The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief. . .The Boring Stuff Matters Most!
“The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn’t go our way.”-Greg Popovich
Welcome (back) to the Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief! Each week, I try to share insights and practical strategies to help us cultivate well-being and thrive — both personally and professionally. Live well! Lawyer well!
“Be disciplined to be disciplined. Like and embrace the boring. The mundane.” — Mitch Johnson
When the San Antonio Spurs announced that Mitch Johnson would take over as head coach, it wasn’t a headline about a flashy new leader. It was about someone who had quietly earned every inch of his ascent — through patience, consistency, and yes, discipline.
That quote from Johnson — “Be disciplined to be disciplined. Like and embrace the boring. The mundane.” — may sound like something out of a basketball film, but it’s actually a powerful lesson in well-being. Because whether you’re coaching NBA players, leading a law firm, or simply trying to live a balanced life, the truth is the same: the boring stuff matters most.
The Power of the Boring
We love peak moments — the big wins, the new habits that change everything overnight, the rush of motivation. But wellbeing, like winning, is not built in the highlight reels. It’s built in the quiet hours — the walk we take when we’d rather scroll, the meal we prep when it would be easier to order out, the stretch we do before bed even when no one’s watching.
That’s exactly what Johnson is getting at. “Be disciplined to be disciplined” means learning to stick with it, not just once, but again and again until it becomes part of who we are. It’s the discipline to show up — for practice, for our health, for ourselves.
The Mundane Is Where Growth Lives
The irony of “boring” is that it’s where transformation actually happens. A player runs the same drill a hundred times until their movement becomes second nature. A person practices daily gratitude until they start noticing what’s good without trying.
Mitch Johnson’s coaching philosophy mirrors this truth: small, repetitive acts compound over time. There’s no glamour in the grind — but that’s what makes it sacred.
When we begin to “embrace the boring,” we free ourselves from the need for constant novelty or motivation. Instead, we build momentum. And momentum, in both sport and self-care, is what keeps us moving forward when motivation fades.
The Discipline Behind the Discipline
There’s a reason Johnson says, “Be disciplined to be disciplined.” It’s a reminder that discipline isn’t a single act — it’s a relationship we build with ourselves.
That’s also the essence of well-being. You can’t meditate once and call it mindfulness. You can’t stretch once and call it recovery. You can’t have one great night of sleep and expect clarity for a week. You have to be disciplined about your discipline — protecting the habits that protect you.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about honoring the process.
What We Can Learn From Mitch Johnson’s Approach
Routine is strength, not restriction.
The repetition of small acts — morning rituals, workouts, journaling — isn’t boring. It’s what builds resilience.Consistency beats intensity.
We don’t need to do everything perfectly. We need to do the right things consistently.Embrace process over praise.
The wins will come, but only if we learn to love the reps — the unglamorous, everyday ones.Discipline creates freedom.
When we build habits, we reduce the friction of choice. That structure gives us energy and mental space to focus on what matters.
Final Thoughts
Mitch Johnson’s journey from player to head coach wasn’t about meteoric rise — it was about gradual, steady evolution. His mantra — “Be disciplined to be disciplined. Like and embrace the boring. The mundane.” — is more than a coaching philosophy. It’s a framework for a sustainable life.
Because the secret to well-being isn’t in chasing the extraordinary — it’s in mastering the ordinary.
When we start to see the “boring” as beautiful, we realize that the everyday choices — how we move, eat, think, connect, and prepare for sleep — are the very things shaping who we become.
Forward Always!
