12 Dec Pick your battles carefully (ROBIN SHARMA)
I’ve seen people get into fights that consume the most valuable years of their lives. I know of one gentleman who took on a large organization.
Because he felt he had been treated unjustly. And he knew he was right.
He could have settled the matter with some astute negotiation and intelligent discussion and perhaps a little compromise.
But he needed to be vindicated. Fully and completely. And so he spent twenty years fighting his war. Yes, twenty years.
And guess what? He won.
And guess what? He suffered a stroke, lost most of his fortune and ended up in a wheelchair.
He could hardly speak by the time the whole battle was over, but he did manage to mumble to me: “See, I taught them a lesson, didn’t I?”
Of course, I viscerally believe that one must fight for what is right. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
To stand for your principles, remain true to your values and defend that which is important to you is what strengthens your char acter, fuels your everyday heroism and escalates your self-esteem.
I get that. We are on the same page on this.
And yet, through my own trials, I’ve also learned this: No fight is worth the loss of your creativity, productivity, happiness and peace of mind. Lose these treasures and you’ve lost everything.
And so, it’s all a fine balance, isn’t it?
Pick your battles carefully. Sometimes you must uphold your honor and come out swinging. And sometimes you need to see the larger picture, prefer the protection of your prized joyfulness over the vindication of being right and play a wiser game, moving ahead by avoiding conflict-trusting that taking the high road will serve you best in the long run.
THE EVERYDAY HERO
MANIFESTO
ROBIN SHARMA
WEBSITE: https://www.robinsharma.com/
