During a recent drive to the office I was listening to comedian John Oliver be interviewed by radio legend Howard Stern. In describing his unlikely path to success, Mr. Oliver spoke about the journey he made from small-time comedian in Great Britain, to catching a break and having the opportunity to join Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, to ultimately earning his own show on HBO. The part of the interview that stood out to me occurred when Mr. Oliver said, “A little bit of failure early on is good to knock off the edges.” I loved that quote the moment I heard it. An incredibly talented person that had reached the peak of his profession taking the time to acknowledge that the finished product we see on television each week didn’t get there in one day.

Like most young people that feel like they can conquer the world, new attorneys come off the high of passing the bar and often having their first real job. It’s understandably an incredibly exciting time for them, but is also a time that few young attorneys truly appreciate. Many of the young attorneys that I encounter are looking to rush through their careers. They believe that they can handle their own work, that they should have their own clients, or that they should be making important decisions. Few appreciate the years or financial investment it took for their employers to develop a client. For many young attorneys, there is a focus on how much their next raise will be, on whether they will receive a bonus, or perhaps on what the next promotion will be. I know these attorneys well because I was admittedly one of them early in my career.

In some ways I was incredibly appreciative of the training and mentoring that I received when I was first admitted to the bar. But there is no question that I did not always take advantage of that time. Instead of appreciating the moment, I was often looking at what the next professional goal would be in my career. And while achievements are great things that should be celebrated, similar to the words of John Oliver, I find that some of the most valuable training in my career were moments of failure that truly humbled me and forced me to refocus on the immediate task at hand.

While I’m not advocating for young attorneys to go out of their way to seek failure, I also do not think they should be afraid to fail. Attorneys that become too predictable or too comfortable are sometimes lulled into a false sense of security. Similarly, young attorneys who are yearning to become the managing partner of their firm or the general counsel of their corporation before they’ve taken their first deposition are getting way ahead of themselves. Those who are always trying to improve, and who are not afraid to occasionally “take one on the chin” will develop the healthy confidence that all capable attorneys need to get through the highs and lows of their careers. Supervising attorneys want employees that want to learn, and who want to be challenged. They’re unlikely to invest much time into attorneys who think they already know everything or who are unwilling to spend the time it takes to improve.

Young attorneys should strive to find the balance of being challenged so that they can learn, while not taking on so much that it becomes impossible to succeed. The best way to achieve this balance is to find a mentor, whether it be at your employer or through the bar association. These are people that have walked in your shoes, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of the wisdom that they can provide.

Personally, I have been fortunate enough to have both highs and lows in my career, and perhaps more importantly, I feel like I’ve learned from both. Although I still remember law school like it was yesterday, ten years into my career I can definitively tell you that becoming an older attorney, or maybe I should say, more experienced attorney, eventually occurs for us all. You will have your own files or projects to handle, your own clients to manage, and if you are lucky enough, your own young attorneys to groom. But until that happens, don’t rush through your early years and remember you are an unfinished product. The learning and moments of failure that will take place during this time are essential to your development as an attorney. There will be few other times in life where your employer will be paying for you to learn, a fact we often fail to appreciate. I urge you to learn how to fail gracefully, but even more importantly, to learn how to get back on your feet after you do. Knowing that you can work through a problem, and that a momentary failure will not define you or your career, will make you a more focused, more experienced, and more well-rounded practitioner.