Why I Post On Non-Law Topics

After reading my prior post, you probably saw that some people apparently like this little experiment. Some people, on the other hand, do not. And that is fine. If everyone liked everything we had to say, we would either not be saying anything useful or we would be the biggest kiss ups in the history of mankind. I assure you that while we might not be saying anything useful, none of us are kiss ups.

But, in the last 30 to 45 days, I have increased the number of non-practice management posts. And some people have told me that these are "useless," "no good," and "a waste." Fair enough.  Since October, we have put up over 220 posts, which might be some sort of record. But, if you are coming here to read only about how to run your law firm, you should probably go read Allison Shields or Ed Poll or Carolyn Elefant or Jim Calloway or .................. Well, you get the idea.

My view on law practice is shaped by my view on life, which was shaped by my dad. (For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, he was probably the biggest influence in my life.) Running my law firm is important. Being able to feed my family is important. Helping other people is important. But, at the end of the day, life is too dang short not to make time for other things.

Look, my dad taught me how to run a business. And, in my opinion, the guy was good at it. He also passed away a few years ago, and he was way too young. Why work so hard if you cannot enjoy what you work for? What value does that have?

As a silver and leather band that Johnny Depp wears says "Today is a gift, have fun." Enjoy things outside of the law. Enjoy your family, your town, your life. Read my non law practice posts as a reminder that there is more to life than the law. And if you don't find them useful (you probably have not made it this far) then read one of the other great blogs that I referenced. They focus on law practice management almost exclusively, whereas I am still going to write the fun posts.

It is my philosophy on life, and it carries over to here. Life is short, your firm is important, but there is more to life than your firm. Enjoy the day.

-------Jonathan

Comments

[Allison Shields]

Jonathan-

In order to be really successful at anything in life, we all have to be able to take the lessons we learn in one area and apply them to another. Those who think that the only way to learn to be a better lawyer is by talking about the law are missing a huge opportunity.

Allison

[Lori Herz]

Jonathan, this post is right on. It builds on a regular theme of our blog, legal sanity http://www.legalsanity.com/: knowing and sharing what you're passionate about is the hub and heart of building a meaningful career in the law and a meaningful life outside of it.

[Michael B. Taylor]

What a coincidence. In the limited time each day that I spend enjoying life, I find a post that reminds me to do just that. I really enjoyed reading your post, and hardly believe that your information on non-practice management posts is a waste. I don't have my own firm (yet), but I know that 75% of lawyers I know don't have the talent or insight to post enlightening information on topics outside of law (or at least those that relate to a particular practice area). Resiliency is the key to life. Keep doing what you love to do.