Shawnee Love   •  
July 15, 2011

As I get older and more experienced, one of the key insights I have gained is to pick my battles.

My youthful idealism rages against this attitude, but picking your battles and knowing “which hill to die on” are two adages that consistently work.

I used to think that if I saw something wrong, I should deal with it right away.  Experience (i.e., mistakes viewed in the rear view mirror) has shown me that while that intent is good, jumping right in to solve a problem is rarely the best way to go. It takes time to figure out the root causes and even more time to understand who holds the real power behind the situation and thus the key to change.

Obviously, you shouldn’t stand by and watch illegal, unethical and immoral stuff happen, but if what is happening is merely inefficient, ineffective, or costly, you might be able to win the war by stepping back and planning which battles you want to embark upon carefully.  Do you agree? Disagree? Have an example to share?