By Stéphane Fournier*

I have read Vice Dean Yan Campagnolo’s speaking notes Réussir ses études en droit : une affaire de cœur.[i] They are very well thought out and focus on five elements for law school success.

I have also read Professor Lynda Collins’ captivating article Part of the Solution: Cultivating Student Well-Being in the Law School Classroom (“Part of the Solution”).[ii] It focuses on three categories of classroom-based interventions to improve student well-being.

This blog post seeks to complement those two texts and enhance students’ success and well-being by setting out a few methods for cultivating happiness and resilience during law school. Studies show that happiness and resilience are largely within our control,[iii] and cultivating them can help us achieve our personal goals.[iv]

I have been cultivating happiness and resilience for over twelve years now. During that time, I have read and studied over a hundred books and several hundred articles on the matter. I am a lawyer who specializes in financial institutions regulation; cultivating happiness and resilience has had an immense, positive impact on the quality of my work, my professional relationships and my contributions in the workplace.

In this blog post, I will discuss four methods that I use every single day to cultivate happiness and resilience:

• practicing gratitude;
• choosing wisely the meaning we give to our lives and the events we experience;
• recharging; and
• meditating (in my case, practicing transcendental meditation (“TM”) twice a day).

I will also explain how, if I could turn back in time, I would apply each of these methods to my time in law school. Each would have greatly enriched my law school experience and results.

Practicing gratitude

Life is not always easy, and law school is no exception. During the first few weeks of 1L, I woke up every morning feeling nauseous. When the nausea passed, knots in my stomach would replace it. How do I go about doing all this reading? What does a good summary look like? Are my classroom interventions thoughtful?

It is very easy to doubt oneself when facing the unknown; I would even argue that it is normal to do so, especially at the start of law school and of one’s career. And anxiety is to self-doubt what peas are to carrots—a natural pairing! In addition, it is very easy to get fixated on things that do not go your way—and to be hard on yourself.

If I had a time machine, I would visit my “September 1L self” and offer him a key piece of advice: start each day with a positive anchoring in the present by writing down five to ten things for which to be grateful, visualizing and feeling each of these things. Here are five examples:

• I am grateful for the tenacity that has brought me this far, and that remains by my side;
• I am grateful for my loved ones, who support and encourage me;
• I am grateful for the technology that makes my studies more effective;
• I am grateful for my sense of hearing and the singing bird outside my window; and
• I am grateful for the comfortable clothes I am wearing, which I did not have to make myself.

What are the benefits of such a daily practice? Research shows that it cultivates happiness, resilience, patience and humility; promotes physical and mental health; evokes a state of empowerment; opens the mind to new possibilities; and strengthens our relationships with others.[v]

Choosing wisely the meaning we give to our lives and the events we experience

For the first few weeks of my 1L, I saw my peers as competitors. I, therefore, behaved like a poker player around them, cunning and stingy with information. In contrast, one of my peers was genuinely affable and generous to others in the class. I learned from talking to him that this attitude was firmly rooted in benevolence. This attitude, which I also learned he chose deliberately, led him to be, in my view, the most respected member of the class throughout our time at law school. This peer is Professor François Larocque.[vi] His attitude, and his choosing to adopt it, have profoundly and positively impacted my life.

Later, through my reading in the field of well-being, I learned that such attitude-related choices are found in many forms of psychotherapy. In fact, my favourite book—Man’s Search for Meaning by psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905–1997)[vii]—which I have read several times and to which I keep returning, has enabled me to see the scientific basis of such choices.

Dr. Frankl proved his hypotheses, about the human freedom to choose meanings, in extremely difficult circumstances: he endured three years’ imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. He observed, for example, prisoners going from barrack to barrack to console their peers and offer them pieces of bread they could have eaten themselves. According to him, these cases, among others, “offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a [human being] but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”[viii]

According to Dr Frankl:

• reality is often malleable because of our freedom to choose meanings, including the meaning of our own lives and the events we experience;
• with this freedom comes a responsibility: “[…] to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who [are] being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist […] in right action and in right conduct”[ix]; and
• when a person becomes aware of—and owns—both this freedom and this responsibility, their life transforms powerfully. For example, problems and challenges transform into opportunities.

To illustrate, before law school, my university grades were often As. The grade I received on my very first law exam: a C! Why?, I asked myself at the time. I worked so hard to get here! And I did get here. So why a C? Truth be told, I was expecting a grade well below what I was used to since I did not answer the exam’s last few questions. I understood the material well but had not taken the time to synthesize it (an essential part of good law exam preparation). I, therefore, ran out of time.

