If You Like It, Then You Should Have Put a Ring on It

On my way into work this morning, I listened to Beyonce.

What, you say? Beyonce? Yes, in fact I did. I listened to Beyonce, then some Britney and Rhianna. Rounding out all the hip hop was my favorite angry girl rock song of the moment by Metric. In the past, this playlist was reserved for the 45 minutes leading up to kick-off or the start of a 100 meter sprint. Today, it was used for lawyering.

It's funny how you revert back to the things you know best during the times when you don't know what to do.

See today, I spoke at my very first hearing. I presented two cases during oral argument. In both cases, the board's votes were in my favor. I won.

When I write it out, it sounds very simple.

In some ways, it was simple. Months ago, I read the files, determined what issues existed, researched the law, applied the law to the facts, and came to a conclusion. And while today, I knew the facts, the issues, the law, the application of it all, I was still nervous about the oral arguments.

Minutes before I was called to speak, a familiar feeling crept into my stomach. It was the same feeling I used to get when it was time to crawl into the blocks on the track. I would go through a routine. Jump. Jump. Stretch. Knees pressed to the all-weather surface, hands steady on the line. The official would say, "SET." A rise to the starting position. Then, the gun and a race to the finish line.

One of the principles that I loved about track & field, was that the focus was always about obtaining your personal best. It was a battle of You versus The Stopwatch. While medaling was ideal, it was also an afterthought of sorts. The goal was always to do the best that YOU could do.

With my stomach turning, I focused on what I knew and tried to do my best to clearly articulate this content to my audience. A few minutes into my opening statement, I relaxed and everything flowed. I was able to confidently answer questions. I put together coherent sentences. I didn't stumble over my word choices.

I believe today was a successful start. It was not perfect, but I'm okay with a satisfactory performance. It was good enough to set a standard for myself, one that I can work to improve upon with each new opportunity. And, believe it or not, I did it all with a Beyonce song stuck in my head.