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.
Waiting for joy is like waiting for the perfect weather before you step outside. We’ll miss a thousand ordinary moments that could have nourished our soul.
When we treat joy as part of the process, not a bonus, we start to live differently.
We begin to:
Notice the beauty in small things: sunlight on our coffee mug, laughter in the next room, the quiet after a storm.
Give ourselves grace: understanding that we can feel stress and still choose joy in a moment.
Lead others with presence: modeling the kind of grounded, openhearted living that helps others feel safe and inspired.
This isn’t about pretending things are perfect. It’s about choosing to be alive in the moment — to feel it fully, to be grateful anyway, to smile anyway.
We were born worthy of joy.
Not because of what we do, but because of who we are.
So let your joy show up today — not in spite of the chaos, but in the midst of it. It may just be the most generous act of leadership we offer.
Closing Thoughts
Joy isn’t a detour from our purpose — it’s part of the path. The more we honor joy as essential, not extra, the more resilient, connected, and alive we become. Don’t wait for life to slow down to feel joy. Let joy be the way we move through it.
Forward Always!
