The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief

A Different Path to Well-Being: Embracing the “Being” Mode Over the “Having” Mode

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good person should be. Be one.”-Marcus Aurelius

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. This week, I’m diving into two fundamental ways of living: the having mode and the being mode. Let’s get started!

We live in a world that often measures success by wealth, possessions, and status. Because of this, it’s easy to fall into the mindset that having more equates to living better. But is accumulation truly the key to well-being? In To Have or To Be (1976), psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm explores two fundamental ways of living: the having mode and the being mode — and makes a compelling argument that our collective well-being depends on shifting from one to the other.

The Battle Between “Having” and “Being”

Fromm describes the having mode as a way of existence focused on material possessions, status, and external validation. It’s driven by aggression, greed, and control, leading to competition, anxiety, and an endless cycle of dissatisfaction. The more we have, the more…