Episode
Stop Chasing "The Best" and Beat Yesterday with Jake Thompson | Ep. 173
- Published
- Mar 2, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2499
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Summary
Stop Racing Someone Else's Race and Start Winning Yours! That's the message Great Practice, Great Life has today. Steve Riley welcomes back Jake Thompson, the Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day and an Atticus community favorite, to deliver a wake-up call every ambitious attorney and firm owner needs to hear. Drawing fresh inspiration from his two newest books, The Line , a compelling story about touching the line and claiming that extra inch of excellence, and Beat Yesterday , the research-driven guide to outrunning your own yesterday, Jake reveals why the relentless pursuit of being "the best" is quietly sabotaging your fulfillment, your energy, and your firm's long-term growth. Together they expose the hidden traps that derail high-achievers: toxic comparison that breeds complacency or despair, an ego that turns feedback into a personal attack, and the exhausting chase for external trophies (bigger revenue numbers, flashier verdicts, "top firm" status) that never deliver lasting satisfaction. Jake shares clear, immediately usable frameworks to break free: Clarify the real game you actually want to win (your unique vision of a great practice and great life, not someone else's scoreboard). Redefine competition as beating yesterday's version of yourself. Harness small daily margins that create massive separation. Transform uncomfortable feedback (from clients, team members, or lost opportunities) into pure momentum instead of defensiveness. Steve shares a key insight on law firm profitability: lawyers who commit to consistent physical discipline and energy management often double their income within a year—not through magic, but through sharper focus, bolder confidence, the discipline to reject bad cases, and the ability to project the reliability and long…