In the Peloton

12.43
Could it be that studying for the bar exam is actually making me less neurotic? As strange as that sounds, I'm thinking it might be the case.

Let me explain. I'm definitely what you would call a "Type-A" personality. A card-holding member of the "if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself" school of thought. And while I don't consider myself an overachiever per se (I stuck with 2 extracurriculars in law school per year, thank you!), I firmly believe that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing perfectly the first time around.

This is the kind of mentality that sets you up for disaster when studying for the bar. Because let's face it, unless you've got a photographic memory or are willing to go without sleep for three months straight, there's no way you can learn everything that's going to be tested. After all, if they made it easy, there wouldn't be any bell curve.

This is where the less-neurotic part comes in.

For the first three weeks of class, I was banging my head against the wall, frustrated that I was missing issues or rules or tiny little points that hadn't even been in the CMR or the lecture. Going over the answer for the first essay we turned in for grading was definitely a low point. Although I was pretty sure I'd get a third of a point or two for IRAC'ing, that was about all I thought I'd get.

This week - I've been letting things go a little bit more. Instead of trying to grade my essay outlines, I've been focusing on reading the fact pattern, sitting back and looking for the big picture, and then concentrating on making sure I hit the issues in the answer.

But most importantly, I've adopted a peloton mentality. You can't ride in front the entire race, not even if you're Lance Armstrong. The middle of the pack is a pretty good place to be.