Looking back, life was asking me the following questions: Should your approach, Stéphane, of merely understanding the material, change? Would this change simultaneously be a step toward becoming a lawyer? The words of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president, would have brought me solace in that period: “I never lose. I either win or learn.”

Recharging

By mid-November of my 1L, I was running out of steam. To put more (in fact, too much) time into my studies, I had set aside my favourite hobbies—activities that, in retrospect, recharged my batteries—since the start of the school year. No more time for leisure, I told myself in September. I have to focus one hundred percent on my studies.

Some people, like entrepreneur Elon Musk, have a constitution that allows them to work or study 80 hours a week consistently. That is not the case for me: putting everything into work or study is fine for a while, but not all the time.

It is true that you generally need to be focused and disciplined to do well in law school. In my case, I have learned that this includes being focused on and disciplined about who I am and where I am at. By “who I am,” I mean my interests and activities that appeal to me and replenish my energy levels and enthusiasm. By “where I am,” I mean being in tune with my body and mind (for example, do I need an activity to recharge my batteries?).

If I had a time machine, I would visit my September 1L self and implore him not to put aside replenishing activities, but rather to undertake them daily or almost daily. In the marathon that is law school, such activities are equivalent to keeping hydrated and maintaining a steady pace. If 1L Stéphane expressed any doubts about this, I would point him to the many studies (that are still to come) that demonstrate the positive correlation between regular leisure activities and good physical and mental health, including stress management.[x] If 1L Stéphane expressed remorse over not devoting himself fully to his studies, I would share with him the wise words of one of my mentors: “I don’t play tennis because I have time. I play tennis because it gives me time. It makes me much more efficient in my personal and professional lives, and allows me to pour more energy into them.”

Meditating

In many areas of student and professional life, it takes a great deal of effort to achieve excellence. It may, therefore, seem counterintuitive to achieve better results in these areas by doing little or nothing. Yet this is the basis of the fourth practice I engage in every day, which harnesses the power of stillness and a calm mind: meditation.

There are many forms of meditation. In Part of the Solution, Professor Collins discusses mindfulness meditation, which involves becoming fully aware of the present moment (i.e., our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and environment) without judgement or labelling. Professor Collins outlines the many benefits of this form of meditation[xi]—such as improved physical and emotional well-being, and increased creativity—and suggests ways of practicing it.[xii]

The form of meditation I practice is TM, which “makes use of the mind’s natural tendency to seek more satisfaction and [by repeating a mantra, TM] then gives the attention an inward direction, so that instantly, automatically, and effortlessly the attention is drawn within.”[xiii] I would describe TM as an encounter with oneself or one’s being; sometimes it is very profound, and other times more superficial, but it always leaves me feeling refreshed. It was this video of the legendary American comedian Jerry Seinfeld that started me on the TM path.[xiv] It is also the form of meditation practiced by the great American investor Ray Dalio.[xv] TM’s benefits are like those of mindfulness meditation, as described in Part of the Solution.

If I could go back in time, I would implore my 1L self to turn to meditation as a very powerful method of cultivating happiness and resilience. I would explain that the form of meditation matters less than meditating regularly. I would explain that although this method is still on the fringes in North America (remember, we are back in time), in the future, it will become common practice in Silicon Valley because of its benefits.[xvi]

So these are the four methods for cultivating happiness and resilience that I use daily, and I wish I had known about them and practiced them in law school. These are not the only methods for cultivating happiness and resilience; many others exist. These are just the four that I favour, and I invite you to explore them. If the idea of exploring all four methods simultaneously is overwhelming, I suggest you try one at a time.

It may seem counterintuitive that one can achieve better results in law school by engaging in practices that have little or nothing to do with the law itself. But that is where the power of these practices lies: they are short periods when you switch from reactive mode (i.e., the mode where you respond to deadlines, instructions and requests set by others) to proactive mode.

On that note, I wish you, dear students, success in your studies and in achieving your career and personal goals.

* Stéphane Fournier is a part-time professor in the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. He thanks Vice-Dean Yan Campagnolo for his insightful comments on an earlier version of this text.

[i] Yan Campagnolo, “Réussir ses études en droit : une affaire de cœur” (2024) 56:1 RD Ottawa 25.

