One thing I always told my kinds when they were growing up was, \u201cChoose your battles wisely.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s so easy to get into a \u201cbattle\u201d over some little insignificant thing, that later seems stupid that any time at all was wasted on the subject.\u00a0
I\u2019m sure I wasn\u2019t the first to come up with that advice, it\u2019s probably still a popular phrase in parenting today. But I was thinking about it and it really is kind of important in living a contented life. Life is full of opportunities to choose between making a big deal out of something or simply letting it go, realizing that it doesn\u2019t really matter. If all your battles are like going to war, you\u2019ll probably have much less chance of winning those that are truly important.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Naturally there will be times when you want, or need, to argue, confront, or even fight for something you believe in. The problem is that many of us argue, confront, and fight over almost anything. If you do that \u2014 turn your life into a series of battles over \u201cnothing,\u201d there\u2019s almost sure to be so much frustration that you lose track of what is truly relevant.
If your goal is to have everything work out in your favor, even the tiniest disagreement or glitch in your plans can be made into a big deal. That\u2019s probably a sure-fire prescription for frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you think about it, life is rarely exactly the way we would like it to be \u2014 and, other people very often don\u2019t act the way we\u2019d like them to. Every day there are aspects of life that we like and maybe an equal number that we don\u2019t like. There is always going to be people that don\u2019t agree with you. People that do things differently. And things that just don\u2019t work out. These are facts of life. If you fight these facts of life, you\u2019ll spend a good part of your life fighting battles.
I can see my kids rolling their eyes right now, but a better way to live is to decide which battles are worth fighting and which are better left alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your primary goal is to have everything work out perfectly, you\u2019ve probably already given up on this blog and already commented how stupid it is. But if your goal is more along the lines of living a less stressful life, you\u2019ll realize most battles aren\u2019t worth fighting. Does which restaurant you go to really matter enough to argue over it? Does the fact that your neighbor parks his car on the grass warrant a letter to the HOA? Things like these are what many people spend their lives fighting about.\u00a0
Speaking for myself, I think I\u2019ve always chosen my battles wisely, but today I find I rarely need to do battle at all.
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One thing I always told my kinds when they were growing up was, \u201cChoose your battles wisely.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s so easy to get into a \u201cbattle\u201d over some little insignificant thing, that later seems stupid that any time at all was … Continue reading