What is an Achievement?

Dictionary.com defines Achievement as follows:

A thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill The process or fact of achieving something A child's or student's progress in a course of learning, typically as measured by standardized tests or objectives A representation of a coat of arms with all the adjuncts to which a bearer of arms is entitled Achievement in the practice of law can be measured in both large and small ways. Successfully filing the articles for a company is an achievement. Whether it is a large or small achievement depends on the difficulty involved in getting there! But, for the practicing lawyer, filing your first company is an achievment- a thing done successfully. Interestingly achievement is also defined as the "process" of achieving something. Yes, I can make a reference to "its the journey, not the destination" line of thought. For a lawyer though, that is often the case. We learn by doing. A good lawyer is often one experienced or clever in the process rather than merely one who achieves the goal. Achievement can also mean a simple measure. Passing the bar. Achieving an AV Rating. These too, are part of the practice of law. As much as we might view much of what we do as subjective or subject to interpretation, there is much that is not. You either are a lawyer or you are not. You either have an AV Rating or you do not. Objective measures of achievement can set us apart...or simply be the barrier to entry we must overcome... The last definition of achievement is a bit of a surprise to most:   "a representation of a coat of arms with all the adjuncts to which a bearer of arms is entitled." If you think about it, it shouldn't be. In the "olden days" a knight had his shield where he displayed his crest (Yes, we lawyers are like knights but I will save that for another post). We, too, have a coat of arms-- our name. Our name as reflected on our stationary or business card. So achievements for lawyers can be many things- objective, subjective, practical, and personal. We should remember our achievements and realize that are associated with our name- our crest, our coat of arms.