[ii] Lynda Collins, “Part of the Solution: Cultivating Student Well-being in the Law School Classroom” (2024) 11 Can Leg Education Annual Rev 21.

[iii] See, for example, Bryan Robinson, “Can You Control Your Happiness? New Study Gives A Scientific Backed Answer” (September 2020), online: <forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/09/03/can-you-control-your-happiness-new-study-gives-a-scientific-backed-answer>; Martin EP Seligman, “Building Resilience” (April 2011), online: <hbr.org/2011/04/building-resilience>; Leslie Riopel, “Resilience Examples: What Key Skills Make You Resilient?” (January 2019) online: <positivepsychology.com/resilience-skills>. I assume for these purposes that the person is in good mental health. I recognise that a person who experiences depression, for example, has no such control or less control than a person in good mental health.

[iv] See, for example, Mayo Clinic Staff, “Resilience: Build Skills to Endure Hardship” (December 2023), online: <mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311>; Jim Purcell, “Resilience: The Key To Future Business Success” (September 2020), online: <forbes.com/sites/jimpurcell/2020/09/14/resilience-the-key-to-future-business-success>; Michael Neenan, Developing Resilience: A Cognitive-Behavioural Approach, 2nd ed, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2017);Arthur C Brooks, “If You Want Success, Pursue Happiness” (October 2022), online: <theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/10/prioritizing-happiness-before-success/671714>. In his speaking notes, Vice Dean Campagnolo, supra note 1, quotes the following words of Alsace philosopher Albert Schweitzer: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

[v] See, for example, Anne-Laure Gannac, « La gratitude ça fait du bien » (last revised in March 2020), online: <psychologies.com/Moi/Moi-et-les-autres/Relationnel/Articles-et-Dossiers/Dire-merci/La-gratitude-ca-fait-du-bien>; Rébecca Shankland, “La psychologie de la gratitude” in Jacques Lecomte, editor, Introduction à la psychologie positive, Paris, Dunod, 2014 at 167; Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, “The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain” (April 2019), online: <positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude>; Christina Caron, “Gratitude Really Is Good for You: Here’s What the Science Shows” (last revised in November 2023), online: <nytimes.com/2023/06/08/well/mind/gratitude-health-benefits.html>; Robert A Emmons and Michael E McCullough, “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life” (2003) 84:2 J Personality & Soc Psychology 377; Summer Allen, “ The Science of Gratitude” (May 2018), online (pdf): <ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf>.

[vi] Professor Larocque has kindly agreed to my naming him.

[vii] Viktor Emil Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 2014, online: <https://archive.org/details/manssearchformea0000fran_v4p8/page/n9/mode/2up>.

[viii] Ibid at 62 [emphasis added].

[ix] Ibid at 72 [emphasis added].

[x] See, for example, Sarah D Pressman et al, “ Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities With Psychological and Physical Well-Being” (2009) 71:7 Psychosomatic Medicine 725; Elizabeth Scott, “Why Are Hobbies Important for Stress Relief?” (last revised in October 2023), online: <verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-hobbies-for-stress-relief-3144574>; Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska et al, “Mind-Stimulating Leisure Activities: Prospective Associations with Health, Wellbeing, and Longevity” (2023) 11 Frontiers Pub Health, online: <doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1117822>.

[xi] Collins, supra note 2 at 30–31.

[xii] Ibid at 38–39.

[xiii] Bob Roth, Strength in Stillness: The Power of Transcendental Meditation (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2022) at 32 of the Kindle for Web edition.

[xiv] David Lynch Foundation, “Jerry Seinfeld Talks Transcendental Meditation at David Lynch Foundation Gala” (December 2013) at 9m:47s, online (video): <youtube.com/watch?v=uh7Yru3cHoA&t=587s>.

[xv] Jade Scipioni, “Billionaire Ray Dalio Credits His Success to 40 Minutes of Meditation per Day – Here’s How He Does It” (December 2021), online: <cnbc.com/2021/12/18/billionaire-ray-dalio-how-transcendental-meditation-helps-me-succeed.html>.

[xvi] Noah Shachtman, “In Silicon Valley, Meditation Is No Fad. It Could Make Your Career” (June 2013), online: <wired.com/2013/06/meditation-mindfulness-silicon-valley>; Michelle K Nielsen, “Meditation – The New Secret Weapon of the Ultra Successful” (September 2013), online: <huffingtonpost.co.uk/dr-michelle-k-nielsen/meditation-secret-to-success_b_3988497.html>.