Nowadays,Chinais at a turning point with all walks of life facing challenges, and specifically the lawyers encounter the most severe situation. To be honest, I think that I am a little idealistic and somewhat optimistic among my peers. Most of the time, of course, including my lawyer career of nearly 30 years, I live happily. Especially after 50 years old, I became less angry or worried. Some friends asked me about the knack, in fact, there is no such thing but attitude and common sense, which can be summed up as the following eight points.

1. Proper reverse thinking

The road of life is not always flat and smooth, and sometimes it can be rough and frustrated. In the event of unpleasantness, reverse thinking can help improve one's emotions.

At 6 o'clock on the morning of June 1, 2017, I went to Beijing West Railway Station to take the train to Zhengzhou for the court trial at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It was half past three but the court’s door was still unopened. Then the clerk came and said the court session was rescheduled because the presiding judge had been hospitalized for fracture in the wrestling on the Dragon Boat Festival the day before yesterday. Following the procedure, the court should have notified the parties yesterday, which would save me the day and from the fatigue. It was a bit annoying. What should I do? I thought of the judge who had broken his arm. That was unfortunate! So I didn’t say much and just put forward two suggestions: Firstly, arrange the next court session as soon as possible and notify me as early as possible. Secondly, the court today was a bit small, which was crowded for hearing, please arrange a bigger one next time.

After the communication, I immediately changed my ticket to return to Beijing. However, I did not waste the Children's Day while waiting and boarding trains, instead, I used the mobile phone to write this article to amuse and share with friends.

2. Make money earnestly

I've been in Beijing for fifteen years, unremittingly and continuously learning and researching the housing demolition, and eventually win the market with expertise. A lawyer who is financially independent is not necessarily happy but can hardly be happy without financial independence. Money is not a panacea but a necessity. Certainly, lawyers need to work hard to earn money, because raising a family is not an empty talk. The income will bring happiness to the family and oneself.

It's a dereliction of duty when a lawyer can't ensure his family adequate food and clothing. This does not mean that you have to possess huge assets or fairly high income, but you must work hard to expand the case sources so that the attorney fee can meet the needs of your family and yourself.

A lawyer’s philanthropic conduct and market practice should be separated. The rule for the dividing is "A gentleman makes money through righteous ways".

3. Take work as an adventure

Now that many lawyers have entered the middle class, there is no doubt that their material life is unprecedentedly rich. However, in addition to food and clothing, they need spiritual enrichment. How to treat work as the source of happiness and to continuously obtain spiritual satisfaction from work is our way of life and also a criterion for judging whether a person is happy.

When accepting commissions one after another, we should keep the spirit of exploring and identifying new problems. In my 30 years of practice, I often see cases handling as explorations, business trips as traveling, files as books, thus the work’s hardness is turned into sweetness. Thereby, I think that whether a lawyer can work happily is not directly related to the level of income, but the attitude and method of work. For instance, does he consider the work challenging? does the work results give him a sense of achievement, and can he have access to new things? Is he recognized by the society?

4. Share with friends and relatives

To be happy, it is important for a lawyer to have close friends and family members with whom anything can be shared. Except for things that need to be kept secret according to law and professional ethics, happiness and pain in work can be shared with others, and feelings need to be communicated. If a lawyer is successful but has no family or friends to share with, he will not be happy.

However, the circle of friends and relatives needs maintenance. As a saying goes, "It's impolite not to make a return for what one receives". Treating each other sincerely and being kind to friends and relatives, one can receive good treatment from others. It is not easy for people to meet, but it is possible to say hello on WeChat or micro-blog.

On this regard, I have deeply benefited from the active participation in activities of the Special Committee of All China Lawyers Association, as always for more than 20 years. We not only exchange knowledge, but also make friends and share happiness. At present, we have fun through online exchanges with friends.

5. Cherish the health

We should cherish our body and life which come from our parents. Lawyers are mainly engaged in mental work, and the killers of the body mainly are mental stress and lack of sleep.

On June 1, 2016, my old friend, Yu Ning, the sixth and seventh president of All China Lawyers Association, passed away at the age of 62. In the first four months of 2017, ten lawyers died either in court or on the way to court. The premature death is not a glory but an irresponsibility for themselves and their families.

Many lawyers are desperate to earn money when they are young, and desperate to maintain the health in their middle age, which is unwise. Those who can walk a long way with a food bag on one shoulder are not bold, but those who frequently change the shoulder to carry the bag, combining exertion and rest, are commendable. However, I can barely scrape through this. Sometimes I was too busy to have adequate sleep, which will be rectified in the future.

6. Sparetime life can be colorful

For a long time, our country suppressed human nature with the slogan of "class struggle as the guiding principle", and all stimulating interests and lifestyles are criticized. But the history demonstrates that this ascetic way of life is not conducive to one’s physical and mental health.

After work, various hobbies and leisure activities are necessary for lawyers. It's a good thing to play but not to be lost. For example, we can have fun in the park walk, or mountain climbing on weekends.

My another hobby is to write something, from short posts on WeChat or micro-blog to books (more than 30 books published). Writing is said to be a good way for preventing depression and Alzheimer's disease. Now that there are new regulations preventing the We-Media from writing news and comments, let's write inspirational articles. You can have a try.

7. The living environment is very important

Whether you buy or rent a house, choose a suitable living environment for yourself, which relates to your happiness index. My choice of housing has nothing to do with the luxury of housing, but based on the following three principles:

Firstly, it should not be far from my workplace, because I will not waste time on the way to and from work.

Secondly, the traffic should be convenient. I cannot drive, so what I need is convenient public transport.

Thirdly, the floor should not be too high. It takes time and physical strength to climb stairs.

The above three points are personal experience for reference only, yet the legendary three house movings by Mencius's mother were reasonable. A good living can benefit one's career.

8. Properly handle the relationship with clients

The clients should be fully respected because the lawyers' livelihood depends on them. However, even a lawyer with a high level of expertise cannot satisfy all clients. Especially when the civic awareness inChinahas not become a mainstream, it is difficult to completely avoid to be misunderstood by the clients. If the legitimate appeal of the client fails to be achieved, the lawyer will be uneasy. About this, I believe that such unrest should be changed into an impetus for learning and promoting the country's legal environment, rather than a burden.

Though the lawyer's work is toilsome, they are still fortunate than those whose family have been ruined by illegal demolition. The lawyers are not the goddess of mercy, but if they can appropriately do some charity work to help the needy people, that will be great. We have provided legal assistance for the demolition kills for many years, with most of them achieving significant results. "To rescue one person from death is better than to build a seven-storied pagoda. " Upon thinking of this, I will be happy and enjoy doing it!

Everyone has a different background and different life experience, so the way forward cannot be exactly the same. The above eight points are just personal views, and you can read or ignore it at will. I wish you all the best!

Article | Wang Cailiang Source | WeChat: "wozaibaozhu"