Back in the '80s, as a young lawyer, I tripped across a book called "Your Wealth-Building Years" by Adrian Berg in a Waldenbooks store -- the Rule of 72 and that type of general (but valuable) advice. So I learned to obey the "Pay Yourself First" principle and build up my savings a thin layer at a time. As the paychecks got larger and larger (i.e., as a partner) I just raised my standard of living by very modest increments, far under my earnings. All in all, I have viewed being a lawyer as an interesting and well-paying route on a broadly envisioned life journey that never, ever included finishing out my life as a lawyer. I have always seen it as a (very long) chapter in the book that's my life. God willing, there's only a few pages of that chapter left. Then it's time to make fun things in my wood shop, travel, read, learn to cook, maybe sell antiques....