If you want a happier and more prosperous Law Life, you simply need to be able to spell the word “permanent.”

Actually, you don’t even have to spell the whole word – just the first five letters.

PERMA is the brainchild of Dr. Martin Seligman, a founder of the field of positive psychology.

In a TED Talk that has racked up a remarkable 6 million views, he explains the five core elements of psychological well-being – abbreviated as PERMA:

• Positive emotions – feeling good
• Engagement – finding flow
• Relationships- creating authentic connections
• Meaning – having a purpose
• Achievement – having a sense of accomplishment

Want to learn more practical well-being pointers? Attend our FREE, one-hour CLE webinar “Zen and the Art of Practicing in a Pandemic” on December 15. Attorney and licensed therapist Michael Kahn, host of the “Thriving Lawyer” podcast, will offer practical tips on ethics, mindfulness and work/life balance. Register here.

“I used to think that the topic of positive psychology was happiness, that the gold standard for measuring happiness was life satisfaction, and that the goal of positive psychology was to increase life satisfaction. I now think that the topic of positive psychology is well-being, that the gold standard for measuring well-being is flourishing, and that the goal of positive psychology is to increase flourishing. This theory, which I call well-being theory, is very different from authentic happiness theory, and the difference requires explanation.”
― Martin E.P. Seligman, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

Here’s how to put PERMA into practice: create time every day for activities that make you happy and get you in the flow; connect with people, not things; strive to make a difference, not just make money; celebrate even small wins.

Zen and the Art of Practicing Law in a Pandemic
December 15, 2020
1 PM Eastern Standard Time

“Sadly, our profession is falling short when it comes to well-being.”

Those stark words come from the 2017 Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. The report, produced by the American Bar Association, Hazelden and other groups, found a profession “at a tipping point,” with alarming levels of stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, alcoholism, substance abuse and suicide among lawyers and law students.

“We are at a crossroads. The legal profession is struggling,” the ABA report says. “To be a good lawyer, one has to be a healthy lawyer.To maintain public confidence in the profession, to meet the need for innovation in how we deliver legal services, to increase access to justice, and to reduce the level of toxicity that has allowed mental health and substance use disorders to fester among our colleagues, we have to act now. Change will require a wide-eyed and candid assessment of our members’ state of being, accompanied by courageous commitment to re-envisioning what it means to live the life of a lawyer.”

Download the 2017 Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being here.

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