Following my post summarizing Lawrence Krieger and Kennon Sheldon’s research on what makes lawyers (and law students) happy, I just saw this blog post with Krieger’s concise and practical message to students based on that research.

He tells students that they can focus on extrinsic motivations, competing with other students, and try to survive in this nerve-wracking competition.  Or they can focus on intrinsic motivations to thrive by developing their own individual paths.

Of course, it is not quite as simple as an either-or choice, but I think Krieger’s message provides an important encouragement for students to focus actively on developing their own goals, capabilities, and opportunities.

I think that this is a good message for students and you might pass it along to those in your classes, especially 1Ls.

My Last Lecture article is consistent with this message and provides more detail.  So you might pass that along to students who want more.

BTW, the AALS Balance Section is sponsoring a teleconference with Lawrence Krieger on this subject, this Friday, Oct. 9, from 9:30 to 10:30 Pacific Standard Time.   To participate, call (712) 432-1500, and use access code 1062814#.