Probably one of the greatest lessons that I learned from Sun Tzu’s Art of War was idea of knowing exactly when to fight. Timing is everything, and understanding what battles to fight and which ones not to fight is critical to success. I got into a little argument with one of my children. It is interesting to note how silly the argument was and how insignificant the outcome of the argument would be to both of us. Which one of us needed to learn to pick their battle, perhaps both of us!
Sometimes the best way to fight, or even the best way to win a fight, is not to even fight at all. That is an incredibly hard lesson to learn. I spent a lot of my life in fruitless battles that got me no where. Allowing people to goad me into a hopeless trench warfare where neither us would gain much benefit. How many times did I find myself sprawled and bleeding on a battle field that I would not remember. Here I am 5, 10, 15, 20, even 30 years later and I could not remember that fight and the details behind it at all. Worthless really, although it felt really important at the time.
So this blog is to remind myself, as I head into another day of war – pick my battles, know when to fight and when to refrain.
Guy Reams
