From The President, 0821 WYBJ, Vol. 44 No. 4. 8

• Position: Vol. 44 4 Pg. 8

From the President

No. Vol. 44 No. 4 Pg. 8

Wyoming Bar Journal

August, 2021

The Importance of Well-Being

Billie LM Addleman Hirst Applegate, LLP Cheyenne, Wyoming

If you have been reading my columns, then you probably know by now that I love a good quotation. As I think about my final column, a quotation that resonates with me is by the explorer and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen, “Te difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer.”^[1] In thinking about this quotation, I decided my final column in the Wyoming Lawyer would be on well-being.

Several years ago, I came across the book Te Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor. It changed my life. It was the most impactful book I have ever read, and I have given away more than 50 copies of the book with the simple ask – “Please read the first 30 pages. If you are not hooked by then, give it away.” It certainly helped my approach to the practice of law and well-being. Notably for this column, the author discusses the challenges for individuals who deal with conflict on a daily basis, in particular observations of lawyers and law school.

Why was it so impactful?

Te author, a psychologist, states what should be obvious. Happy people (or more positive people) are genuinely more successful. Interestingly, it...