There once was a scorpion who needed to cross a river...

But the scorpion could not swim. 


Next to him was a frog. 


The scorpion asked the frog to let him ride on his back across the river. 


The frog said no because he knew the scorpion would sting him. 


The scorpion insisted and promised not to sting the frog. 


The frog finally agreed. They began their journey across the river. 



About halfway across, the scorpion stung the frog. 


Right before they drowned, the frog asked, "Why?"


The scorpion replied, "I'm a scorpion; it's what I do."


How many of us have clients that come in the door and we know they are scorpions? 

We can see their nature from a mile away. 

Yet we acquiesce and get burned. Or in this case, drown. 


The same can be said with other people coming into our lives. 

As much as we may want to help them, we know that when we do, they will ultimately harm us in the process. 

The best thing for the frog to do is not necessarily run away, but teach the scorpion how to swim. Perhaps the scorpion can become a frog (barring the obvious anatomical challenges). 

For clients, that could look like:

- clearly defined engagement agreements

- flat-fee pricing

- advance on payment ("retainer")

- or any number of other ways to help them with their problem without sacrificing yourself. 


For friends that are in a rut, that could require them to do some self-work first before you agree to allocate for time for their issues. 

- Read these books

- Journal these thoughts

- Reach out to these people

- Stop doing these things 


As attorneys, I think we're so quick to want to help people without realizing how quickly the people we're trying to help can drown us. 

Recognize the scorpion for what it is. If you can teach it how to swim, great. If you've already built a bridge, great. But don't put the scorpion on your back. 


__

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