For example; 'students pay attention to this' – indicates that it may be an important topic that features in the test

c) When you struggle with class

When you struggle in class, it's important that you don't give up. Unfortunately, teachers may not always realize that you're struggling or having trouble.

Instead, you might have to take charge. To do so figure out;

> is it because you're not understanding the teaching methods used?<

Sometimes a particular teacher or method just doesn't want to stick in your brain. And that's fine there are plenty of other ways to learn a load of information.

1. Put the information on to flash cards
2. Write the information into an article (like you can see on my blog)
3. Talk about the information with friends or family
4. Look for a video on related information
5. Talk to a head of the department or other teachers that you trust
6. Arrange for an out school meeting
7. Find an older student to give some notes or tutor you
8. Ask a parent or family member

Telling people that you're having trouble may seem a bit scary, but it's vitally important that you're upfront about how your learning is going. In the senior years and university, you're completely in charge of what happens in your academic career. So now is the time to learn how to call in for help when you need it.

> Is it because you don't have an interest in the subject?<

Unfortunately some classes are a trudge – but I stand firmly by the fact that there is value in every class! If you're bored of your class try doing on of the following;

1. Find real world applications for it
2. Find a news story about it
3. Draw a poster about it using all your favorite colors, actors and stationary
4. Find someone inspirational in that field
5. Figure out how you could use it in your future career

credits to tumblr daydesigner

e) Balancing

a) When it feels like too much

Lots of times in senior school I felt like I was facing a huge workload and then an enormous expectation from friends and family. It can feel like an epic amount of pressure.

However this is going to happen to everyone – don't stress! There are lots of ways to get through it!

credits to tumblr daydesigner

If you go onto Tumblr and search 'printables' you'll find lots of gorgeous looking sheets for putting in planners, writing lists or managing your time. I've taken a few screenshots of something I thought you might like – if you want them just go onto Tumblr and have a look – or you can find others of google images but be careful because they're not always available to download.

ai) Time management

A lot of people will tell you lots of ways to manage your time. Unfortunately, this can prove more distracting than beneficial.

Try the techniques that make the most sense to you but don't feel like you have to stick to them religiously! I've included a few websites that have helped me improve my time management but remember to do what works for you.

In the end, the best technique is routine and habit.

http://www.studygs.net/shared/mgmnt.htm

http://etudiance.tumblr.com/post/132244104798/the-pomodoro-method-is-so-important-and-i-feel

http://studyign.com/post/125463345667/soooooo-school-is-starting-in-about-a-month-for-me

f) Friends vs. School

In senior school social groups will change – sometimes considerably. You might feel the need to spend lots and lots of time with your friends to keep you little group together.

nothing like a meal with good friends!

Don't stress about keeping them close, yes they are your great friends, and you do have awesome memories with them but try to keep things in perspective. There are a hundred and a bit people in your year. That's plenty of people to connect to. If it ever feels like you're sacrificing part of your schooling to keep up a relationship with someone that isn't that interested in you – then drop it!

At the end of the day, you're not going to lose a friendship overnight, but you can fall behind quickly. Don't forget to spend time with others but please don't obsess over losing one friend or another. People will come and go the only thing that you can do is be friendly and welcoming.

Be yourself too – it was hard for me to get used to the idea of just being myself but at the end of the day I had to find friends that accepted that I could be sarcastic, obsessed with law and a massive Justin Bieber fan. It took time, but I did find people that loved that about me, and I know that you'll find people who like you for who you are too.

Lulu Hensman