The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief

Can Your Overall Happiness, Well-Being, and Even Financial Future Come Down to 1 Simple Word?

“Whatever you do, make some promise or commitment to yourself. Promise yourself that you will not quit when it gets difficult. Promise yourself that you will not hold anything back. Let the contest be the most important thing in your life at that moment. And make sure you keep your promise to yourself.”-Dr. Stan Beecham

Welcome back or welcome to, the Lawyer’s Well-being Brief. Every week, I share insights and tools to help us improve our well-being. This week we look at Agency.

One Big Idea

The subtitle for this week’s edition came in part from an Inc. Magazine article entitled “Your Overall Happiness, Well-Being, and Even Financial Future Come Down to 1 Simple Word, Backed by Science.” That one simple word happens to be Agency.

Agency is what humans have always used to feel in command of their lives. With it, people can live in ways that reflect their interests, values, and inner motivations. In the book, The Power of Agency, the authors, Dr. Paul Napper and Anthony Rao, Ph.D, define Agency as “the ability to act as an effective agent for yourself — reflecting, making creative choices, and constructing a meaningful life.”