By Chuck Griffith, JBA Young Lawyers Section
In early 2016, not quite three years after being admitted to The Florida Bar, I came to what would ultimately be a turning point in my life and in my career.
My father, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area, called me a week after he had experienced severe chest pains while shoveling snow to let me know he was all right, but that we needed to get our health in order.
He must have noticed from afar that I had gained close to 50 pounds since beginning law school in 2010.
Looking back now, it is easy for me to recognize that the challenges of law school and the transition into being a young lawyer added a certain level of stress to my life.
While I didn’t even notice that stress in the moment, my instinct was to focus all my time and attention on my work while creating lazy and unhealthy habits in my life.
None of this is shocking. While job-related stress is not unique to lawyers, the pressures of advocating on behalf of our clients are very real, and the hours – especially for young lawyers learning to make critical decisions on the fly – are not conducive to making healthy lifestyle decisions.
After that conversation with my dad, I made a commitment to reshaping my lifestyle. I didn’t set any specific goals other than to drastically change my habits. At the time, candidly, I was lazy and had no control of my diet.
Since February 2016, by remaining committed to exercising four or five days a week and eating a healthy and balanced diet, I have lost more than 60 pounds and have managed to maintain a consistently healthy lifestyle.
Through my process, I’ve become an avid runner. At first, I could barely run a mile, but now I can handle half-marathons without blinking.
I’ve found that a run provides time for me to clear my head of distractions and other times, I’ll use the quiet time to think about clients’ issues without the distractions from inside the office.
I had always allowed myself to believe that I could not sacrifice any time in my day that needed to go toward practicing law, but it’s become clear that there is no sacrifice involved at all, and as a result, I am a better husband, father and lawyer now than I was three years ago. I am a happier person.
This May, as part of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division’s initiative to promote health and wellness throughout the legal profession, the Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section is sponsoring a Health and Wellness Challenge to encourage members to focus on making healthy lifestyle decisions.
Participants will earn points for completing wellness-related activities such as engaging in physical activity or mindfulness activities to improve mental health, eating fruits and vegetables or getting a physical examination.
At the YLS annual meeting June 6, we will recognize the top three participants who tracked the most wellness hours throughout May, with each winner receiving a prize.
All YLS members are invited to register by emailing me at [email protected] by 5 p.m. April 30.
Chuck Griffith is a partner with Papalas & Griffith, focusing on representing landowners in eminent domain, condemnation and property rights litigation.
