Monday; March 8
“What are you going to get out of this fight other than a black eye?”. Several years ago my wife, Jeane, was cautioned about getting involved in a conflict and since that time this has become one of her (and my) favorite bits of wisdom. Now, let’s stop here for a second and say that there are times and issues that are worth the fight – but, in reality, there are a lot more that aren’t. In fact, with too many issues, the only things we can expect to gain by picking a fight are a bruised ego, hurt feelings and the mark of a troublemaker. When we are intent on arguing about matters that don’t matter, we are more apt to lose our reputation before we win any influence. Additionally, often when we are strong-willed in picking a fight, not only do we hurt ourselves, we also do damage to our cause and those around us. Specific personal injury might be our choice; but this type of collateral damage over things that aren’t all that important lessen the influence of our cause and may resul