We talk about successes in our profession, which is, of course, a good thing. For me, as a type A overachiever, setbacks and challenges are particularly difficult. I am sure many of you can relate. They create fears and self-doubt. Instead, we should normalize that setbacks and failure are inevitable, and what is important is getting up again and moving forward. 

Cecile Richards, our 2022 Annual Dinner keynote speaker, was disciplined in ninth grade for protesting the Vietnam War. She went on to become a leader in political activism for women’s rights and social justice. Her mother, Ann Richards, a divorcee and single mother of four children, was elected as the first progressive female governor of Texas “against all odds.” Richards said about her mother: “I think it’s a lesson for today, because no one ever gave her a chance of winning. I mean, no one,” Richards said. “But she did win, even though no polls ever showed us winning.” In her book, “Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead,” Richards talks about her mother’s successes as well as her failed gubernatorial reelection campaign.

I have experienced my own setbacks. Among other things, I have been told that I was not qualified to work in a big law firm because I did not serve on the law review at Boston University School of Law and that I would never manage a law firm. Today, I have successfully done both. Remember that it only takes one yes. It is the setbacks and failures that make us better. In the midst of a challenge, do not give up, keep moving, and know that better things are yet to come.