Choosing Your Battles
One of my purposes for this website is to equip people with tools that make their life easier. Choosing your battles is a tool that should be on everyone’s belt, and is a tool that I have been sharpening as of recently. As you know, life is filled with an abundance of choices, some having substantial impact on your life, some having very little. Today I want to focus on the choices we arrive to on a daily basis that seemingly have little impact on our lives but build upon each other over time. These choices aren’t black and white, I’m talking about the ones that may not even appear to be a choice at all.
This idea of choosing your battles popped into my head during a moment where I found myself caught up in emotions that had no reason being present. In this particular moment I was frustrated at a friend for not doing what I thought they should be doing, and for whatever reason it was eating at me more than it should’ve. I had the realization that there are many times throughout my day where I choose to take part in battles that I have no business being involved in. The actions of my friend had no direct effect on me, I made the choice to let their actions bother me. In the moment, my friend was not acting with the intention of bothering me, but for some reason I tricked myself into thinking they were. This particular experience made me think about how many times I waste my time and energy on battles that I’m better of walking away from. The driver that cuts you off, the loud mouth at the restaurant talking to his friend on the phone, and the person who doesn’t pick up after themselves do not deserve your time or energy. These little moments of frustration start to stack up, becoming heavier on your taxed shoulders.
Reflect on times where you chose to involve yourself in a battle that didn’t need your involvement, and left you engulfed in negative emotions that wouldn’t have been present if you had just let it be. There are so many times throughout the course of a day or week where we choose to battle with other people, or ourselves, that leaves us in a state of mind strained by negative emotions. There doesn’t even have to be words exchanged, sometimes it is just the way a person looks at you that sparks a battle within yourself that leaves you emotionally taxed. Become more aware of when you involve yourself in battles, and reflect on whether or not you would’ve felt better if you kept to yourself. Awareness and reflection is the process that helps sharpen the tool of choosing your battles.
With Love,
Luke
