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Every day is another fight. Some may be mellow, but others do it at their life cost. When faced with an unexpected adversary, what can you do not add any casualties? How will you gain strength without stepping on other people for survival?
Life is one great war. Even before we exited our mothers’ wombs, they have been fighting to keep themselves and us alive. And once we come out, it’s a new survival challenge. But as we grow older, different stages threaten our peace and destroy our sense of normalcy due to our choices.
Take a look at real examples like wars that transpired throughout history. They serve as lessons that one must never repeat. The book Grey Feathers by Daniel M. Dewald recalls the author’s experiences during the Vietnam War and how it impacted the world when it happened, making readers open their hearts and minds to the realities they must face in every battle in life.
Directing the course of choosing battles
How we react is critical in the trajectory of our lives moving forward. However, remember that everything that leads up to victory or loss takes a lot of expendable parts of our humanity – pain, sadness, joy, laughter, calm, and grief. They can fill our hearts with different emotions that some of us recognize but, at other times, remain unknown. But despite the unfamiliar, choosing battles works because we are mere soldiers rummaging our pockets with what to do at war.
There’s a common belief that life is built on choosing battles. That usually includes the moments we allow to wage war within us, eliciting a reaction determining who we are. What makes choosing battles more difficult is that we are being watched by people around us, those we know and those who don’t, which makes us feel like walking on thin ice, ready to crash at the weight of our actions.
What are the things we need to remember when we’re armed and ready to fight? Should we face every one of our life’s battles? Does it make one a coward for choosing what others would typically do?
Determine if the battle is yours to fight.
People easily fall into the trap of choosing battles that aren’t theirs. And it’s also tempting to hop in when someone asks you to. Avoid this mistake by not being involved no matter what unless you are directly along the crossfire. Even if you’re the type, who likes to play hero, flying around to save face, don’t do it. Let the people you love fight their battles since you already have enough. You can only take so much; drawing your sword at the wrong enemy wastes time.
Think about the long-term costs.
Choosing battles is a long, outstretched time affecting three people – you, your enemy, and those who love you. It helps to be above the trees and look at things from a bigger perspective rather than being stuck in the forest. Before choosing battles, ask yourself how this will affect your life and well-being in the long run. Picture the possibilities this one small decision will cascade towards, and it might even help you reign over the emotions brewing in your mind and heart.
Never be ashamed to feign weakness.
When you give up, you are strong. When you run, you are brave. Cowardice is not limited to hiding in fear when choosing battles. Sometimes, it’s the most probable way to spare yourself from the fruitless risks that most wars in life bring to the table. People fight daily battles both for a reason and without. And one needs to be critically aware of the difference between the two.
That includes feigning weakness, an effective strategy that makes your adversaries think you have given up. It only bides your time and is a productive way to equip yourself better and become more potent than when you tirelessly fought without stopping. It only leads to a series of disasters because you did otherwise and came unprepared.
Long story short
Who loses and wins when you fight a battle beyond your capabilities?
Only your heart can lead the way according to what suits you. How will you live with yourself after choosing battles you believe are right? Your enemies will eventually meet their demise and defeat themselves, even before you can swing. Don’t mistake choosing your battles as cowardice and being a pushover.
Consider it something a wise tactician would do when the battlefield does not hold much of an advantage and becomes a threat rather than an asset. So when you’re in the midst of an unfortunate situation where you want to engage and prepare for combat, take a step back and remember the things taught to you. Only then will you know what to do and direct your time and energy to battles worth fighting for.
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