The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief

Joy Is Not a Luxury — It’s Part of the Process

“The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”-Voltaire

Welcome (back) to the Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief! Each week, I share insights and practical strategies to help us cultivate well-being and thrive — both personally and professionally. Live well! Lawyer well!

Joy Is Not a Luxury — It’s part of our Process

We often treat joy like a finish line.

Something we’ll get to… eventually. After the project is done. After the kids are asleep. After we’ve lost the weight, landed the job, or crossed everything off our to-do list. Only then do we give ourselves permission to smile, breathe, and savor.

But that’s not how joy works.

Joy is not a reward for productivity. It’s not a prize for winning. It’s not something you have to earn.

Joy is a practice. A discipline. A sacred responsibility.

It’s how we honor life — even in the middle of the mess, even on the hardest days. It’s not just for vacations or “once everything settles down.” Because let’s be honest: everything rarely settles down.